Hi Everyone,
This summer has been filled with adventures. We took an amazing trip to St. Croix, my family came to visit (I loved having a house full of people), and Mark and I escaped for a long weekend in Savannah, Georgia. Seriously, it has to be one of the prettiest cities in the U.S. With its beautiful Georgian architecture, brick streets, towering oak trees, and Spanish moss, it feels like you've stepped into a little corner of Europe.
When I wasn't traveling, my favorite part of the week was joining our plein air group every Tuesday. Summer has a different rhythm, and I loved getting to set my own pace—sleeping in (just a little!), lingering over a cup of coffee, taking a morning walk, and spending the day making art. Those slow, creative days are something I'll definitely miss.
I've also been slowly working my way through a colorful landscape course with Suzanne Allard. The course has encouraged me to experiment with much bolder color choices, especially in the backgrounds of my paintings. I'm only about halfway through, but it's already pushed me outside my comfort zone in the best way. I love discovering how unexpected color combinations can make a painting come alive.
While we were in St. Croix, I packed my travel watercolor set and painted small. That's one of the things I love about watercolor—it all fits into a little zippered pouch, making it easy to paint anywhere. I filled a tiny accordion-style sketchbook and painted several postcards along the way.
One of those postcards was created for Winsor & Newton's Art Mail event. You purchase a pack of watercolor postcards, create your artwork, and mail one back to them to be included in an online exhibition. I thought it would be fun to send mine directly from St. Croix!
I also finished the sketchbook I've been filling for quite a while, which always feels bittersweet. There's something satisfying about turning that final page and looking back through months of sketches and ideas.
And finally, I've started my newest piece for the South Carolina State Fair!
The working title is "Abundance," and it celebrates some of the crops that grow here in South Carolina. This is just the first step—the raised textures are created with paper clay, and the entire surface will be painted next. I'm excited to see where this one goes, and I'll be sharing updates as it develops.
