Earlier this year, I decided to rewatch the entire series of Buffy the Vampire Slayer. I hadn’t seen it since high school, back when I was a real-life graduate of the class of ’99, just like the “Scooby Gang.” It was fun revisiting the show for nostalgic reasons, but my main focus was to be engulfed in the “Buffyverse” once again so I could finally check Alyson Hannigan as Willow Rosenberg off my art bucket list.
Willow was always my favorite character on the show. Despite being framed as the sidekick or best friend, I was always drawn to her more than Buffy. Maybe it was our shared 90’s fashion sense, her ability to research every monster-fighting scenario Buffy was faced with, or watching her grow into her powers, but I always saw her as the true emotional core of the series and the character I related to most. She always felt less like a fictional character and more like someone I would want to genuinely hang out with.
I really wanted to encapsulate Willow’s character growth from the beginning to the end of the series. An artistic reminder that we all have the battle of good and evil inside of us and that it is ultimately up to us to choose which path we take. With that in mind, I knew this had to be one of my signature split face portraits. One half representing the sweet, quirky and shy Willow, with the other side reflecting cold, broken hearted, “I’m the Slayer now” lethal Dark Willow. A part in the series that even though she becomes consumed by her overuse of power, she finally finds the courage to express so much of what Willow fans had always wanted her to say out loud, unfortunately pushing her toward nearly destroying the world with dark forces.
In the end, however, she recognizes the darkness she is heading toward and learns to control her powers. By doing so, she evolves into her true strength as a white witch, bringing light back into the world by activating all potential Slayers and saving humanity. The underdog ultimately becoming the true hero of the series in the show’s finale.
A storyline worth picking up the drawing pencils for, I completed the piece last week and am excited to share it with my art collectors. Done in pencil and chalk pastels, I call it “I Am The Magics”….
For my art collectors who never underestimate the “side-kick”, “I have made-to-order* prints and wearable art t-shirts listed in my Etsy shop. Apply coupon code BUCKLEUPRUPERT to manifest a spell that will magically take 10% off your order! ✨
Giclee and canvas prints are currently in production with my printer for my art collectors to see in person and purchase at a discounted price* at Closet Collectibles (in Crete, IL.) as well as at the upcoming Unruly Art Market on May 31st.
Never let anyone tell you that your art will get you nowhere, because getting amazing seats and going backstage at a Howie Mandel show is a pretty epic place to be! 🤩✨️
This weekend was filled with so much joy and perspective. At one point during the evening I was looking up at the beautiful ceiling of the Genesee Theatre and it hit me that this unforgettable evening I was having with my husband all stemmed from a piece of art that I envisioned and created.
There I was, 45 years old, standing next to Howie Mandel, all because I had picked up my drawing pencils to engage with my 8-year-old inner child. The little girl who fell in love with a movie that made life less scary, because there was always the possibility that a high-energy, baseball-card-collecting, Dorito-munching, home-goods-smashing, bully-revenging, apple-juice-pissing, homework-eating monster of a friend was just a bedtime away.
That’s when I got this overwhelming sense that my younger self would be so proud of where her art has taken her. That she would be so glad she never listened to those who told her that art would get her nowhere. Because although it has not made me rich financially, it has blessed me with so many amazing life experiences that my younger self could have ever imagined. And to me that is somewhere.
5 years in the making, and I truly can not thank Howie’s Manager Rich enough. Not just for an unforgettable evening but for also pushing me to take a risk and ship an original piece of artwork to him because “Howie saw it and loved it so much”. The heart of this “little monster” is now fuller than “an elm tree”😆💗🌳 and you made that happen.
I am excited to finally be able to announce that my work has been selected by the Women In Arts Network to be featured in their virtual art exhibition Faces.
This exhibition theme focuses on: Carefully curated virtual rooms, each centered on the power and presence of the human face. From quiet, unguarded moments to bold and commanding expressions, each space reveals a different emotional truth. Together, the artworks speak to identity, vulnerability, resilience, and connection, inviting viewers to pause, reflect, and recognize themselves in the faces before them. The exhibition invites artists to respond to faces not only as visual subjects, but as reflections of emotion, memory, and personal stories shaped over time. Through a wide range of mediums, including painting, drawing, photography, collage, and digital art, Faces presents many approaches to the face. Some works feel direct and familiar, while others move toward abstraction or distortion. Together, they show how faces can communicate feeling, presence, and complexity without needing explanation. Read more here.
The exhibition runs from February 2nd – March 2nd, 2026 and the great thing is you don’t even have to leave your home to view and support the artists whose work has been selected. Everything can be viewed online via their free interactive 3D art gallery, which allows both artists and collectors from around the globe to enjoy and participate.
So please take a moment of your time to visit the exhibition link and freely scroll the walls of their two virtual gallery rooms showcasing all the mesmerizing art that was chosen, including my “I’m Not Staying On This Farm” split-face portrait inspired by Mia Goth’s portrayal as Pearl. The face of a true dreamer, displayed in Room 2.
And to celebrate, any of my art collectors who visit the virtual exhibition and then shop my Etsy Shop afterwards can use discount code FACES to receive 13% slashed off their order at check out!*
And if you are new here, be sure to check out the Creature Features page of my portfolio website. There you can find this exhibit listed amongst some of the other unique places my art has been featured over the years.
Want to showcase my work in your next virtual gallery exhibition? Let’s connect and chat!
Stay Strange & Magical, ✨ LDG Nicole
*Discount does not include made-to-order, fundraiser, or clearance/sales items. Offer begins February 2, 2006 and expires EOD March 2, 2026.
Some of you may be setting your New Year’s resolutions right now, however with it still being the dead of winter I prefer to follow the rhythm of nature and set my intentions with the spring equinox, when light takes over darkness, life re-emerges, balance is restored, and creation begins. So for me, winter is the time to dream without pressure and reflect on what I have overcome thus far.
With that being said, this time last year looked very different for me, and what started off on a very high note came crashing down rather quickly. I was so excited to kick the year off with a brand new job where I could finally support fellow artists for a living, only to be led by a CEO full of false promises that resulted in surprise layoffs and the company closing their doors. Despite them being a startup, I jumped all in when the opportunity arose and was quickly reminded why I have never been much of a big risk taker. Having been on my own since I was 18 and always holding a job since I was 15, I was overcome with emotions. I had never lost a job before, especially at no fault of my own, and on top of it, in an industry I was genuinely passionate about. To say it was soul crushing would be an understatement. It didn’t help that it all happened with terrible timing, and I don’t mean just being let go the day after my 44th birthday, but the fact that I was left to hunt for a new job only to find myself tangled in the web of a nightmare job market filled with scammers, hackers, AI garbage, age discrimination, remote jobs that are really hybrid, too many applicants, fake job postings, and most of all, false hopes.
Unfortunately, I still haven’t escaped that job hunting web just yet, but my mindset has changed as I continue to reflect on all the blessings that have resulted from it. For instance, yes, I may have taken a risk, but I also was stuck in a very toxic work situation, and jumping ship to board on with the new startup gave me the push I needed to leave. And although everyone’s time at the startup was cut short, I was blessed to be able to work with an amazing team of women I may never have had the opportunity to meet. I quickly picked up new software and skill sets, and even some great advice and ideas that I now utilize for my own art practice. Most importantly though, I got to experience what it was like working directly with some very talented and well-known fine artists from all around the country, which was something very special that I had hoped to gain from my time working there.
As months passed, one thing remained constant, and that was me word vomiting over and over again about how incredibly grateful I am for my hardworking husband. He has not only been keeping us afloat financially, but he has been my emotional rock through everything, reminding me that just because I am not working full time doesn’t mean I am worthless, because honestly most days thats how I’ve felt. Not having the spending money to enjoy ourselves like we used to or having the ability to save like we were has definitely taken a hit to my self esteem but at the same time allowed me to gain a sense of freedom that money could never buy.
Which leaves me with the one thing I feel this year has blessed me with the most, and that was time. Something I never had before and at times still feel guilty about gaining. When working for other companies, I never had the dedicated time and creative energy I needed to fully invest into my own artwork. Writing this blog alone would have been much different, much shorter, or not even written at all. I would become overwhelmed trying to balance and keep it all together, my health often taking a toll, projects and ideas piling up because it would take me forever to finish anything, or feeling overwhelmed enough to skip the creative process altogether, which would ultimately leave me feeling unaccomplished and unfulfilled.
After being let go from the daily grind, it seemed like whenever I had a confidence crushing moment on my job hunting journey, it would immediately be followed by an uplifting art win of some sort. I now know those were signs from the universe divinely guiding and gifting me with what I had always asked for, it just arrived terribly wrapped in loss and confusion. It was like asking for flowers and the universe giving me rain instead. The seeds were planted. It was up to me to figure out that the glimmers in the rain drops only came if I provided the sunshine needed to bloom. So some days I chose to take breaks from the stress of the job hunt and strictly focus the time I was gifted to work on bringing more of my visions to life. Guilt free.
Since being laid off, I have also gained a plethora of new LinkedIn connections and although a majority of them are strangers in the real world, they’ve truly helped keep me sane. They’ve been there to boost my confidence when venting about job hunting dead ends while also being there to celebrate and support me when sharing my art wins and announcing my new creations. Many have even written up features or conducted interviews about me and my work, and others have actually become new collectors of it. Ironically, most of them may have never even discovered my work had I not been more active on the platform due to my job hunt and the time I was blessed with to focus and really go all in on it this year.
And although I was technically unemployed, I remained VERY busy. When I was not creating, applying or interviewing for jobs, I was putting in hours of unpaid work as an Artrepreneur, which really has put into perspective why it’s been so hard to keep up with everything while working a full-time job.
Top that off with everything else going on in the world, there were many days that made it harder to find the blessings and transform negative thoughts into positive ones. But I found that when I surrounded myself in inspiring environments and spent my time and energy wisely with people who would rather live in the moment than constantly focus on drama, politics, news, and negativity, I felt much lighter, healthier, and creatively motivated.
Refocusing my mindset was important for me as an artist. For instance, did someone physically steal a piece of my artwork and therefore I became a famous artist overnight due to the heist? No, but someone wanted my artwork badly enough that they were willing to risk getting caught and arrested for it.
Did I make a killing on my work this year to the point I could completely live off the income and stop job hunting? No, but I gained a couple freelance gigs that got me by, and both my Etsy and Closet Collectibles sales were on the rise, resulting in many happy dances for a girl who just wants to share her visions with the world while hoping they speak to someone as weird as she is.
So with that, I just want to show my gratitude to everyone that helped these artist milestone moments happen for me over the past “Gregorian calendar year”….
I joined Lyric, an artist first platform allowing my art collectors another way to shop my creations (the company rebranded as Latchet)
Bestselling Author, Award-Winning Screenwriter, & Entertainment Journalist Staci Lane Wilson interviewed and featured me and my work on Women In Horror
My split face portraits “Nothing Is Trivial” of Brandon Lee as Eric Draven and “Maybe Today Satan” of Kierna Shipka as Sabrina Spellman were selected and featured in the Artflow Alliance Virtual Art Exhibition: Haunted Histories from Halloween – Dec 31st
I was commissioned and completed 7 portraits that will be used for promotional and fundraising efforts for the fantasy web series Sommoners Tale created by Brandon Nyte
In celebration of the final season of Stranger Things I conjured up a limited edition Vecna – Upside Down picture frame to showcase an 8×10″ giclee print of my Pretty Bitchin’ split face portrait of Millie Bobby Brown as Eleven in Seasons 1 and 2
I checked Mia Goth and Pearl from the X Trilogy horror movie series off my art bucket list by completing my split face portrait “I’m Not Staying On This Farm”
I checked Walton Goggins and Uncle Baby Billy Freeman from the Righteous Gemstones off my art bucket list by completing my split face portrait “Voila! No More COVID!”
My split face portraits “Chop Driftwood” of Bill Moseley and “Shit The Bed” of Sid Haig were featured on multiple episodes of the Slash Sisters Podcast on Youtube
I was contracted by the realtor/owner of Teighlor Made TX to set up her WiX website from their brokerage’s company template. This included adjusting layout, updating media, hyperlinking, SEO & social media share settings, alt text, blog set up, setting up forms, service/meeting requests bookings, automations, notifications, label tags for segmenting contact leads, setting up admin roles, giving the client marketing and process feedback
I was once again the VIP Prize Collaborator for Flashback Weekend Chicago Horror Con where I doubled the number of prize contributions resulting in a very happy crowd and another successful VIP Cocktail Reception Party for celebrity guests and ultimate ticket holders!
And most importantly, I want you all to know… I’m not stopping anytime soon!
