Living Life In (water) Color

Living Life in Color

Remember when you were little and they taught you how to paint an umbrella? The bottom curves made little “m” shapes, and the handle curved like a “j.” Somewhere between the rainbows and the messy palettes, that moment planted a seed. Back then, art wasn’t about being good — it was about joy.

Fast forward a few decades…..

College came and went. I painted a bit with my best friend — late nights, lots of laughter, and a jar of cloudy water on the dorm desk. Then came marriage, kids, carpools, business meetings, and bills. Add a divorce, a second marriage, bonus kids, and now a grand baby on the way (which still makes me grin every time I say it!). Life, as it tends to do, got wonderfully full — and painting quietly slipped off the page.

I built a small business that I love. I create digital designs, dream up ideas, and decorate my home with florals and wallpaper — I’m a lifelong creator at heart. But one afternoon, in the middle of life’s noise and hustle, it hit me: I want to go back to what brings me pure, unfiltered happiness.

Painting.

I’m not an artist — not really. I can’t draw a straight line to save my life. My paintings would never hang in a gallery, but they hang in my heart. There’s something magical about dipping a brush into color and watching it dance across paper — unpredictable, imperfect, alive.

Then one day, scrolling social media (which I mostly claim to hate), I stumbled across Andrea Nelson. She’s my new best friend. We spend hours together every week. She has no idea who I am, but she brought painting back into my life. Her joy was contagious. I picked up a brush again, and suddenly, my stress faded, my joy increased, and my phone stayed silent. Scrolling was replaced with sketching.

Now, instead of lost hours on the web, I spend hours in my sketchbook — playing, laughing, and letting color tell stories. In fact, my daily journal has become a marriage of journaling and watercolor painting.

I want to invite you into that kind of joy too.

Soon, I’ll be hosting watercolor workshops — casual, creative get-togethers where you can come as you are. I’ll provide everything you need: watercolor paper pre-printed with that month’s theme, brushes, paints, and plenty of encouragement. You just bring yourself — and maybe a friend who’s ready to rediscover her creative spark.

We’ll paint, laugh, and sip something cozy. You’ll go home with your own masterpiece — but more importantly, with a lighter heart.

No rules. No perfection. Just creativity, connection, and a reminder that sometimes, joy shows up in the simplest strokes of color.

So, whether it’s been decades since you picked up a paintbrush or you’ve never tried watercolor at all, you’re welcome here.

Let’s create together.