Studio Newsletter | November 2024

Happy November! Current studio frame of mind in a nutshell: nightscapes consume me and I like painting over old work.

PALO DURO

Palo Duro, 5”x7”, limited edition print, 2019 | Dark Palo Duro, 5”x7”, hand painted print, 2024

On the left is a limited edition print of Palo Duro Canyon from the West Texas Poster Series. There was a mishap during the signing of one of the prints that allowed me the freedom to convert the landscape from day to night.

QUIET LIFE

“Night was different now. Darkness and monsters were replaced with a gentle sense of quiet life.” | Quiet Life, 15”x24”, Flashe on wood panel, 2024

A 2019 painting, Soon (top left), is now covered with Quiet Life.

OKAY WITH BEING LOST

“The starry sky had no end. So there she sat, until she felt okay with being lost.” | Okay with Being Lost, 36”x48”, Flashe on canvas, 2024

Below is Beezus from the The Jane Series (2019). She now resides underneath Okay with Being Lost (above). Big canvases like Beezus eat up a lot of storage real estate. As much as I loved my time painting her, it was time to turn the stage over to new ideas.

NEW STUDIES

"She didn't know what was around the curving canyon wall but she trusted the night's guidance." | Nighttime Canyon Path, 5.25”x5.25”, Flashe on matboard, 2024

“There was no difference between the gold of the desert scrub and the gold of the desert stars.” | Same Gold as the Stars, 5”x7”, Flashe on on matboard, 2024

“Night was different now.” | Nighttime (study), 4”x4”, Flashe on wooden panel, 2024

NEW ALTARS

In December, the series of altars called the Wayfinder Guides will have their own show at Practical Art in Phoenix. My intense love of the desert came from ten years of living in Phoenix and Practical Art is a place that helped fan the flames of pursuing a serious studio practice.

I was fresh out of art school (shout out to Arizona State!) and they gave me a shot by hosting one of my first solo shows in 2009. The experience of showing there unfolded in such a beautiful way - I’ll always hold it in my heart. Thanks Lisa and crew and thank you Jane.

For the name and story of each Wayfinder Guide, click here!

Follow The Studio’s Instagram!

The wall that faces my bed recently became empty and I thought to myself, what would I want to see as I fall asleep? I’ve made nightscapes ever since trying to answer that question. Here are some available in the Shop. Nighty night.

Dark Palo Duro | Original Painting

"During daylight, the canyon was just another part of all landscapes combined but at night it became a world of its very own."

$250.00

Shop

West Texas Poster Collection | Unframed Limited Edition Prints

If you were to make a stew using a Merle Haggard poster from Hatch Show Print, a Fillmore poster of a Jefferson Airplane show, and Clint Eastwood’s Fistful of Dollars as ingredients, it is my hope that it would taste a little like the West Texas Poster Collection.

$75.00

Shop

Nighttime Canyon Path | Original Painting

$225.00

Shop

Same Gold as the Stars | Original Painting

$250.00

Shop

Documenting my landscape through paintings and storytelling.

Hi, I’m Layla! I am an exhibiting painter with a focus on southwestern landscapes and the author/illustrator of a children’s story series called The Lolly Stories. The exploration of home, nature, and storytelling are the major components of both my painting practice and illustrations.