Colorado Inspiration

I have a running list of the things I love about Colorado; the friendly people, the smell of warm pine needles, bike paths GALORE and barleywine are just are few.

Oh. AND THE COLORS.

I've visited the state throughout most of it's seasons (no, this is not another I <3 Autumn post) and it is consistently one of the most colorful and beautiful places I've been too.

(Ok, ok, it helps that is autumn. But this state is absolutely just as beautiful during the Winter/Spring/Summer too.)

The moment we returned I gathered my hastily-painted sketches from the field and starting working on a few of the palettes that remained ingrained in my mind from our travels.

So I left the bags packed in the corner, popped on my Skyrim soundtrack (my favorite for painting with the outdoors in mind)  and spent the next few hours scouring through my photos and playing with my paint.

Being that I'm still rather intrigued by a circular canvas format, I decided to keep the sketched palettes contained within that shape. Now I just need to get better at stretching canvas around circular boards... 

With the palettes on paper, I was able to go back to adult things for a little while; packing, laundry, restocking the fridge...etc, but I'm hoping to come back to these soon.

Are there any other places that you might recommend specifically for their colors? I'm in the midst of building my travel list for next year, so I'm allllll ears!

Have a great week friends <3

Art for a Cause -- CYLAuction open for bidding!

The CYLAuction opens for bidding today! Make sure to check out their instagram feed for a chance to bid on my painting, 'Intersection' and any of the other fantastic pieces available.

Proceeds go to A Window Between Worlds, a truly wonderful non-profit dedicated to using art to empower and heal their community.

Auction ends on Nov 1st.

How to Make Watercolor Business Cards in 4 steps!

Ok confession time = I'm so, so awful at committing to a business card design. I love places like Moo.com that let you print multiple images within the same card order, but even still I end up redesigning/reordering before I've used up the pack. Maybe not the best use of my finances. Prettiest, sure... most responsible? No.

SO to combat my obsessive re-designing habits (which is oddly limited to just business cards, I'm fine with most things for years...) I decided to come up with a way to print exactly what I wanted, in a way that I could adjust whatever, whenever I wanted.

(The key is small batch runs, of course - but I'm fairly sure no print shop will do a run of 24 cards every 2-3 weeks. Though, if you find one, please, let me know.)

Here is a little tutorial that details the steps I took to make my small run of cards, which will invariably change by next month. But for now, I'm in love.

1.) PAPER

It's SUPER important to get good, thick paper. Flimsy business cards are cheap looking and get folded and lost easily. If I'm handing someone my card, I want it to survive in their wallet/pocket.

I used Cold-Pressed Innova watercolor paper for mine. (For the paper nerds: 315gsm.) It's gorgeous for business cards.

2.) DESIGN

I printed my minimal, basic design onto the paper, careful to make sure the paper is perfectly aligned for the printer and no margin in-between cards. No margin will make cutting the cards easier and will generate less waste. Woo smaller footprint!

3.) PAINT

Once I had the 'business' side printed, I flipped the page on it's back, taped it down and went at it willy-nilly with my favorite pigment at the moment: indigo. Just a heads up, if you use the Innova paper it will buckle significantly during this step, but rest assured the paper relaxes once dried. (I panicked, so you don't have to!)

4.) CUT (after it dries, of course)

I used my trusty cutting board for this job, aligning the grid with the cutting wire. 

5.) Celebrate!

And that's it! With the right paper, it's easy to create professional, unique business cards that can be produced for cents and redone in a heartbeat.

This is what I got out of one sheet of paper. They'll go into orders, to friends, to the random people I meet at the bar that ask me why my hands are covered in blue paint...

Have a great rest of the week friends!

New Work : Currents - 8 x 10 Abstract Watercolor

I finished this new edition to the Water Series last week; Currents -- painted on an 8 x 10 primed canvas. 

Inspired by the gentle churn of the water, waves lapping at the shore, and the rhythmic inhale and exhale of the tides, this painting was a meditation on the raw strength and serene beauty of ocean.

Prints will be available shortly and the original will be posted for sale on Chairish.

Have a wonderful weekend friends!

Autumn ; My Season of Renewal

I live for the fall. The crisp chill of morning, the snuggle of warm socks on cold ground, and the heat from the day’s first coffee sinking into my hands positively awakens my soul.

Autumn is my season of renewal.

Perhaps I owe it to 17 years of in the school system; treating fall as the start of the “New Year.” Supplies were bought, promises to myself to do better, to do more than last year were made. And I suppose, all this stuck.

As soon as the temperature begins to dip I fly into school-mode. New sketchbooks are purchased, lists, goals and projects are mapped out and explored, and I find myself throughly happy to examine and re-examine last year’s progress.

Forget January 1st, this is my time for resolutions.

And pumpkin spice (whatever, I’m basic, so what.)

And knee-socks (even though I live in Miami.)

And hot spiced wine.

And most especially, LOTS of painting.

Here’s to the seasons that resonate within us -- be it autumn, winter, spring or summer, and spur us to create the work of our souls.

Much Love and Warmth <3