The desert can be such a beautiful place. Just outside of Las Vegas there is this gorgeous state park called Valley of Fire. The red and orange rocks are a sight to behold, and with the turquoise and sage colored plants and sky...I was in awe. I hope I captured it well in this painting.  ​

I find painting sunsets as relaxing as looking at them. So in this series I painted four sunsets on 8 x 8" panels, highlighting the most wonderful elements of sunsets, their bold display. I let the originals for these be available and a limited amount of prints below. I hope you enjoy them as much as I did painting them. 

When I was seven years old, my second grade teacher handed me an assignment -tell me who you want to be when you grow up. I didn't know all the opportunities that were out there in the world, nor how I fit into it. All I wanted was something different than what I had, because I was already experiencing that. I grew up without a lot of money, so as you can see listed on my paper below, I wanted lots of money.  I also wanted a good husband AND lots of boyfriends, ha ha, realistic expectations for sure. Did I become what my 2nd grade self wanted? No. Because this was somebody else I wanted to be, not who I actually am. Learning who I am and what I want to be is something that progresses over time.  

I think we all have moments in life when we want to be someone other than who we are. We have an ideal what we should be, and of course, we have trouble reaching that. Becoming someone we are not is unrealistic, nor does it lead to happiness. So instead of reaching for someone else, we should try reaching to become better versions of ourselves. 

The first step in becoming a better artist is the MOST IMPORTANT step. It's embracing who you are, so you can let your true art shine. Discovering who you are is a process, not something that happens over night. As an artist this means you will need to put in the time and experimentation needed to find what you enjoy creating. You need to feel comfortable with who you truly are, to be able to express that in your art. You also need to be secure in who you are to share it without fear and keep rejection from discouraging you. ​

Hi! Come travel to Hawaii with me and learn how to paint a sunset over the ocean, step by step with acrylic paints. Then come see what we did on the Big Island!, What do you enjoy doing in Hawaii? Tell me in the comments.