photoshoot: beach playtime with a growing family!

I have another recent photoshoot to share with you guys! Seriously beautiful parents, an adorable (and active!) toddler, and another baby boy on the way! I had SUCH a fun session during an evening on the beach, chasing around this little boy and capturing all the love between the 3 (soon to be 4) of them.

Here are some of my favorites!

I love that I'm attracting families who embrace my style of photography. I'm very laid-back when I'm shooting (even though I'm usually running around to get the photos!), and I like to let poses unfold naturally, and to just capture the magic and love that I see in front of me. It's so beautiful. And I like when they have some ideas too!

A new art print is coming next week, and I'm currently painting something to release next month!

xo, Michelle

Follow me @maryandluna on your favorite social media: Instagram, Twitter, Facebook. See my art in my Etsy shop or on maryandluna.com. 

if you're interested in a low-rate portfolio-building session with me for you and/or your kids in OC, email me! maryandluna@gmail.com

photoshoot: a new sibling bond.

I'm so excited to share this adorable photoshoot I did last week!

My first newborn session, and big sister was so so cute with her new baby brother. We shot for almost 2.5 hours in the park, and while baby didn't want to curl up tight (that's ok!), I still managed to capture his sweet face and his beautiful sister's vivacious personality, and  the sweet new bond between them. These photos made me smile the whole time I was editing them! :)

I really love how these came out. I always say it, but with every shoot I do, I feel more and more confident in my ability to execute my vision and how I see people. I'm studying constantly. I see the improvement from one session to the next. I feel so good about my future. Art + photography + babies= my heart is constantly bursting! And I really love that I can give this art to families and they'll proudly display these moments I captured.

Here are some of my favorites!

xo, Michelle

Follow me @maryandluna on your favorite social media: Instagram, Twitter, Facebook. See my art in my Etsy shop or on maryandluna.com. 

if you're interested in a low-rate portfolio-building session with me for you and/or your kids in Orange County, CA, email me! maryandluna@gmail.com

The Lost Boys (a custom art piece)

Here is the final version of my custom Lost Boys themed watercolor painting!

My wonderful, longtime internet friend Courtney is expecting a baby boy this fall, and she asked me to make a custom piece for his nursery! She wanted it to be Peter Pan's Lost Boys themed, and the room will have a woodland theme. So that pretty much gave me the creative freedom to design whatever I dreamed up! (and I LOOOOVE Peter Pan.)

This is 11x14, and I used an amazing new smooth watercolor paper for it. Plus new water color paints= such a difference in the quality! I incorporated a quote I love from the book version of Peter Pan, in my newly-learned calligraphy (plus I know my friend Courtney loves modern calligraphy). For styling, I love it paired with this wood frame. It really completes the feeling of the piece!

Overall I love the storybook page feeling of it. I'm so thankful she asked me to do this! It was so fun. 

xo, Michelle

Follow me @maryandluna on your favorite social media: Instagram, Twitter, Facebook. See my art in my Etsy shop or on maryandluna.com. 

if you're interested in a custom art piece like this one, please email me and we can brainstorm ideas! I absolutely love making things for a specific person in mind :)

New piece: literary tree signs!

Imagine stumbling across these wooden directional signs to classic fictional literary places, nailed to a tree… where would you go? 

I've just added this print to my Etsy shop! This watercolor & gouache painting depicts some of my most favorite places in classic literature. Neverland from "Peter Pan," Narnia from "The Chronicles of Narnia," Hogwarts from "Harry Potter," Wonderland from "Alice's Adventures in Wonderland," Oz from "The Wizard of Oz," the secret garden from "The Secret Garden," and a sign to mark that you are home. A little pocket watch dangles from the tree branch to symbolize the fleeting feeling of time & childhood passing.

This art print would be perfect in a child's room, any book lover's home, a library, a classroom, or any place you may want a touch of imagination and daydreams of adventure.

Details:

      -Print will not include the watermark (© Mary & Luna).       -To display: Prints can be placed in any 8x10 frame (as shown), or any larger frame with a matted 8x10 opening.       -Frame not included. 

Buy it here and visit the rest of my Etsy shop and my website to see all the art I have for sale!

xo, Michelle 

Follow me @maryandluna on your favorite social media: Instagram, Twitter, Facebook. 

scraps of progress

I've been working on lots of things and haven't had a chance to decide what to blog! Here are some in-progress pieces...

I'm working on putting together a content calendar for this blog so that I make sure my posts are worth viewing. I'm working on a marketing plan. I'm planning a couple photoshoots. I'm organizing a bunch of business information so that I have a visual map to follow when I get overwhelmed or lost. I'm brainstorming future pieces. I'm all-around still figuring out how to be a professional artist, and I have a suspicion that I always will be…

xo, Michelle

Follow me @maryandluna on your favorite social media: Instagram, Twitter, Facebook. See my art in my Etsy shop or on maryandluna.com.