HAVE YOU SEEN THIS.....?

I came across this plant whilst I was travelling around Thailand....

Not many plants stop me in my tracks, but this delicate punchy pink flower was pretty enchanting... turns out it's a Surinamese (cute!), also know as a Powder Puff Plant (even cuter)

I think it's one of the most visually pleasing plants I have ever seen. We were trekking through a jungle in Koh Samui, and a couple of these Powder Puff bushes where scattered amongst the forrest.

It's difficult not to get inspired in nature. It never fails to ground and centre me. Travelling with two kids was challenging, all that time you spend sleep training and getting them in a routine is tossed out the window from the moment you board the plane! My eldest boy, Ocean who turns four next month can't stand the heat, so we would walk around 5/6 steps and he would turn into a hot mess and refuse to walk. But amidst the moaning, screeching and lack of sleep, the nature (and coffee) brought relief.

January in the UK is a F**ker. No matter how upbeat of a person you are, it just gets to you. I notice my work gets brighter and more colourful in the winter months, its like my soul is trying to lift me (and you) out of a dark depressing pit of doom.

I love bringing the nature into my paintings...Ive been enjoying creating some mixed media pieces which celebrate nature, bringing all that vibrancy and life into your world.

I'm currently working on a new piece which includes the Powder Puff! Bringing some tropical Thai vibes your way!

I started Life as an Illustrator and it feels good to bring some of that back into my paintings.

I think we underestimate how plants and nature make us feel. My kitchen is FULL of plants, I love them. I have one fern in particular that adds to my mood daily. it's a MaidenHair fern, do you know the one I mean? its so soft and delicate, I remember seeing hundreds of them growing in and around the waterfalls at KRKA nature reserve in Croatia (omg you MUST put that place on your bucket list! google it NOW.)

Anyways... can you imagine my sadness when I returned from holiday to find it dead?!

For some reason my mum didn't water the plants (did ask her to) when she popped over whilst I was away - managed to clear out and clean the fridge (love her) but bypassed the plants.

Two of them where completely dead and the rest looked on the brink!

This really affected me, more than I thought it could. Most of them are revived now, and as much as I'm attempting to nurse my poor dead Fern back to life, I gave in a bought two new ones to ease my discomfort.

You will see accents of the Maidenhair Fern in alot of my work, you can see it here actually (on the left) below the Hummingbird!

This pieces is work in progress, and I'm LOVING every moment I get to work on this. It's FULL of Thai inspired colour and lush greenery.

Don't worry, I will give you an update when she's finished!

Oh, and if you LOVE what you see, feel free to contact me for more details about this piece because they go very quickly!

All my love to you all and have a beautiful week!

Beth x x