I'm really drawn towards the work of Betsy Walton lately. And now Betsy's on Etsy!
Buying prints on etsy is all the rage right now so you have to visit her brand new etsy store where she offers pretty prints for those not in the market for original works.
Betsy lives in Portland, OR and has a most impressive portfolio online that you may really enjoy browsing. Here's a snapshot. Look at these colors, don't they make you happy?

Here's one that I ordered last night titled Hopeful. I couldn't resist. I feel like this is my little house in the countryside where I live, and the red swirls represent the apple trees all around my home since I live on an orchard. And the word hopeful, well it means many things to me right now. All very personal, of course. Let's just say that having hope is the only way to endure things that appear to offer no alternate roads to take, no escape route. Hope gets us through. And that's what I have a lot of this week since some sad news came my way.

When this print arrives, I'll look at it for years to come recalling this period in my life. This is what I think we should do when we purchase art. Look at a piece and try to figure out why it appeals to us, pinpoint something exact, so that when you bring it home and frame it, you'll forever me reminded of that moment and you can better bond with the item. Make sense? Then it's no longer Betsy's art, it's also a very special and personal piece of you.

(images from betsy walton)