Studio Newsletter | April 2025

Howdy pals, we’re officially ankle-deep in 2025 - hope you’re slogging through with limited effort. Fun fact: I had walking pneumonia for two months. Doc said lung infection, I’m convinced it was an allergic reaction to the current political climate. Either way, my little fam (the whole team was sick) has turned the corner to better health.

Walking pneumonia sounds bad but for the most part (minus a few days I was laid out completely) I was been able to wrangle the kiddo and make some art while operating at 50% mental/physical capacity.

The large canyon painting that’s lived on the easel for the last several months was finally completed. It went through many changes but finally landed in a good place.

“You’ll always be pointed in the right direction if you listen to your landscape.” | Follow the Good Fish, 36”x48”, Flashe on canvas

It began by painting over a work from The Jane Series (2019). Then a canyon was added that slowly morphed into a plateau. The end.

STUDIES

More canyons. And they got tinier.

“And there they sat, silently thinking of Pearl.” | Pearl, 5.5”x5.5”, paint marker and Flashe on matboard

Tiny Canyon Series, 2.75”x2.75”, paint marker and Flashe on matboard

ALTARS | GUIDES | AMULETS

New amulet charms! I. Love. Making. These. Dang. Dudes.

Sleeping Bunny and Owl were the first of the batch to become amulet necklaces.

Follow The Studio’s Instagram!

Lookin’ for tiny artwork? The Studio Shop has got ya covered.

Tiny Canyons | Original Paintings

Canyons are enormous, I made tiny ones so you can hold them in your mitts or put them in your pocket.

$45.00

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Owl Amulet Necklace

OWL | Observation

“Owl knew that she wasn’t born wise, her knowledge had come from a lifetime of quiet observation and curiosity.”

$75.00

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Sleeping Bunny Amulet Necklace

SLEEPING BUNNY | Security

“Falling to sleep with a lullaby in her ears was the most solid form of security.”

$75.00

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In last month’s newsletter, you may recall a large painting called Sleeping Seedlings. It was due to be shown on Spring Gallery Night but I swung by the gallery and swapped it for Follow the Good Fish (you met her at the beginning of this newsletter) cuz an epic Lolly-led air raid on mutant monster plants needed to be added to the painting.

I’m making it for Emmie Bean and she’s been telling me things she believes need to be included. A mermaid and a sea slug are the most recent additions to the list.

notes

in-progress

Documenting my landscape through paintings and storytelling.

Hi, I’m Layla! I am a 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.