Bear's Bunny Valentine & another lovely day in Paris!

As this morning's snow flurries turned to rain, my thoughts turned to Paris. 

It's almost February, so time to paint If I Were A Toy store's door 

celebrating Valentine's Day 2013. 

Last year, I painted animals in Venice, which remains one of my favorites. 

Today, I decided on Paris for obvious reasons. 

It is one of the most beautiful and romantic cities on earth.

Paris has been on my mind a great deal lately because my good friends, 

Margaret and Scott, moved there this month, for the next 6-10 months. 

I hope I will have a chance to visit them this spring! 

In the meantime, I have been placing several of my 

characters in Parisian settings. 

It will have to do for the time being.

French hen, another Pinterest gem

Thanks for stopping by!

xo, A

Ava & Coco in Paris

Today I finished painting this scene for a lovely little girl named Ava.

Here she is walking her dog, Coco down a charming street in Paris.

Every little (and big) girl's dream :)

Her patisserie is based on the beautiful iconic,

Laduree. Their macaroons are all over boards on Pinterest,

for obvious reasons.

The painting is 24" x 36" and will fit perfectly in a spot above her bed.

I tried to keep it loose and painterly and I just had to include other dogs,

a couple of birds and kitty cats :)

While looking through my own photos and reference pics online, for which there is no

shortage, I had to finally stop. Paris is so exquisitely beautiful and full of

charm, that even illustrating it for a child's room becomes a daunting task.

I hope that Ava will get to experience this wonderful city one day.

For now, I hope this painting encourages sweet dreams.

Have a swell midweek!

xo,

A