Earth Day Garden Portrait + Diapers for Ukraine
April 2022
Window to The Bay #23
Happy Friday, and Happy Earth Day! I hope you do something to honor Mother Earth today whether she brings rain or shine in your neck of the woods. As they say April showers bring May flowers, and although we’re short on rain here in California, we thankfully still have our share of flowers. I enjoyed “plein air” sketching with the kids at the Dutch Windmill in Golden Gate Park earlier this week to catch the tail end of tulip season (see here on Instagram). This Earth Day I’m excited to feature an amazing garden that I had the honor of painting.
A Garden Home Portrait in Menlo Park, CA
This may come as no surprise, but I love painting watercolor portraits for moms, whether as the commissioning clients or the gift recipients. In this case, I had the real pleasure of bringing a Menlo Park, California home portrait to life for a client who commissioned the painting for herself to commemorate the completion of her own real estate project. It was so gratifying throughout the collaboration to experience what the house portrait meant for her. During the pandemic she bought the home sight unseen making a long distance move with her family back into the Bay Area. She singlehandedly oversaw major renovations to make the home move in ready, including an overhaul of the home’s facade and landscaping.
For this busy mom of a young family, spending a bit of time each day sewing the earth in the front lawn of her new home became her pandemic refuge. I learned so much in this project as she lovingly shared her photos and knowledge of each flower and plant that she had researched and pruned or planted - from the oaks to the olive tree, the redwoods, and the strawberry tree to the white roses, the lavender crape myrtle, and the deep purple princess flower. The time and beauty she put into her yard brought delight, conversation, and connection to her new neighbors. Seeing the custom watercolor portrait through completion, the artwork became the culminating reminder of all of her hard work and her job well done. It hangs now proudly above her desk, and I couldn’t be happier that the painting for her is a source of confidence and accomplishment that will fuel inspiration for her next projects!
A Laura Ann Studio “Window to The Bay” watercolor house portrait of a home Central Menlo, Menlo Park, California.
This Mother's Day, Join ME in Getting Urgently Needed Diapers for Ukrainian Families in Crisis
As an Associate Board Member of Help a Mother Out (HAMO), I’m dedicating my Mother’s Day to a campaign to send much needed diapers to Ukrainian Refugees. Will you join Laura Ann Studio now through Mother’s Day (May 8th) in raising funds for urgently needed diapers for the mothers and children displaced by the violence in Ukraine? Over 4.9 million people have fled the country, and another 7 million have been displaced internally - roughly 90% of them are women and children living in a state of uncertainty without access to even the most basic of necessities. HAMO has sent over 100,000 diapers to the Poland/Ukraine border, but there is so much more to do. Funds raised will be used to send diapers directly to HAMO's partner, the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR).
With love for the every day and special days,
Laura Ann Trimble Elbogen
P.S. Is there a green thumb in your circle who would love to capture the memory of a cherished home garden in full bloom? Forward this post! Now booking summer painting commissions!