Since we last met on my Substack, I’ve had many life adventures and creative reflections that I’m excited to share with all of you in a later post. I traveled with my mom to Vienna and saw art from longtime favorites, started the Artists Way with cross-state accountability from Megan, and visited a local comix and arts festival with Jude.
But, like I said, these reflections will come at a later date. I was inspired this past weekend seeing people and friends gather and protest in support of Palestine. Many days I feel helpless reading the news and feeling like I’m speaking into a void leaving messages for my representatives, but that was not what I felt watching posts and videos from protests across the country!
I’ve been wanting to start taking commissions, and with this moment of energy, now seems like as good a time as any. For this set of commissions, I’ll finish all paintings ahead of the holidays (could be a good gift for a loved one) and donate all money (minus shipping and materials costs) to the Palestine Children’s Relief Fund. Details are below. Please text, email or comment if you’re interested!
Holiday Paintings: How this will work!
I’ll take up to 4 commissions for an 10” x 8” watercolor, gouache and ink painting.
If more than 4 people are interested, I’ll do my best to complete as many paintings as possible before the holidays in the order that requests are received.
Please send a landscape or scenery photo to work from.
No people or pet portraits. This is not a skillset I’ve developed yet, but hopefully one day!
If the painting is a gift, I’ll coordinate with you on where to ship it. I can add a nice gift note if it’ll be going directly to the recipient.
Paintings will be postmarked by December 11th, at the latest.
Pricing will be on a sliding scale. Suggested price is $100-$200.
Shipping and materials cost: For transparency, shipping and materials costs will likely be $10-15/painting. I’ll be purchasing watercolor paper and packaging materials for this project.
Work Samples: What you can expect
Here are some examples of recent paintings I’ve completed. What you’ll receive will be slightly different in style and level of detail since some of these paintings were done on larger paper and others were done as plein air studies.
Again, if you’re interested, please text, email or comment. As it gets dark earlier and earlier, I’m looking forward to having this project to keep me going.
What I’ve been reading:
My dad recommended The Chinese Groove by Kathryn Ma which I finished in two days during a two-day, pizza-induced stomach ache. (Clearly admitting to myself that I’m lactose intolerant is an ongoing struggle.) My dad and I rarely have the same interest in book, so knowing that he had read and lent me this book added to my enjoyment. For a bit of context on our reading preferences, the last book my dad bought me was Good Stocks Cheap, a book on value investing, and the last book I bought him was Pachinko.
This article on whales from above which includes a lot of photos and videos of, as you could guess, whales from above. Is there anything cooler than nature?! For those of you who don’t like knowing about or seeing big creatures in the Atlantic, I’d skip this one.
This article on retracing Taylor Swift’s steps through NYC restaurants. I’m no Swiftie, but I enjoyed the writer’s thorough investigation and commitment to the bit. It was incredibly low stakes reading for a moment when the news cycle is anything but.
What I’ve been making:
This coconut curry chickpeas with pumpkin (this is a NYT cooking recipe so you probably need a subscription to see it) and these Korean BBQ chicken thighs were both easy weeknight dinners.
I’m excited to make the below zucchini bread recipe from Ms. Nancy, the mom of my childhood best friend. The recipe is over 40 years old and was given to her by one of her dad’s patients. Nancy and her mom, who I knew as Grandma Jane, made it every holiday, and I loved when a loaf or a slice would come my way. Nancy sent me the recipe today after I made a sub-par loaf and found myself craving hers instead.
What have you been reading, making, dreaming this month?