My goal with this project was to create a regular studio practice. My only rule was that each piece needs to relate to Okinawa. Ideally watercolor landscapes but I wanted to allow myself space to grow if something peaks my fancy. We have lived here for almost 3 years and I have a photo gallery full of inspiration photos! I would also love to paint en plein air at least once a week. This project will also overlap with Inktober 2018. Without further ado, I present: 100 days of Okinawa

Bingata (Okinawan: 紅型, literally "red style") is an Okinawan traditional resist dyed cloth, made using stencils and other methods. It is generally brightly colored and features various patterns, usually depicting natural subjects such as fish, water, and flowers.

My Inktober theme for this year was Flower Power. This is some of my favorite work I have created to date. Not every piece was a success but that is part of the process.

30 Before 3Wow! It cannot believe it has been a year since I set out on my 30 before 30 quest :) It has been a week since I turned 30 and it really doesn't feel much different than 29. This past year was a big one for my family.

It is funny to look at this list. There are things that a year ago I was 100% sure were going to happen (make a baby), and things that were just dreams (climb Mt. Fuji). It is funny to see how different reality is from what my expectations were. 0 : 1 Year Later

4 months until I turn 30! 136 days! Eek!

Hogwarts is magic. If you have read Harry Potter you have imagined what receiving your Hogwarts letter would have felt like. You have imagined yourself riding on the Hogwarts Express and stepping into the Great Hall for the first time. You have imagined having the sorting hat placed on your head and hearing it call out your house (HUFFLEPUFF!) and you have imagined your first steps into your Common Room.

While rereading the series I came across this quote in Harry Potter and the Deathly Hollows- “Dirigible Plums, so as to enhance the ability to accept the extraordinary.” This is the scene where the trio visits the Lovegood’s cottage and they are being shown a “replica” of Ravenclaw’s diadem. Mr. Lovegood has added all sort of odd enhancements to the diadem, including dirigible plums. The first time Harry meets Luna Lovegood she is described as wear dirigible plum earrings, which look like orange radishes.

Yummmmm, butterbeer! Butterbeer was one of the things I was most looking forward to trying at the Wizarding World of Harry Potter (WWoHP). And it did not disappoint.

I read lots of different reviews about the kinds of butterbeer and the best one to try. The day we visited WWoHP it was HOT so I chose the frozen version and boy was it yummy! I also tried the pumpkin fizz which tasted like Thanksgiving in a glass.

I love Harry Potter. I grew up with Harry Potter. I remember reading the first books in middle school. I remember crying when my favorite characters died. The last book came out on my 1st wedding anniversary and my husband and friend had to pry it from my hands. I have a tradition of rereading the whole series every summer. This summer I have read the series 3 times.

It has been one month since I turned 29 and began my 30 before 30 quest. I am proud to say I have started working toward some of my goals!

Hello. It has been awhile. It’s time to get back to this. Back to keeping a digital record of my art and maybe even a little bit of my life :) So here we go!

Today I have traveled around the sun 29 times! Recently I had a conversation with my mom and she warned me about “the nines”. The end of a decade, she said, can make you feel restless. She advised me to take this year as a time of reflection. So as my first act of reflection I have created a list of 30 things I would like to accomplish before my 30th birthday.

In April we launched Allied Women Entreprenures. I am proud to be one of the 5 founders of this not for profit 501(c)c women's business organization.

Now through June 30th the "beauTEAful blooms" will be hanging at Grimm Brothers Brewhouse Taproom in Loveland Colorado.

"beauTEAful blooms" is an ongoing series of mixed media drawings exploring the beauties of different kinds of flowers. The drawings are created with tea, watercolor, colored pencil, and pen.

Stop by, have a drink, and say hi to the blooms!

Its official! I am a Studio Vino Artist! I cannot wait to begin teaching in May!

A couple of weeks ago I attended Dani Sue's Blessingway. It was a beautiful ceremony celebrating mother and baby. We each gave the mom-to-be a bead with our wish for her and her birth, beautiful poems about motherhood were read by important people in her life, the mom-to-be and her guests received henna, and we did a cord ceremony. It was an honor to attend such a special event. It was even more of an honor when Dani asked me to paint her belly cast.

A new year a new look! I decided it was time to redo my website to reflect where I am currently artistically. It's cleaner, simpler, and the focus is on the art.

The homepage now features a gallery showcasing a few of my favorite works. I've also redesigned the header to better reflect what heartmelinda is.

The biggest change (besides the new color scheme) is to Bodies of Work. The galleries have all been updated from one page of simple slideshows to each collection having their own interactive gallery. This is a more complete way to showcase my art. As I was building this section and using the previous page as reference I was going crazy with how difficult it was to navigate. I hope you find the new set up more pleasant.