Laurel Stories

#TopNine from 2020, a year that defies easy descriptions. Thanks for letting me share my art with you, which was one of my bright spots from this memorably different year! 🧻 😷 🦠 👩🏻‍💻 💌 https://www.instagram.com/p/CJfS8vHBsj0/?igshid=nw6cbihugxy6

2020 has been … different. Here’s an ode to the people who’ve made it better 💛 This is my entry for @moo’s latest #MOOBriefs competition. The brief was to design a postcard to show gratitude for the people who kept you going this year. I now stare at screens more than I did last year or at any previous point in my life. Screens can be a black hole for doom-scrolling, or they can be a point of connection. I spend way more time on Zoom, which was previously just for work-related calls where screen annotation was super handy, but now has spilled into every corner of my life. Still, I appreciate being able to stay connected with loved ones, and I’ve made cherished memories on Zoom. (That’s a weird sentence, but it’s been a weird year.) So why didn’t I complete the rhyme on the postcard? 1. Interactive puzzles keep readers on their toes. 2. This is inclusive of Microsoft Teams, Google Meet, etc. 3. And the main reason: Would Zoom be okay with it? I don’t know, but I’m pretty sure Zoom has much better lawyers than I do, so I’d rather not see them in court 😅 https://www.instagram.com/p/CIZwG8SBT-t/?igshid=15rwgw9uaxcuw

Persimmon, painted and eaten a few weeks ago. It was sold as a fuyu persimmon but looked more like a set of hachiya persimmon conjoined triplets. Yay for imperfect produce! 😆 https://www.instagram.com/p/CIO-r3FB9dr/?igshid=pxv8rkdj19kd

BLOOM—The other day I was out for a stroll, and started taking pictures of these unusual-looking flowers in a neighbor’s meticulously maintained garden. The grandfatherly owner was on his stoop, smoking, and he said, “Just take one!” And I was like, “What? No! I can’t desecrate your garden!” So he ripped one off and hobbled over (because one of his ankles was bandaged) to present it to me, so then of course I took it. “What is this flower?” I asked. “I don’t know,” he said. “It was from my father. But… what are YOU?” (Story of my life 😂) #peachtober20 #bloom (at Chicago, Illinois) https://www.instagram.com/p/CG88tTahXy5/?igshid=nc7xj1nq2i9s

ORCHARD—How could I not choose this orchard? It changes with the weather. It changes with the light. It changes with the seasons. It never really gets old. I know it’ll be looking beautiful even when I’m not looking at it. 🍎🌳🍑🌳🍏 #peachtober20 #orchard (at Patterson, New York) https://www.instagram.com/p/CG6MkuehO7y/?igshid=1b5jw875wzz8m

HAT—Meet Ted. He loves his sombrero, his mom, and all his friends on Zoom #peachtober20 https://www.instagram.com/p/CG3vRddBj0J/?igshid=1hvr1tx80g0sv

BURN—Based on memories of backyard bonfires by the Connecticut River. I’d sketched some people around the fire originally (as can be seen in my stories), but decided to shelve the idea. I might revisit it later. Really, the main thing I wanted to do today was to play with fire. Responsibly… and digitally… of course 😜 🔥 #peachtober20 (at Sunderland, Massachusetts) https://www.instagram.com/p/CG1MK1UBkNq/?igshid=1t98hfguprlx2

GLOW—It was a lovely Zoom wedding, held in the gorgeous New England outdoors, overlooking a valley bursting with color. Everyone was glowing, and it wasn’t just the screen. In the sketch, I was thinking of tying in the six gifts mentioned in the wedding talk. (Or was it five gifts?! Did I hear wrong? Did my connection glitch? No one I asked was sure, either. 🧐) Afterwards, the newlyweds danced their way down the aisle. This is not exactly what that looked like—I’m sure I missed a lot of nuance on Zoom, and maybe my eyes were briefly sweating—but this is what it felt like. 🍂 #peachtober20 glow (at Massachusetts) https://www.instagram.com/p/CGv8ZjShPof/?igshid=194fhg4lnwhcl

RAIN—Running between the drops. When caught by surprise, improvise! 🌧 💦 #peachtober20 (at George Street Sydney CBD) https://www.instagram.com/p/CGq6F0kBZFu/?igshid=1bpzi6j9i6dun

PIE—My brain ambushed me with song lyrics: “But he's got hi-i-igh hopes, he's got hi-i-igh hopes! He's got high apple pie in the sky hopes!” 🎶 I didn’t go with Frank Sinatra’s pie, just because pumpkin spice dominates everything this time of year. What’s your fave? Pecan pie? Fish pie? Sweet potato? Meat pie? Key lime pie? Lemon meringue? Curry? Berry? 🥧 🍠 🐟 🍋 🤪 #peachtober20 pie / #craeftober2020 pumpkin / #beartober baked goods https://www.instagram.com/p/CGlw3hoBy8-/?igshid=1h3onaoujfrbp

COOL—As hot as deserts are, things cool off pretty quickly once the sun goes down. In my first year of living in Sydney, I had a hairdresser who liked to play with my forest of hair and tell me that I just absolutely had to visit Uluru, which he described as enchanting and beguiling and otherworldly and a very transformative experience, especially at night ✨ For those who may be unfamiliar, Uluru is a monolith in the middle of the outback, more massive than the country of Monaco. (at Uluru, Australia) https://www.instagram.com/p/CGisrjOh3M-/?igshid=xxjjntob95fp

Today’s prompt: “warm.” Today’s inspirational quote: “5 hours’ drive. 300 liters perspiration. 1,000,000 flies. That’s just on me.” — @ccotterrell, aka King of Instagram Captions, upon visiting Uluru in 2015 🚗 💦 ☀️ Tomorrow’s prompt: “cool.” #uluruStatement #peachtober20 (at Uluru, Australia) https://www.instagram.com/p/CGgppCwhjGs/?igshid=ul1x1a7im41z

LILY PAD—I’ve missed (and still miss) physically visiting art museums, so it was nice contemplating Monet for a bit while doing a quick color study in HeavyPaint. 🐸 (at Giverny) https://www.instagram.com/p/CGdwHqohPh_/?igshid=jsasl5mkwhyq

STRIPES—This tiger may not be able to change its stripes, or its Blue Steel gaze, but it sure can change its environment… 😀🐅 I’m not sure which background is my fave. It’s like picking flavors of tea 😆🍵 (at Tiger World) https://www.instagram.com/p/CGbf7PxhZQc/?igshid=1fxa11plchxdh

CORE—Life is like a box of chocolates. You never know what you’re gonna get. (Except if you look at the index or illustrated guide that comes with the box, so you can minimize unpleasant surprises.) Added lettering on a whim. Do you prefer it with or without? #peachtober20 core / #beartober mystery https://www.instagram.com/p/CGZAr-yhUY7/?igshid=tyf2mg1rn24i

STORM—Well, that derecho in August was enough storm for a while, so here’s something from a galaxy far, far away. 🌠 A little sandstorm might be brewing in the background. First time testing out the @heavypaintapp. I love how primitive it is. No fancy brushes, no layers (not that I can find, anyway). 👉🎵 Holst, The Planets, Op. 32. “Mars.” 1914-1916. (at Galaxy Far Far Away) https://www.instagram.com/p/CGV4J_jhEnY/?igshid=3vr4fodq9kmw