sweet little bird

Another project crossed off my list! This painting is for my little angel of a niece, Lila. I had painted a piece for her baby sister Olivia's nursery a couple of months back and the minute I was finished I had found a new love: children's art!


Lila is gentle, sweet as sugar, and very girly so I wanted to bring those qualities to the painting. I also wanted to add a little bit of my hippie charm to it, knowing her mama would appreciate it. 


What I love about this stage in my painting journey is trying out new techniques with every piece. I wonder if someday I will have a particular style that I'll stick to, because right now I love the variety! This time I used the old bubble wrap technique that I learned about in a recent painting class (and saw in Hannah J's studio). I'm a big fan!


I was slightly unsure of the composition here. I had considered adding a word or phrase to the upper right hand corner? Something simple like "love." Not sure... 

I have to say, I really enjoy painting pieces for children! It's so much fun to access my inner child and bring an innocent quality to the creative process. If anyone is interested in commissioning me to paint a custom piece for a little one in their life, message me at alexa@lolarainphotography.com! 

sea shell sea

So glad I made that list of projects to work on, because I've been making my way through them now that I have some focus! Above is my finished painting for Natalie's birthday/housewarming: Sea Shell Sea. I struggled to find direction in this piece as I painted through many colors and ideas (there was a boat, there was poetry written in the sky) until finally resting in this peaceful sea. 


I played around with some different techniques in the sea water, laying down one layer of very wet paint then saturating it further with applications of water on top of it (which you can see here). Then I did a layer, using acrylics as I would watercolors. It was a new way to paint for me and I loved the unpredictability of it!


The most special part of the painting (to me) is the inclusion of actual sand from a beach on the beautiful island of Antigua.

I hope Natalie enjoys the painting! It's always a gamble painting something for someone else (at least for me it is). But, I thoroughly enjoy painting based on the essence of another person rather than myself—it's a challenge and so much fun.

our wedding album a little bit late

I am not pleased with Blogger at the moment! I haven't been able to access my blog or post all day (until now) and now that I'm here I've noticed that yesterday's post has vanished! Not happy! How does a posting just disappear? Ahhh! I'm really hoping Blogger has gotten its act together and somehow makes that entry reappear.



Well, yesterday's post was a list of creative projects I'm working on at the moment, one of them being editing my wedding photos. I opted to buy digital copies of all of them and edit them myself (rather than paying for it). Mind you, our wedding was 7 months ago (October 16th in Stowe, Vermont)! I never would have thought in a millions year that I, of all people, would procrastinate on purchasing/sharing my wedding album! Never. I have my reasons…..but I won't get into those.


Here are some of my favorite shots……all taken by the fabulous Lauren Stagnetti:

so much to do...

It seems I have an enormous pile of creative projects to attack right now, but I have not had a lick of energy since my art show. My only explanation is that it was so exhausting preparing for the show (and exhausting being in the spotlight, given my introverted ways) that my creative brain has shut down this week, taking a non-negotiable break. Unfortunately, I do not do "breaks" very well. I have this drive in me to be constantly creating, producing, and moving. It's a blessing and a curse. And because of my boom and bust nature, I usually go through periods of crazy productivity, followed by a completely depleted and non-functioning state. Oh, will I ever find balance?! 


So, I thought I'd focus myself a bit and make a list of projects I'd like to be working on right now….and will get to when my energy returns.


1. Painting for my niece Lila's room: I have painted and repainted the base layer so many times, and at the moment it is a cotton candy shade of pink. My plan is to let my inner hippie out on this one (much different than the painting I did for Lila's sister's room). The focal point will be a peace dove with bright, patterned wings, surrounded by hippie flowers. I'm thinking it will be more of a collage.




2. Abstract ocean painting for my girl Natalie. I think I've finally settled on a direction to go with this piece, so hopefully I'll finish it soon!

3. Give my etsy shop a huge makeover! When I first put the shop up, I was so diligent about reading all the Etsy articles, being part of the community and putting effort into marketing to try to get the ball rolling. And then...life happened. I've neglected my shop for the majority of this past year, what with a wedding to plan, vacations, honeymoons, jobs….needless to say, it could use some attention. My art show really helped focus me in this area though. Seeing people get excited about my art work and selling several (7!) pieces made me realize that I can do this…..I can sell my art. 


So far I have streamlined my prices in my shop this week, which means less work for me and better prices for you! Left on my list: make a new shop banner, add new items (including my canvas prints, matted prints and stickers!), revisit my marketing efforts and try to make this happen!


4. Painting based on this lovely piece of fabric from Down Shadow Lane  (which was featured in my post about fabric as inspiration). I have realized in starting to paint again how much I LOVE color. I'm actually quite shocked by my palette selection most of the time, and intrigued by how bright I seem to like things. 

5. Experiment with watercolors!

6. Finish editing the 636 wedding photos I bought from my wedding photographer, but chose to edit myself to save money. It's been 7 months since the big day….could I procrastinate on this any more?

Just to name a few things I've been meaning to do…...

a little bit of sunshine in my home

Be True by Sunshine Barlowe Lewis 

Thanks to a friendly little artist-to-artist trade with the fabulous Sunshine, who I've mentioned on my blog before, I am the happy owner of this beautiful piece! I decided to go a little crazy with the framing (read: I got swindled into an expensive custom frame:), but I think it looks great. My only problem now is trying to figure out where to put it….above the dinning room table or above our bed? 

art show recap

This past Saturday was my joint art show with the talented Hannah J, and in my opinion it was a huge success! The whole experience was quite emotional and has really provided me with a great deal of direction, ideas and confidence (in addition to areas to work on). 


It was an interesting process preparing for the event over the past few weeks. Having to pour through my inventory of photographic work (in front of me physically rather than on a computer screen) was a great way to see how far I've come and how much my portfolio has grown in size! It really gave me a sense of what themes and techniques I've been unconsciously developing over the years. And then there was the unexpected excitement I found in the show preparation. Laboring over printing, matting, labeling, signing and framing my artwork was such sweet exhaustion as there is nothing I've labored over with such joy, sense of purpose, dedication and gratefulness. 

Portrait examples

Frida the cat enjoying my photos

As stressful as the morning of the show was, given the very short amount of time I had to hang my work and help set up thanks to a tractor trailer that overturned on the highway, I enjoyed one of the most satisfying moments in my photography career: being in a room surrounded by art work…..and then sharing that with a crowd of people.


I feel blessed to have such a wonderful and equally dedicated friend, Hannah, who agreed to embark upon this project with me a few months ago. I thank her for working tirelessly and for putting so much energy into making the day a success! (And if I knew you'd be up until midnight painting railings Hannah, I would've been there helping you!) 


Thank you to everyone who came out and supported us!


 Hannah's stunning art work….






















For those of you who couldn't make it, you can view our work on Etsy by visiting Lola Rain's Shop and Hannah J Designs Shop.

My favorite Hannah J piece from the show!

picnic season

The warm springtime weather and extended daylight hours have got me thinking picnic! Why is it so much more gratifying to eat outdoors? I'm not sure, but it's been a tradition all my life. There were the days when I was a little girl when my mother would let us eat breakfast at a little café table on the back porch before school (such a treat!). And during the summer, we ate every dinner that I can remember outdoors, whether it be on a porch, in the grass, on a boat, or camping. 

I can't wait to own my own home some day so I can continue this tradition, but in the meantime my husband and I have picnics! There's something so romantic and exciting about packing up a meal (even if it happens to be as unromantic as BBQ chicken and organic mac and cheese on your yoga blanket;). You can lounge while you eat, curl up with someone special, lie in the grass and look at the clouds as you talk about your dreams.

And for your own picnic, some inspiration……

Couples Marimekko Picnic Blanket by Sewn Natural

Personalized Large Zebra Print Market Tote by The Southern Belle Boutique

Cutlery Cozy by Bliss Monkey Studio

4 Cloth Lunch Napkins by Round Bottom Baby

Classic Cut Sundress by Isla New York