“I am so glad we live in a world where there are Octobers.”

— Anne of Green Gabels

It’s crazy to think we are almost through 2020. What a year, it has been. If I focus on the good things, I spent a lot of time in my garden AND I saw a lot of Monarch butterflies. The collection of “Dia de los Muertos” skull monoprints speak to the declining number of Monarch butterflies migrating through California. However, my focus is also on the beauty we find in nature, the cycle of seasons, and the circle of life. Gardens are an excellent reminder that life is always in a state of change. All seasons are beautiful when we look for it.

Be well my dear friends and family!

The holidays are almost here and a new year is just around the corner.

Holli Harmon

A while ago, I was contacted to participate in a promotional video for Santa Barbara tourism. They wanted a painter to “pose/paint” in a beautiful setting. I think the advertising idea was to “paint” a picture of this artistic lifestyle that we all lead, by living in Santa Barbara. Or maybe, it was to reflect our demographics (we are a town that is heavily populated by artists!) Either way, it was a fun project. However, I had to laugh. I think they would have liked it better if I had been barefoot and wearing a long flowing white skirt. They ended up giving me some “props” (no beret, thank goodness)! Little did they realize most plein air painters look like homeless people. We are dressed in our paint spattered gear, trying to stay out of the sun, and are usually hunched over in intense focus, trying to “get it all down” before the sun shifts. In other words, it is NOT glamorous!

Any way, it was a fun afternoon, with a drone, and a sunset. And I do think living in Santa Barbara, and being an artist is pretty awesome. Enjoy the irony👩‍🎨 and sign up for my newsletter so you can join the fun.