a little love note (to the sea)

Had a great vibe going on in my studio today... I almost couldn't tell it was still February outside! I had Dirty Heads & Rome radio on Pandora, made some banana cinnamon pancakes for lunch and was just in a relaxed, beachy mood. It was warm enough to have the windows open in the afternoon... even in winter the salty air from Boston Harbor wafts through our neighborhood and it smells like the beach.

Have I mentioned I'm still beyond happy to be living right next to the ocean again after living 1-2 hours inland for seven years? Siiiiigh.

This painting was so fragile... I used a transfer of a photo I took and put it straight onto a Mexican envelope from 1919 with no backing or anything. Even with paint and several layers of varnish it was still wispy and felt like it was going to rip any second. It was too fragile to even put near the fan to help dry it... the thinness of old, weathered paper is definitely a challenge sometimes.

I finished it up with stamps and india ink (I was pretty sure hand-painting words might tear it) and matted it to a piece of rough canvas then put it in this floating frame. Normally I don't frame artwork before selling it... but I just loved this little piece. I think someone will see it and will immediately think of a person they love who this piece would speak to and it will already be ready to put right up on a wall :) 

I'm unsure why the photos are so blurry/low resolution... maybe I'll take more photos when the sun is back out tomorrow. A Little Love Note (To The Sea) is available in my shop if you'd like to take a look.