Letters from the Forest
You’ll receive art in progress, musings, and stories from the forest every two weeks.
Between the garden and the editing desk
Hello from the forest! Recently we planted two types of mandevillas in our garden and they are both blooming. It's autumn in Brazil and they are expected to bloom until the end of the season. This one bloomed yesterday and I captured all the angles to use it in a botanical study: In my last video, where I talk about losing momentum, I mentioned that I was going to paint something special for my grandma who was going to be 100 years old in March. I did it! Now I'm finishing the video with the...
One name, three meanings
Great News! 🎉 I'm sipping my coffee looking out the studio window as I write you this letter. It's been a while, I know, but I have news to share. My art community now has a new name: Drawing Nature. I've decided to use it because of its beautiful triple meaning and I'd love to tell you about them. Visit the Drawing Nature page #1. Drawing as mark-making on surfaces "Drawing nature" can refer to the act of sketching, drawing, and painting elements of a landscape, or different species of...
A strange beginning to the year
It’s hot and rainy here in the forest, and I’m having a hard time keeping my hands dry enough not to smudge graphite on the paper while drawing. Still, the work continues. The year started full of surprises At the beginning of January, my grandmother fell and broke three ribs. She’s 99 years old and will turn 100 in March. She lives in a different state, São Paulo, and I’ll be visiting her soon. At the same time, my mom also fell and broke her arm, so I spent some time with her in Saquarema,...
An invitation to individual art sessions
Hello! I have great news to share! I’m opening 5 spots for individual art sessions. These sessions are focused on conversation, looking at your work, and talking about process. We can talk about drawing, painting, art materials, visual language, choices, and direction. They’re for artists who already work with drawing or painting and feel the need for an external eye, or feel a bit stuck or scattered, and want some direction in their work. Each session is one hour, online, and it can be in...
One Year of Showing Up
It’s 9 PM where I live, and finally there’s some relief from the heat that has been punishing people in Rio for the last few weeks. It’s the hottest summer in many years! Considering how hot it is here in the mountains, I can only imagine what people are going through in the city. I hear that some are even spending the night at the beach. I'm lucky to live at a higher altitude! 🙏✨ 'Day and Night', pencil drawing, 2023. First Year Anniversary 🎉 January 2025 was when I started taking YouTube...
A Small Gift to Help You Plan the New Year
I like New Year’s Eve. It’s my favorite holiday! 🌟 It’s an opportunity to revisit everything I’ve done during the year and make plans for the next one. I love it! Sunset at Saquarema Beach, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, while visiting my mom for Christmas. A few weeks ago, while I was starting to review my year and think about what I’d like to happen in 2026, one of the things that caught my attention was that I’d like to be more consistent with what I post. When I created Letters from the Forest,...
My Christmas Watercolor Tutorial Is Live
It’s Sunday evening and I’m writing you this letter as I watch the new moon smiling at me over the eucalyptus trees. I can’t believe the year is almost finished! 2025 is the year I finally started publishing art videos on my YouTube channel, after putting it off for so many years. I’m even pondering if I have enough time to put a retrospective video together before New Year’s Eve. We’ll see… This weekend I published my first watercolor tutorial with a comprehensive step-by-step process video...
The Hardest Video I’ve Ever Made (And My Favorite!)
Hello! It's Lia. It’s finally that time of the year when it’s warm enough for me to immerse myself in cold water (not freezing! 😄), which I love. However, I have even better news to share… My new video is the HARDEST one I’ve made so far (really!), but it’s also my FAVORITE, and I’d love to hear your thoughts. Was the extra work in editing worth it? Watch it here! "This Only Happens Once a Year" / "Duality" The accompanying post will be on my Patreon, as usual, with photos, extra info, list...
Once a Year Miracle
Hello, forest friend! 🌿 Things have been busy and beautiful here in the forest. My Echinopsis cactus bloomed, and it will become an artwork. Look at this miracle! The flower is larger than the cactus itself and lasts only one day. And it blooms only once a year! It happened just as I was looking for a subject for my next piece, which I’ll reveal soon in one of my videos. The theme of the piece will also be a surprise. 😉 🎥 From the Editing Desk I’ve just shipped a commissioned piece to...
Spring energy is here!
Hello, forest friend! 🌿 Japu bird's nests and the Caledonia Massif, Tres Picos State Park, Brazil. Spring is here, flowers are blossoming and japu birds (crested oropendola) are nesting. It also brings warmth and rain to the forest where I live. Days are getting longer, meaning more natural light (which I love 🌞) but also more heat inside the studio during the day, changing how fast watercolor dries while I paint. I have to adapt. That’s life. In my last two videos, I shared random pages from...
You’ll receive art in progress, musings, and stories from the forest every two weeks.