What would I put in a dream studio if money I had no budget and could build out anything I want?? Lots of natural light and space for lots of different projects, including a space for my computer, an easel for painting, a big table for crafts and picture framing, and a sink for fabric dyeing projects. :::wrings hands together in glee:::
Happy New Year!! I have lots of fun things planned for 2022 in my little world of painting and drawing, and I cannot wait to see how they evolve in the coming months.
My oldest son is 12 and he has aspirations to be a YouTube content creator someday… like many kids his age. He occasionally watches videos that give advice on social media marketing and asked me if I’d ever written a “Fun Facts” post. I haven’t, but figured I’d start the new year with a blog post and see how many I could come up with.
So here goes…
1. My son and I both tested for a Kukkiwon 1st degree black belt in taekwondo in October of 2021 and we both PASSED! It was really, really hard; both physically and mentally, but I’m so proud of both of us. I wrote much longer posts about my taekwondo journey and the test itself that you can read if you’re interested. We’ll get our black belts and certificates some time in early 2022 since they come from Korea.
2. I never developed a taste for coffee; not even coffee ice cream, and it took me until my 40s before I could enjoy a Frappuccino without cringing at the coffee flavor that most don’t even notice. I do enjoy a Frappuccino now and then and actually like the tiny coffee flavor now, so I wonder if I will eventually like coffee?
3. I hate roller coasters. They are not fun or exhilarating for me and I hate the feeling of falling or being dizzy. I will never skydive or bungee jump willingly. I even get a little anxiety when I fly if there’s any turbulence, but I love to travel, so I don’t let it stop me from exploring when I can.
4. I took the class to become a soccer referee when I was 15 in an effort to earn a little money and maybe give me an edge as a player. I ended up being pretty good at it and the year I turned 17, I earned the title of Region IV Youth Referee of the Year; one of the top 4 female referees in the US under age 24. I got to travel to some big tournaments as a result; including the US Youth Soccer National Championships as a guest. I got to referee games with FIFA referees Brian Hall and Kari Seitz. Two years later, my brother earned the same honor and went a step further being chosen as National Youth Referee of the Year.
5. I spent 30+ years hating avocados; gross texture and flavor. It wasn't until I was pregnant with my youngest in 2014 that I started to like them and now I love them. Weird!
Goofy camp counselors. Made some amazing friends.
6. When I was 18, I had a job at a Girl Scout camp where I lived there all summer curating the arts & crafts program. My camp name was Batty; named after the cartoon bat from the movie Fern Gully. I have no recollection why I chose that name. I do remembering thinking bats were cool (still do) and maybe I couldn’t think of any other camp name, so it stuck. I had so much fun at that job that I dream of getting to do it again someday.... even though I would be 15-25 years older than ALL of the other staff members and the pay is pretty terrible. I even remember the words to most of the Girl Scout songs I learned growing up.
7. My maiden name is Tebow and my family is supposedly, distantly, related to the NFL player with the same last name. Not sure how we’re related, but his fame helped the rest of the country learn how to say Tebow correctly.
8. My husband and I dated for almost 10 years before we got married and it was mostly due to economics. When we both were in college, rent was already getting crazy in the San Francisco Bay Area, so we both stayed living at home well into our 20s. Neither of us wanted to spend a bunch on rent and have it keep us from being able to buy a house. Also, in 2001 we had 6 weddings to either attend or be part of, so we were OVER weddings for a long time. We finally got married in the fall of 2007.
Selfie in Lake Tahoe BEFORE there was even a word for a selfie… with a regular camera too!!
9. I am mostly left-handed, but ambidextrous with my feet; which comes in handy when playing soccer and in martial arts. I write, draw, paint, and eat with my left hand, but I brush my teeth and use scissors with only my right hand. I use tools like a screwdriver or hammer with both hands. I have never met anyone who has similar ambidextrous quirks.
10. I am a recipient of the Girl Scout Gold Award; the highest award someone can get in Girl Scouting as a youth. It’s the equivalent of the Eagle in Boy Scouting. My Gold Award Project involved painting a few murals in the hallways of my high school and polling the student body on whether they thought it could prevent vandalism and graffiti. I am also a Lifetime Member. These photos here show two of the first small wall paintings I did in the hallways of my high school. On the left I painted my friend Jamila and just across that hallway, she painted me. Then I did a version of Picasso’s Three Musicians. For my Gold Award Project I painted a really large piece of masonite (maybe 4x6 feet? I can’t remember) that ended up being hung in the main office. It had an earth in the middle and a bunch of faces of teenagers of different ethnicities around it. I'm kinda bummed I don’t have a photo of it finished… but also not that sad, because I’ve always been a better landscape painter, ha!
If you know me, were any of these new info to you??
I’m doing a trial run of selling watercolor prints. I ordered a few and I’ll list them for sale. If there is enough interest and I can get them shipped with little-to-no hiccups, then I will order more and in some larger sizes.
Right now I have these available to order as giclée prints. Giclée is a printing method that ensures vibrant color and fantastic detail using archival inks. These are printed on acid-free, archival paper that has a matte finish and a subtle watercolor texture. I’m really happy with the print quality.
There are only a few available for each of the 5x7 and 8x8 prints. You can order them here or click on any photo and it’ll take you to the link to purchase.
Sundial Peak and Lake Blanche - Brighton, UT
Lower Calf Creek Falls - Boulder, UT
Babylon Arch - Hurricane, UT
Coyote Gulch - Glen Canyon National Recreation Area
Corona Arch - Moab, UT
I have decided that Corona Arch here won’t be available in any print larger than 8x8. The original painting is about 5x5 inches and when enlarged, the stars will start to look weird as they are enlarged too. Someday, I’ll repaint this on larger paper so it can make for a prettier print in bigger sizes.
What should I paint next?? I have a few pretty places on my list from the Uinta Mountains in Utah AND also a few spots in California. Stay tuned.
When I was pregnant with my second baby, I opted to see a midwife and have him at a freestanding birth center instead of a hospital. I was low-risk and it ended up being far and away a better experience than when I had my first baby in a hospital four years prior.
One of the midwives I saw on a regular basis was Adrienne Brown. She was warm, friendly, straightforward, and she made me feel completely at ease while at the same time, I felt completely confident that my baby and I were very well taken care of. She hails from the realm of “you know your body and your baby best, I’m just here to support you.” What more could a woman ask for, right??
A few years ago she opened her own freestanding birth center and practice and I was honored to be able to create rack cards for her birth center. She had a logo already and some beautiful photos, so I created a few layouts and this was the final result. It’s honestly an easy job when there are such beautiful photos!
Check out her site! Wasatch Midwifery + Wellness
I love how they turned out!
The two newest stickers from my Utah’s Public Lands Series are here and they’re beautiful. Sticker Mule does such a great job with printing them. These two locations are ones that are a couple of my favorite hikes in southern Utah.
Babylon Arch is close-ish to Hurricane, UT and Zion National Park. You meander through sandstone canyons and cliffs and then after a short stumble down a loose sand bar you’re greeted with the beautiful arch and a panoramic view of the Virgin River. It’s so beautiful; especially in the late afternoon with the sun low. Depending on road conditions, you may need a high-clearance vehicle to get to the trailhead though. I haven’t been brave enough to see if my minivan could make it.
Lower Calf Creek Falls is outside of Boulder, UT kind of in between Bryce Canyon and Capitol Reef National Parks. It’s a perfect stop if you’re traveling from one park to the other. It’s a long-ish hike (for kids at least), but it’s not very difficult. It wanders through a canyon, along side a creek, a few spots are sandy. There are trail markers on the way the coordinate with a PDF file that teaches about the canyon itself. There are pictographs on a canyon wall and at the end you’re greeted with a stunning waterfall. In the warmer months hikers can swim in the icy water.
I have seven paintings completed in this Utah’s Public Lands Series and I need to decide where I’m heading next. Should I do a few more and round it out at ten? I have a few more spots I want to paint, I just haven’t been to all of them in person, so I have to rely on the photographs of others to guide me. I really want to do a sticker from Gooseberry Mesa near Hurricane, but I’m still looking for the right photo inspiration. Other spots I have started to investigate include Colonnade Arch near Moab, Moonshine Arch near Vernal, and Buckskin Gulch near Kanab.
Any suggestions or recommendations?
Stickers are here! I have created a handful of watercolor paintings of some beautiful places on Utah’s public and BLM lands and I’ve have them made into stickers. Check them out here!
Alex’s Sticker Store
Here’s a rundown on them:
Two arches from Coyote Gulch in Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument, near Escalante, UT. I so want to go backpacking there next year!
Pioneer Arch at Pioneer Park and part of the Red Cliffs National Conservation Area. This park is right in St. George, UT and so much fun to play in. Loads of rocks to climb, a slot canyon for kids and thinner adults to shimmy through, and a pioneer cabin to explore.
Fisher Towers near Moab, UT is really stunning. I’ve heard it’s popular among rock climbers too.
This little waterfall lives on the Red Reef Trail inside Red Cliffs National Conservation Area close to Leeds, UT. It’s a fantastic trail any time of the year, but it’s really special when there’s water in the creek. I will probably paint a couple of other spots on this trail too, it’s so beautiful.
Corona Arch near Moab, UT. This arch lives on BLM land right outside the entrance to Arches National Park. I’ve been to Arches twice and haven’t been able to make it to this massive arch. I hope to next year!
Babylon Arch is the most recent sticker that is currently being printed right now. This is easily one of my favorite trails through gorgeous sandstone cliffs and little canyons. And then when you get to the arch, you’re greeted by lovely views of the Virgin River. It’s pretty awesome.
I’m really proud of how well these turned out and I plan to do at least two more to finish the series at eight stickers… or maybe 10. I haven’t decided yet. There is so much public land in Utah, I think I read that almost 40% of the state is public land; mostly in the south and western parts of the state. I’ve lived here nine years and I’ve only seen a fraction of what’s here.
Once I’m done with public lands paintings, I think I’ll move on to my favorite spots within National Parks. Or maybe I’ll do some of Utah’s state parks? I also have been thinking about making a coloring book that showcases my favorite hikes. Any suggestions?
