February Loves : Products, New Art, and Blues.

a monthly round-up of things I used and loved this month.

Hello friends. February. We made it.

I’ll be honest - January into the start of February felt like it lasted approximately six months instead of six weeks. Between the state of the world and that particular kind of gray that settles in after the holidays, I kept waiting to feel like myself again. Finally, somewhere in the last two weeks, something started to shift. Commissions are moving. New gallery pitches are out in the world. My vision board is beginning to take shape in the best way possible. 2026 is finally here for me, and I can feel it.

This is the energy I’m bringing into this month’s Studio Finds.

For those of you new here - welcome👋. Studio Files is where I share the art, beauty, and inspiration that feeds my curious soul and, hopefully, yours too. I’m Jill, a full-time artist and former 20-year veteran of the fashion industry (visual merchandising, concept design, product curation - I’ve developed opinions). This monthly round-up is a peek into what’s caught my eye, made my life more beautiful, or simply brought a little joy into the chaos. Art supplies I’m actually using, books I can’t put down, recipes we loved, songs on repeat, home goods that make me smile every time I walk past them.

The world outside my studio windows is still a lot. Dark, loud, and asking more of us than feels fair most days. But I keep coming back to something I said last month that I really believe: beauty and connection are forms of resistance. The studio is an act of resistance. Showing up here, for each other, is too. So that’s what we’re doing.

Some links below are affiliate links — small commission to me, no extra cost to you. Only things I genuinely love. Let’s get into it.

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Not until I started writing this newsletter, did I realize I am quite literally in my blue period. The commissions and new work coming out of the studio, my nail polish, this striped sweater I’m eyeing to wear on repeat through the spring and summer. Even my impulse-purchased lip mask fits this theme, it’s honestly embarrassing to see how much COLOR influences me. Blue is almost a neutral to my eye - a wonderfully versatile color that goes with any mood, any style, any look. You’ll see a lot more blue on my ShopMy Studio Finds - a page dedicated to all the things that I tried, am eyeing and loved this month. My tried-and-true favorite brushes for painting, this white dress I loved and didn’t buy last summer, and this black dress I loved and did and am so glad it’s time for it to come back in rotation.

With our wedding and my birthday coming up this summer, I’m throwing all the tricks at my hair (and my partner’s) to get some new growth and thicker locks flowing - and totally went for it with this serum and this red-light cap. Will report back:)

In the kitchen, I’ve continued to experiment with sourdough, and we finally had a loaf that came out stellar! I used Claude to help me hack what had been going wrong - and am so happy to say I’m now a baker. Our next loaf is in the oven now and already smelling divine. I’m not sure if I’ve mentioned before, but I have a wee-problem with collecting cookbooks. I ADORE food photography, trying new recipes, and reading them cover to cover. The problem is, after I’ve done that, I’ll forget to revisit and actually cook from them. This month - I pulled out an old favorite and cooked and flagged many recipes to experiment with in the months ahead.

We started watching the third season of Shrinking this month, and after some dark shows in the winter - I was so happy for this light, loving show. The first episode felt a bit more campy + scripted than I remembered - but I’m quickly over that and all in on this lovable cast.

I’ve made some progress on my vision board, completing my journaling process and starting to collect images to print. I’ve got some work to do around my intention for the year…in a year SO FULL of life, I’m thinking it might be presence. I’m turning 50, we’re eloping with our kids and my mom, we’re traveling a lot, S. is starting high school, on top of all going on with this studio, my art and writing and just life in general. Making sure I am present for all of it feels like the best gift I could give myself in this next decade. Are you doing a vision board or any intention setting this year? I’d love to know!

I wanted to share my new art portfolio and website with you all. I’ve been slowly working and tweaking it in the first weeks of the new year, and am finally ready to share. I’d love to know what you think about the site, and most importantly my most recent paintings. Having a dedicated studio space has been so freeing for my mind to explore and paint - even as I often still paint at home. It’s funny how our minds (just mine?) sometimes need the validation of an external source (i’m a real artist with a real studio) to strip away the fear and just start doing the thing we needed all along…probably a subject for a future newsletter, yes?

xx.

Jill