We're In A Magazine!
Paco and I are featured in the Summer edition of Where Women Create,Β and I am so excited to share it with you.Β
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A nomadic Artist, living and creating in a self-converted van, I paint in a jubilant riot of color to harness the splendor of landscapes through which I travel.
I had the honor of being interviewed by my good friend, Steve Harper, for his podcast, `The Ripple Effect.`
We chat about the impact these past seven (!!!) years in the van have had on me, both personally and creatively.
I share the story of how Paco and I were featured in the magazine, @wherewomencreate discuss what I call "Van Therapy," and how this nomad lifestyle has completely transformed me.
Be sure to share with anyone you think might enjoy our story. I always love hearing from people who live a similar lifestyle, or maybe you have questions about where to begin with vanlife; I`d be happy to share lessons I`ve picked up along the way.
Enjoy! π©πΌβπ¨πΆ
We`ve been hiking a lot lately, and I`ve been taking so many photographs, I need to go through them to create a few "proper" posts.
So, in the meantime, here`s a collection of Paco enjoying various icy cold water sources.
#dogsofinstagram #doglover #hikingwithdogs #outdoordog #hiking
Just a quick 3000`+ elevation hike for a signal. π
We`ve been camped in the mountains without service, so here`s a proof of life pic.
More to follow when we return to civilization.
Another successful Art Market in the books! ππΌ
Participating in art markets while living full-time in a van can be a tricky feat.
While dog sitting for friends last month, I built an entire new display set up to showcase my paintings. Since there`s not a lot of room in the van for big bulky wooden furniture pieces, other friends allowed me to store everything in their basement until the day of the show. Proof that sometimes it takes a village indeed, and that some things in fact cannot be done alone.
Thank you to everyone who came out to see me and everyone who went home with a painting or print! I have so much fun talking to people about my art and hearing their reactions to it. π
Now, it`s back to the forest to regenerate and start creating again! π©πΌβπ¨πΆπ²
I`ve been using a tent as my art studio lately. π©πΌβπ¨
While talking to a friend about the challenges of painting inside the van and the need to constantly move or pack everything up, she asked if I`d ever tried painting in a tent. I had not.
I often paint outside under the awning, but even then, I have to pack all supplies up at the end of the day, or move inside when the sun blasts the paints too hard.
It turns out she had a large tent I could borrow to use as a trial run for a paint studio, and I jumped at the opportunity.
For the past two weeks, I`ve been painting in the tent through sunshine and rainstorms, and it`s been quite nice. It allows me to leave my tables set up, paints laid out, brushes strewn everywhere. Each morning, I simply unzip the tent and get to work. How wonderful!
While this tent has provided a nice space to work in, if I were to invest in my own, I think would need something with more headroom and space. There were a lot of close calls of nearly tipping the entire table over as I squeezed out from behind it, and tent walls flapping against me during a windy storm, but for the most part, it worked splendidly.
So, maybe my next van studio iteration is a a tent? It *has* allowed me to work on larger paintings, and I do love that! π
This photo makes me so happy, I just had to share it with everyone else.
#happydog #dogsofinstagram #hikingwithdogs
This is the last remaining painting from my recent "Desert Memories" collection. π²
Every other painting, as well as several prints and coffee mugs, has been purchased and shipped off to new homes.
"Together Forever" was inspired by a campsite in the Kofa National Wildlife Refuge near Yuma, AZ, during our very first year of van dwelling. These two saguaros were young, compared to others in the area. This pair stood next to our campsite, and every time I glanced over, it felt like I was witnessing a tender moment between a couple as they took in the view.
While it makes me a little sad to see this cactus duo left behind, I am over the moon with joy that everything else sold so quickly!
How wonderful is that! π₯°
I haven`t posted in a while, so here`s a video of a couple bull moose who recently moseyed through our campsite.
#moose #vanlife #wildlife
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