“The House At Midnight” – 5 x 7 inch mixed media (watercolor and gouache and colored pencils) painting on watercolor paper

This week, my “studio” was a desk in my hotel room in New Orleans! It was my husband’s business trip, and I tagged along…and I am so grateful that I did! The French Quarter is a fun place to be…with its extraordinary architecture, delicious food (beignets and cafe au lait for breakfast!!!), the wonderful rhythms of live music on every street, great history, and warm Southern hospitality…not to mention it is a place that inspires and celebrates ART!

These paintings were done with photo references I had on my iPad. This was a vase of yellow daisies in a restaurant in Ireland.

This was a view of the sea, from Monterey, California.

And this was from a photo of a house in New Orleans, that we saw that day on a sightseeing bus tour. The style was inspired by artist, James Michalopoulos, whose gallery of incredible artwork, I was able to peruse in the French Quarter. His houses of New Orleans series really struck a chord with me, as the bright colors and thick brushstrokes really made each painting so special, as if the house was the character of its own story. Seeing his artwork, made me want to push out of my own style for a while, and create with thick layers and bright color. 

My makeshift “studio” was a lot of fun…I brought colored pencils, gouache paints and Peerless watercolor strips with me, as well as small sizes of watercolor paper. It really is a good lesson in using what I have at the time, and also it’s a nice reminder that I can make art anywhere!