decisions, decisions, oh the artistic decisions...

Wednesday, March 26, 2014



Oh I'm in a rut. I just don't know what to do. I want to create some sort of spring collection of artwork, whether it be abstracts or realism. Abstracts hand me over such battles. They are difficult - they are harder creating than one would think, and I find myself stumped and looking at other current abstract artists who are my age, and a lot more successful and extremely talented and I admit, I find myself becoming very discouraged. Sometimes when I compare my abstract work to other artists I feel very amateur. But I am a fine artists - I have a degree, I have studied with an emphasis in painting all through high school and college so I shouldn't feel defeated. It's just hard is all.

I don't have the most legit website for my artwork, I don't have a .com and since the move to Los Angeles I am now in search of a printing company to help myself produce prints and giclees of my artwork so that I can always have artwork available for purchase. But it's money. I probably shouldn't be publicly writing my doubts within my own work, as it's far from professional, but I'm real and majority of the time, I like to throw my hands in the air because I don't care.

As of late, I have been questioning if I should focus on my butterfly paintings and take a breather from the abstracts. I have a great audience who love the butterflies and I can continue with this collection and go forward with it. It would be perfect for spring and summer and I do find a joy while painting them. So, I'm going to continue to think about it a bit, but that is where I am at. I just need to focus on one thing at a time and stop looking at other artists work, unless they are my favorite master painters. I need to find my niche because I'm all over the map. And.... I need a vacation.

happy to snooze

Tuesday, March 25, 2014


Holy smokes! March has been so busy and so tiring I cannot for the life of me wait to not have to hit the snooze button tomorrow morning at 4:30 in the morning! With a few days off from work, I'm ready to take it easy, read, paint and do my thing! As much as I enjoy walking to work every morning, I won't have to walk past this view while the sun rises - though I do enjoy the view but I'm excited to just be in my bed.

I'm ready for a vacation as I have said over and over again and I beginning to think I should stop saying it or else I'll be driving myself absolutely nuts. I'm heading to Utah for a weekend the end of April for my cousins wedding and I am so excited for a quick getaway. It will be so nice to see family and friends from college and be in a place that is quite familiar to me. I love being around my family. Until then, I can't wait till Snoozeday Tuesday!

craving the southern coast, the florida keys & anything clear and tropical.

Wednesday, March 19, 2014




Before I speak my mind, I am well aware that I currently reside in sunny California, in a very beautiful and manicured city by the sea. I am so appreciative of it and each and every day I step outside I am thankful for the beauty I am surrounded by.

But, there is something so much more magical and exotic and intriguing to me down south and further down into the Caribbean. I know, I know, I am biased because those are my stomping grounds but that is how I feel. I am not going to complain about the beaches here in California by any means but if I could choose, shockingly I'd take the Atlantic over the Pacific! Sometimes I feel that people believe Calfornia to be some prized possession - God's gift to the world if you will. I can see it, but at the same time I know there are other places that for me, are just as beautiful, if not, more appealing and that's okay. So strange enough, even though the ocean is right outside my door - I have been longing to go to the Florida Keys and the Caribbean.

I know I am not going to Florida or the Caribbean in June, but Hilton Head Island is my one true love and I wish it would get here already! My parents are currently on a cruise in the Caribbean and they made a pit stop in Florida and I was so envious of their tropical and humid adventure!

I grew up visiting my grandparents in Florida and I have some of the fondest memories and so Florida has left such a sweet taste in my mouth. I love the white sand and the crystal clear waters, WARM waters might I add. I love the architecture of the homes, the pastel colors splashed throughout and I love the humidity. Lately, there has been some chit chat with my girlfriends of having a girls trip to the Florida Keys and I stayed up so late one night thinking all about it. I was so excited - but realistically it just wouldn't work out. Too far travel wise, not enough time to squeeze in a good decent week to make the trip worth it so we tossed the idea and we are saving it for a raining day.

What a teaser, because now it's all I can think about. It's all I have been craving and reading up on and reminiscing the time spent there with my family growing up. I just so badly want to go back to that now that that stage of my life is over with since the passing of my grandparents. I've always viewed Florida as magical. It always seemed so chic to me and maybe that's because that is how I viewed my Grandma Jean and that is where she lived. There was always an adventure - so many themed parks, childhood dreams coming true at Disney World, exploring every inch of the world as a young tyke thanks to Epcot and our families favorite -Busch Gardens where I discovered my love for roller coasters. I miss playing card games with my grandparents and learning how to whistle while rocking in my Grandmas rattan chairs on the porch. I loved her rattan furniture. Loved it.

My grandparents neighborhood was filled with live oak trees and the spanish moss hung like garland. It was eerie, especially at night when we'd take walks down the street to see my Great Grandmother and eat whatever she was fixin' in the kitchen. During the days, my sisters and I would drive my grandparents golf cart to the pool and I remember thinking the pool was so grand and majestic. You know how when you're a kid everything seems so much bigger, mighty and vast? That's how I viewed it - and the pool always had music filling background noise that consisted of the whispering of Louis Armstrong and Billie Holiday. The pool scene in the film with Whoopi Goldberg, 'Corina, Corina', always reminds me of swimming in my grandparents pool in Florida. Everything was so relaxed, so beautiful, so charming and simple. And that's what I miss. I miss my grandparents a lot. That's why I love Florida because it takes me back to a time in my life that I truly cherish and I won't ever forget. I loved their company, even though I was a shy little girl, but I appreciated the world that they introduced me to down there. Therefore, Florida is familiar and brings a feeling of comfort to me. So with that said, I've been longing for a dose of Florida and it's been on my mind lately.





for my personal records

Monday, March 17, 2014


This is just for my pure personal enjoyment. I love lists, wether they be to-do lists, packing lists, grocery lists, and favorite lists. My birthday is just around the corner and I wanted to jot down a record of the things I love and remind myself of what I loved when I was 24. People change, you know? My interests won't ever change but the specifics within those interests could possibly change. So this is just for entertainment.

On two side notes, the Zoo and I were abruptly woken up at 6:25 am this morning by a 4.7 earthquake. Yes, this is my first experience of an earthquake and though it wasn't too crazy, it was strong enough to wake us up, lasted a good 15 seconds which doesn't sound long but when you're living through it, it seems like forever and the whole apartment was shaking. Luckily only one dish broke in the kitchen but I was screaming. I've never experienced anything quite like it. I have always said, tornados are the most frightening and evil looking natural disasters. But growing up with them, I was fine because you can prepare for them and you are warned hours ahead and the city has sirens that go off telling you to get in your basement. But, an earthquake - no warning, nothing.

The sound was the most frightening. It sounded as though a bull dozer was digging right below us. Apparently we were right in the epicenter of the quake and it's been years since an earthquake of this magnitude has hit so they are worried this is the beginning of a big one. I'm thinking Zeke and I need to move back home to Georgia ASAP.

In other news, I spent the morning creating "paint chips" to create color palettes for future spring collection of abstracts! I am really excited! Now, for the list:

1. favorite book(s) : Midnight in the Garden of Good & Evil & Gone With the Wind
2. favorite artist(s) : Degas, De Kooning, Matisse, Bernini, Michelangelo, John Singer Sargent, Monet, Manet
3. favorite color(s) : chartreuse, coquelicot, cornflower blue, periwinkle, bright lilac
4. favorite song : Georgia On My Mind  - Ray Charles
5. favorite scent : fresh laundry
6. favorite ice cream and from where : pomegranate frozen yogurt & guava frozen yogurt  - sweet rose creamery 
7. favorite food : anything cajun creole
8. style icons : grace kelly, lauren bacall, jackie kennedy, olivia palermo, audrey hepburn, c.z. guest, giovanna battaglia
9. favorite fruit(s) : watermelon, honeycrisp apples, tangelos & lemons
10. favorite holiday : 4th of July & Halloween
11. favorite pastime : ghost hunting & painting

the sea & perfume.

Saturday, March 15, 2014

The past couple of weeks here in Santa Monica have been absolutely beautiful! Zeke and I have been spending our time taking walks through the neighborhoods and I can't help but recognize all of the beautiful botanicals and foliage that Los Angeles has to offer! I do believe this makes Santa Monica smell like perfume, and with the warm breeze blowing off the coast of the sea, a flood of the aroma comes seeping in through our windows at night and it puts me into a nostalgic slumber.

We spend our Saturdays at the beach where I find myself drooling over the stripped umbrellas that remind me of the amalfi coast which I long to explore - la dolce vita! This weekend Zeke went out of town for a golf trip so it's been a weekend full of relaxation, reading, writing (my little cousin and I are putting our imagination to the test and writing a mystery novel with illustrations included) watching movies, and spending hours in the sand. Though I miss Zeke, I can't complain of the time I have spent alone! I love my surroundings and I'm taking in every bit of it!

happy birthday mama!

Saturday, March 15, 2014



Today is a beautiful day, for it's my mama's birthday! She's a hoot and gives off quite the roar with her spunky personality and her craving to live life to the fullest! I always say, she's the perfect mix of Doris Day & Lucille Ball - but better because she's my mom who has taught me some of life's most valuable lessons both by word & example.

She's a loving mother, the best friend and an all-around perfect lady. I aspire to be her one day, as I know both of my sisters think the same! Though I wish I could spend the day with her celebrating, I know she is having the time of her life in Florida with my Dad ready to board that cruise ship to the Caribbean. Sigh....

Happy Birthday Mama! I love you so, especially this kissable photo of you where I want to squeeze your cheeks! xoxo

valentines day

Saturday, March 15, 2014


It's no secret that I am very much behind with my posts, but alas here is the scoop on Valentines Day. Zeke and I decided to sit back and relax this year and come what may. We didn't want to make a fuss of the holiday as with past years we have taken turns to surprise each other with some festive Valentines Day. This year, we were spent and luckily our plans were made when my parents decided to fly out and visit us!

It was the perfect weekend and especially the perfect Valentines Day. To spend the sweet holiday with my parents who set such a great example of love was certainly special. My mom and I took a walk through the neighborhoods of Brentwood that morning and grabbed a quick bite to eat and then we met up with my Dad and Zeke and ventured to Ventura and walked the boardwalk and had dinner at our favorite BBQ place in Los Angeles. We ended the night going to the Santa Monica Pier and actually took advantage of what the pier has to offer and laughed and screamed like kids as we rode the roller coaster over the ocean and topped it off with ice cream cones. Once again, I felt as though I was living my favorite episode of the 'Twilight Zone' as we rode the coaster over the ocean with the coastal skyline of Santa Monica sparking down below.

We spent the weekend taste testing just about every restaurant in town filling our bellies and just about toppling over. We drove the streets and neighborhoods of Beverly Hills and let the sun shine on our faces in Malibu. It was a relaxing weekend with the best of company. I wouldn't have spent my Valentines any other way! I sure do miss my parents right now, but luckily I get to see them the end of April as we will all be meeting in Utah for my cousins wedding! Let the countdown to the family reunion begin!

p.s. I forgot to mention that I finally spotted a celebrity and to say that I was star-struck is far far from what I was really feeling. We had lunch literally next to Christ Martin, the leader singer of Coldplay, and GWYNETH PALTROW'S HUSBAND. We were so close to him and his daughter Apple that I could hear every word of his conversation. Of course I wasn't eavesdropping, but I will admit to  biting the crap out of my tongue when I'm pretty sure he caught me snapping pictures of him.  I had too! I couldn't help myself! Spot him in that picture of my mom eating her lunch? Eeeek!

this might tickle your fancy

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