During my adventures today I came across an incredible mural inside of a house. It was gorgeously displayed on the high walls and my favorite part - the vaulted ceiling! Isn't it amazing?

 

Look at this awesome turtle!

The size of the mural was incredible and the detail pleasantly realistic and creative. LOVE IT!

 It was a gorgeous day for swimming in a pool. With a high near 90 it was so hot and sunny. (Although it gave me an excuse to wear my incredibly adorable new sunglasses from Claire's.) Thankfully we have cooler evenings with nice breezes right now. I enjoyed the orange and pink sherbet colored clouds over the water tonight.

My darling Piglet (as seen below) not only got a lion cut to cool her down during these hot spring days, but became a hero tonight.

I was sitting with my friends on the side porch when Piglet began to growl and whine. I figured it was in regards to a stray cat spying about below us. Through the darkness and the shadows of the palms at night I saw a very sassy shadow slinking through the darkness. The swagger was undeniably my Emma's (...as seen below.)

So hooray for a day full of accomplishments, sunshine, swimming, a very observant dog and fabulous art!

Most Affectionately Yours,

Rae

Today I was quite ambitious to complete Amanda's painting. I find the most difficult part is creating the sketch. She said her puppy Flower (featured below) likes to eat dead geckos. That was inspiration enough! I loved creating the colorful background wash.

Before...

 

After!

The other day I ate my lunch in the Palm Garden hidden delicately behind the library. Had I not been eavesdropping on a trolley tour passing by one day I wouldn't have known it existed. It is a nice place to relax and people watch through the palms as they hurry about the busy street. I even made several new furry friends (as seen below), which I have found to be quite common on this island.

As I mentioned in my previous post, the hues in the flora lately are exquisite! The most gorgeous shades of purple and hot pinks, even rich yellows and oranges can be found. I've seen the deepest reds, the brightest whites, and sometimes a soft pink. I even saw cerulean blue Orchids at the post office that were in fact glowing with life!

In four days time I will be on my way to Chicago with my friend Sam. I am greatly looking forward to our little adventure especially since I've never been to the windy city before. We will be going through quite a few states to get there and even stopping in New Orleans for some serious southern sightseeing along the way. 

I am looking forward to seeing the mainland again as it has been almost eight whole months. Plus I have the best road trip partner ever! I look forward to documenting my excursion here to share with you all.

 

Most Affectionately Yours, 

Rae

>> It is an extremely warm day today and now that Spring is in full bloom it seems more & more colors explode from every plant and garden in the city. Baby chicks are hatching, growing and posing in honor of the Easter season! (Pictured below is Sam, a chick at the wildlife refuge who's rescue I assisted! Too cute!)

Springtime has especially brought attention to my love of palettes! Whether eyeshadows, watercolors, or even paint samples from the hardware store, the more options and shades the more I must have it.

 

Yesterday was exciting because I finally had prints made of two of my paintings so far. They are the first prints I've ever had created and I am so excited. Now that I know what I am doing, I am going to have the rest made.  Yay!

Now I must get to work on the custom painting for my dear friend Amanda and her lovely little girl. It is helping me to look for inspiration and be creative again since things have been so stressful for me lately! 

I've spent most of my life being an unintentional perfectionist/super-neurotic. I even went so far as to purchase a journal intended solely for DESTROYING! That's right, it even comes with page by page instructions on things I must do to mess it up, tear it, crumple it, spill on it, even bury it for three days. >> I find it liberating since all of my work focuses on details, details, details! (I did, however, feel guilty for scribbling with markers all over the perfectly pressed pages.)

Now off to lunch - for I am desperate for an iced tea.

Most Affectionately Yours, 

Rae