The Perfect Souvenir

 Let’s be honest, most souvenirs are tacky. They are cheap, trinkety and most likely aren’t even made in the place you’re visiting (unless you’re visiting China or Taiwan).

Come on, how many shot glasses and keychains do you really need?! 

On the other hand, it feels good to bring something home with you. To have something tangible to remind you of your trip beyond your Instagram feed.  For me, I have three things I like to collect when I visit a new place: postcards, vintage posters & original artwork. All three are flat or can easily be rolled up to pack and bring home.  Artwork is probably my favorite thing to collect.  I love to support local artists and have collected some really unique pieces of work and stories of how I came to find them.

A few years ago I went to Paris to visit my friend Lesley who was studying there.  It was Holy Week, so there were a ton of tourists.  We tried to go to the Louvre, but there was a four hour wait to get in.  I was only in town for a few days so the wait didn’t seem worth it. In Paris, there are street artists every few blocks.  A lot of the artwork is the same, so when I saw a watercolor artist on a bridge near the Louvre, I was struck by his beautiful delicate work. I love the way he captured the City of Love! As we were talking to him and flipping through his paintings, the wind picked up and out of no where it began to hail! It went from sunny and beautiful to massive hail storm in less than a minute! Lesley even got a fat lip from one of the chunks of ice! So the two of us helped the artist gather his paintings and ran for cover!  Every time I look at that painting I think of that story and smile. 

Last Sunday I went to the San Telmo Market here in Buenos Aires. It’s a huge market/street fair that has everything - antiques, street performers, artwork, food and tango! I found a booth where an artist was working on a new painting of a bicycle. The artwork he had displayed was beautiful - large watercolors of polo horses to small silhouettes of tango dancers. We chatted for a bit and he showed me a collection of watercolor paintings of tango dancers painted on tango sheet music.  I thought it was such a beautiful way to capture the passion of tango and a great way to remember my time here in Buenos Aires.

Someday when I settle down, I hope to have a wall full of pictures, posters and artwork from all around the world. 

Colonia de Sacramento, Uruguay

Colonia de Sacramento is an adorable town in Uruguay that's only an hour ferry ride away from Buenos Aires.  The colorful historic quarter is an UNESCO World Heritage Site and is an ideal spot for a relaxing day trip! Plus, the banks in Uruguay dispense US dollars at the ATMs so it's the perfect place to take out a bit of cash to exchange at the blue dollar rate here in Argentina.

I sat in a doorway on Calle de los Suspiros for about an hour painting the watercolor at the top when the family that owns the colorful house I was painting arrived home.  They came across the street to check out my work and then invited me in to see the inside and the patio of their home.  The house has been in their possession since the 80s before the area became an UNESCO World Herritage Site. There were still tile and features from the original design of the house. The owner was also an artist and showed me a few of her own paintings! 

Song of Style C'est LA Vie

The beautiful Aimee Song from Song of Style.

Custom Illustrations

I am excited to announce I am taking Commissioned Illustrations again! Creating unique artwork for my clients is my absolute favorite thing to do! I just love meeting and working with new people (and old friends!) so much and making artwork that captures your personality, reminds you of a special day or that defines your brand!

To see more examples of my work, check out my Portfolio page.

Check out the Commissions page to see what the process looks like!

To request a custom illustration, or if you have further questions, you can email me at laurentaylorcreates@gmail.com

I look forward to meeting you and collaborating on something truly beautiful and one of a kind!

Paris of the South... Buenos Aires

I knew before coming to Buenos Aires I would love it.  Kind of like when I finally made it to Paris, it was everything I had hoped and more! (Paris was my dream place to go since I was five years old.)
I have never been here before, I didn't know anyone here before coming, and I had no solid plans other than a room booked through Air BnB for a week.
My preferred way to travel is with loose plans. To have just enough figured out so you're not stranded on the side of the street at 3am.  Sometimes this can lead to a bit of panic or over paying, but in my experience, it is usually worth the amazing adventures.  Here's a few pictures from my past couple of weeks in the city I'm currently calling home.

As of right now, my plan is to stay in BsAs until mid May, when a few friends will come and visit.  We will travel through Argentina, Chile and Bolivia for 3 weeks and then they will go home and I will head off to a new destination.  Right now I'm thinking Peru or Colombia. No solid plans, just the desire to explore this amazing continent driving me.