Lake Darbonne Art Retreat

They don't call this "Easy Living Lane" for nothin'! Pure easy going bliss. I am fortunate enough to have some wonderful giving friends (Johnny and Karen) who offered me their camp while they were on vacation.

The Nichols are like second parents to me. Mrs Karen said she vividly remembers those days of having two young children and needing a break for some "me" time. With Brent's blessing, I grabbed my back pack, some guacamole makings, and my art supplies and hit the road to Farmerville. It's amazing how much work you can get done when you are by yourself. The goal was to work on some drawings for Summer and Fall and also a couple of commissions that I had been behind on.
  I planted myself in a orange(!!) chair on their deck

with a cozy blanket and a breathtaking view of the lake.

What is it about water that just makes you feel good?? I don't want to give too much away but got a real funny Nutria Rat drawn. Our son will love it! Here is the initial pencil sketch.

And the final pen and ink drawing...

And I also worked on a cool view of some Louisiana Bald Cypress trees. Did you know that is our State Tree??

And here is a pic of the guacomole and chips I made.. Yum! I like it chunky and with Tonys in it to spice it up. Always served with the Tortilla Strips because they don't break as easily.

For dinner, I picked up To-go from the Ol' Hickory Cafe.

Delicious. It was located further into town.   Also enjoyed just walking around snapping pics of all the different textures in one back yard.

And here is my view once the sun started going down-Heaven!! (Brent, if you are reading this, we NEED a camp with a view like this!!)

The Nichols camp felt like home away from home. So comfy and stocked with everything you could need. Love you guys and so appreciate you opening your camp up to me.

Thanks for reading!
Love
 Lissy

To order our designs, our website is www.mrpstees.bigcartel.com or you can find our designs at Herringstones in Monroe, KSera in West Monroe, Rodeo Boutique in Ruston and Patton's Western Wear in Lake Charles.