Aretha Franklin was one of the first singers I listened to on repreat. My mom gave me a Greatest Hits album, where I would listen to it on repeat while I cried myself to sleep. Aretha Franklin's voice gave me strength, like so many other women, to demand respect even when we are told we are not supposed to ask for it.
Her life continued to be a moment of survival, continuing to record music until retiring a year before her death. I will forever be grateful for her message because it kept me going as a kid to survive even the worst in life.

Inspired by photographer James perolls and model Qizhen Gao.

While I was looking through images on the Flickr Commons for images that would soothe my anxiety, I came across this vintage restaurant in Phoenix, Arizona. What I love about this image is it's reflection on the past through the architecture. It reminds me of old Hollywood, a classic time where beauty was prized above all else.

Earthy tones and greens have been so soothing for me recently, so I decided to start painting this yesterday. What I loved painting the most was the cactus! I love the very contoured angles of cacti because it yet again reminds me of old Hollywood perfection.

This painting was done on 140 lb. paper. I've heard recently how important the paper quality is on a painting. It's interesting to me because I'd always loved the plastic sheen that seemed to come from painting on sketch paper. However, with the 140 lb. paper I was able to layer my colors more easily and add more depth to the image, something almost impossible on thin paper.

So in conclusion, I love plants and heavy paper! Go check out my new painting on my print shop! Link below.