On June 24, the eve of Gallison Hall’s first wedding since its grand opening in the hands of the Williamson Family, my first oil painting was hung in the front entryway. Commissioned by some dear friends, this project was by far my biggest undertaking and most complex challenge…

Finally having my own studio space is a dream, but living the studio life isn’t always easy. I often struggle with creating and sticking to my own schedule. I have no one else telling me where I need to be or what I need to have done by a certain date - it’s all up to me.

January 9th wasn’t just about crossing an item off my bucket list - it was about becoming immersed in some of my favorite paintings in a way I had never experienced before. It isn’t always easy to access Vincent van Gogh’s paintings, much less interact with them, but this particular exhibit made that happen in unique ways. The Immersive Van Gogh Exhibit in Hollywood combined classical music with modern digital art to bring his work to life.

I’ve moved to Los Angeles! Life has been pretty crazy lately, but after a long season of not knowing where we’ll be next, then moving to Washington, D.C. and living there for a month, my husband and I have finally found our (hopefully more permanent!) home here.

Painting custom shoes has become not just a hobby of mine, but a fun addition to my artistic repertoire. My husband asked me back when we were dating if I could paint a pair of white Jordan 1s for him. I thought it was a cool idea so I took the shoes and kept them in my closet for well over a year. The project was always in the back of my mind but I never found the time for it until a couple weeks ago.

Since I found my passion for art, I’ve always wanted something more. Sometimes, that has been a really good thing in an artistic sense. Other times, it has a negative impact on my process because I can never be fully satisfied with my work. I’ve realized on a larger scale that “something more” I was looking for is architecture.

It began with my first set of watercolor pencils, my first love. I developed watercolor techniques from my grandmother, who encouraged me to take the seemingly simple forms of nature, God’s beautiful creation, and recreate them in my own style.