Summer Sonnets
Howdy friends! As summer begins to collapse into autumn, I thought I would give you all a glimpse into the magical summer I’ve had this year. Much has happened since I’ve last written, and I am so excited to share all that has been going on behind the scenes - including a sneak peek of what’s to come!
Quite frankly, this summer has been such a whirlwind of activity that I’ve hardly had time for new pieces! Well, that’s only partially true; I do have a few new paintings & prints that I have shared with my Treehouse members (over on my Instagram subscription).
My favorite print I’ve done for my Mini Print Club has been a fox skull for August. Foxes are my favorite animal, so I might be a bit biased. I can’t believe it’s been two years since my print club has started, and I only have six (06) spots left before September!
Aside from printmaking, I’d have to say that this summer has been much more of a “crafty” one. For the month of June, I got really into papermaking! I experimented with different fibers & colors, and ended up making this cute sketchbook. I still have some leftover sheets I plan to use for painting or printmaking.
Speaking of sketchbooks, how mystical is this mermaid one I made? Last year, I thrifted a large bag of found seashells, and now I’m finally putting them to good use. The paper is recycled too! I also made a few candles out of the same shells, adorned with real dried florals & gemstones.
Summer markets are always so much fun! The weather is warm, and it’s been fun seeing new faces this season. My next market is coming up on September 28th. I’m so excited for fall - as always!
Aside from markets, I’ve been doing a lot of exploring - both locally & out of town. We visited Chicago for a friend’s wedding, and it was my first time in the windy city. It was lovely! We visited Billy Corgan’s tea parlor, ate lots of deep dish, and walked all over. Unfortunately, the Bean wasn’t open at the time, so I guess we’ll just have to go back soon.
Roswell had an event from June to August called Summer Sippin’, where tons of restaurants, bars, and breweries in the city come up with a specialty drink! A lot of them were located on Canton Street, so my sister wanted to do a coastal pirate-themed crawl for her birthday in July. To celebrate, I created a pirate treasure map of all the participating venues, and illustrated their fancy drink! It was a fun little project that I hope added a bit of magic to her night.
We also got to visit a local art gallery that’s actually located in the mall I always went to growing up. It was a really cool experience, especially with the decline of shopping malls - imagine using all of that space to display artwork! Seth & I are actually considering applying to show some of our pieces in that gallery, but we still have a bit of painting to do before we’re ready for that.
Summer is such a joyous, relaxing time of year! Even though my work is within the creative realm, I still enjoy crafting as a way to unwind. As you all know, my art is often heavily influenced by what’s going on in my life or the things I’ve been particularly interested in at the moment. Here are a few of those things that have been on my mind lately:
Mermaidcore: The theme of this summer, for me, has been “Sea Wench Summer”. Despite not being anywhere near the coast nor taking any beach trips this year, I think it has lived up to its aesthetic potential. Seashells, pearls, and pastel blues have been very present throughout my summer experience. I also have a rather mystical mermaid-themed painting in the early planning stages… and this book by Skye Alexander, Mermaids: The Myths, Legends, & Lore, has been a wonderful resource!
Dark Academia: In a similar note, I’ve been really appreciating the Dark Academia aesthetic lately, especially as autumn creeps closer. I have a few DA novels on my To Be Read list that I’m excited to dive into. I think this has mostly been inspiring in the “coastal” side of the aesthetic: think lighthouses, stormy evenings, candlelight by a window, and old captain’s logs.
Almonds: This has definitely been the year in which I’ve discovered just how much I love almonds. It started in February when I accidentally ordered the caffe Intermezzo (from Cafe Intermezzo), and it was the most delicious coffee I’ve had. It’s my new favorite, and since then, I’ve come to enjoy almond croissants (courtesy of the local French bakeries),
Tangled: For my birthday, my sister took me to the Water Lantern Festival. We got to decorate our lanterns, and then released them into the wild (don’t worry, there’s a clean-up crew). It was a magical experience, and it immensely reminded me of Tangled. I’d forgotten how much I’d loved the movie, with its colorful environments & artistic moments. I’ve always loved the story of Rapunzel; even in the Barbie retelling of the fairytale, I connected with her affinity for painting. Seeing a lot of the behind-the-scenes art is also absolutely inspiring!
Here are a few things that I’ve been up to lately:
Reading: The Letters of Enchantment series by Rebecca Ross, which is wonderfully romantic.
Playing: Disney Lorcana, a trading card game that Seth & I have been absolutely obsessed with this year. We’ve found a local game store that hosts tournaments every Monday night, and it’s so much fun! The art on the cards is wonderful, and I’ve been building a few decks that will someday be good enough to be competitive, hopefully. For my birthday, Seth built a custom proxy deck based off of our kitties!
Watching: Alien: Romulus - and I have an idea for a new woodcut piece because of this movie!
Listening to: Science Fiction by Brand New - this album came out the summer I was commuting to Atlanta for a semester, so I’ve always associated it with summertime. Brand New my favorite!
Cooking: Quilt cookies! This was the first time I had ever baked cookies, and they were so fun to assemble. I made them gluten-free for a few of my friends, and used natural dyes to create the different dough colors.
Making: Pressed flowers! My friends & I had a sweet girls night where we baked, crafted, and watched a movie. My pal Natalie is a talented florist, so she provided the gorgeous florals that she had grown from seed.
It’s truly difficult for me to want to rush into autumn as quickly as I can possibly can, but I’ve been reminding myself to take it slowly, and enjoy summer. I will say, I’ve already begun to work on this year’s Inktober challenge, because I know it’ll arrive faster than I’ll be ready! This year, I’ve been working on a Cabinet of Curiosities theme, so keep an eye out for the full prompt list coming your way soon!
Love always,
Stephanie
