Tiny Details, Whimsical Worlds

🍓 A Very Sweet Cat Commission in Progress 🍓

I’m currently working on one of two cat commissions and I am almost finished with the first piece. This kitty’s name is Artemis, and she happens to love strawberries, so of course I had to include one for her to paw at.

Over the years, I’ve collected a treasure trove of tiny, joyful things. Cute buttons, Calico Critters accessories from my childhood, kawaii stickers, googly eyes, miniature objects like a tiny deck of cards from Michaels, and so much more. Lately, I’ve started weaving these small details into my paintings and letting them live new lives within the artwork. To complement the bright red of the strawberry, I added two ladybug buttons, a small detail that makes me smile every time I see it 🐞✨

This week is all about adding more strawberries, refining Artemis’s expression, applying a glossy finish to make everything shine, and beginning the second cat piece.

🪑 Whimsy at Home (and on a Dresser) 🪑

Outside of commission work, I’ve been busy moving my boyfriend’s things in and slowly creating a home that feels like ours, not just mine. Luckily, he loves color and whimsy just as much as I do 💖

In our bedroom, there is a large Chinese inspired painting I made a few months ago hanging above the bed, and I decided the dresser needed to match. While I’m not usually drawn to neutral colored furniture, I’ve started painting it to echo the fluorescent bamboo and whimsical nature motifs from the artwork above it. I still need to add more details, and I haven’t fully fallen in love with it yet, but it’s getting there and feels special knowing the space is evolving alongside us.

🎨 On Inspiration, Blocks, and Finding My Way Back 🎨

Lately, I’ve hit an artistic block, something most artists know all too well. It arrives quietly but unmistakably. I couldn’t put my brush down while working on my large monster piece, but once I finally did, the inspiration seemed to leave my body entirely. This wasn’t just tied to that one painting, it spilled into everything else.

Now that art is my job, I have to keep painting even when the spark feels distant. That can be hard. Your dream job is not supposed to feel like just a job, right? So I search. I look for inspiration in nature, in purple and pink sunsets, green mountains blooming after long stretches of rain in LA, and of course in my cartoon like cat. Nature helps, but I need more.

I’m realizing this is a moment to reconnect with little Rosalie, the version of me who painted entirely imagined, whimsical worlds without pressure, while also honoring my current self who is learning to be more business minded. I’m balancing inspiration with growing my social media and online presence, something I don’t always enjoy but know is necessary. No job is perfect, and you don’t have to love every part of it. I hope, like me, there are pieces of your work that make it all feel worth it.

This is a journey I’m deeply grateful to be on and one I hope to continue for the rest of my life 💫

With love and color,

 Rosalie