Art by JPL

Traveling in the Adirondacks with my family is a yearly tradition. I have been spending summers there since I was a baby! I love to be there with my own kids and watch them enjoying it as much as I always have. And I am so lucky that my husband loves it there as much as I do! We spent a lot of time swimming, playing cards, taking walks in the woods, and eating copious amounts of ice cream after the kids went to bed. What a lovely vacation! Now that it's nearly mid-August I am

My family and I just got home from our latest travel adventure to southern France. It was an unbelievably beautiful vacation filled with excellent food, perfect weather, amazing friends, and a lot of really good wine. We saw cave paintings, toured a castle, had a picnic along a river, and took a boat tour. I took a lot of photos but they can't capture the magic of the chirping birds, the sweet-smelling air and the delicious food. What a week filled with inspiration! I have so

I've been thinking recently about where ideas come from. I'm often asked about that as a visual artist and I don't always understand the answer myself! I have a lot of images that float around in my mind and I want to try to capture them when I paint. These are often landscapes, seascapes, and skies. I return to these subjects over and over again in a vain attempt to capture the beauty of nature. Sometimes these images come to me in my dreams! Like this one: If I sit down to

Everyone I know is talking about this book, Big Magic by Elizabeth Gilbert. It's everywhere. I bought it thinking it must be over-hyped and it's not!! It's amazing! I absolutely loved the anecdotal stories from creative people about how their inspiration comes to them - from grabbing a poem as it flies through the air, to telling a song to wait because you're in traffic and you can't write it down. So great!! The overall message is that you have to do the work. Keep creating.

The second half of summer vacation included 2 weeks in the peaceful Adirondacks (briefly interrupted by a quick trip to NYC for a lovely wedding). I've spent time in the Adirondacks every summer of my life! It's such a beautiful place. It's impossible to capture it in photos or paintings but I will keep trying. Trees, rocks, paths in the woods, mountains... there is inspiration everywhere. This is the most beautiful spot in the whole world. On a clear night you can see so man

London, Edinburgh, the Adirondacks, NYC for a wedding, more Adirondacks, and we're back. That's a lot!! I'm so excited to be home. Here are some highlight photos from the UK. I was so inspired by England and Scotland. I have so many images in my mind to paint! Beautiful and moody clouds. Rolling hills. Dramatic cliffs (Holyrood Park!!) and beautiful stone buildings. So much inspiration!! I will share some photos from the Adirondacks in another post. There is so much beauty in