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June 2025 I had the guts and the foolishness to enter Beautifully Bizarre’s annual art contest. In doing so, I was signed up for their newsletters, and recently received their feature on the work of artist Michael Parks. As I looked at his paintings, I was amazed not only by what some people are able to do with oils, but also by the haunting familiarity of it. I knew I’d never seen it before exactly, but something was ringing a bell. I was so taken with his work that I really wanted one of his art books! They’re all out of print now, but good old Thrift Books had my back and I lucked out and got a copy of this volume.  When I saw the cover online, my jaw dropped. THIS was why I thought I’d seen it before. I was right, I hadn’t actually seen his art—but what I had seen, and stared at for hours and hours, was this painting by Amy Brown.  In her book Amy Brown talks about being inspired by artists like Brian Froud and the writing of Charles deLint, but to my recollection she never mentions how often she borrowed poses from the paintings of Michael Parks. This is in fact the most liberating and wonderful thing I’ve ever discovered.       Both Amy Brown and Michael Parks create uniquely recognizable art—it is theirs and theirs alone. They both have immense bodies of work that, when viewed zoomed out, could not be more different. (I've picked out some of their most similar paintings, but browse their galleries individually and you'll see what I mean. Michael is very surreal and Amy is so whimsical.) They’ve both had successful careers in their own way! But they often repeat a pose or a theme, like multiple studies of the same fantastical photograph. Are the faeries of Amy Brown any less wonderful for standing in the EXACT SAME POSE that Michael Parks used? For occasionally occupying the same mysterious warm stone castle in the sky? Who did it first? Were they both looking at some classical painting I don’t know about? I’ve been reminded of a wonderful realization I had in college when studying the classical masters. Over and over we were shown paintings of the same theme: Bible fan art. Yes, I said it. Jesus as a baby, Jesus on the cross, Jesus performing miracles, Mary holding the crucified Jesus. Over and over and over. The bowl of fruit. The King. And often times we were told that one artist had painted while looking at another artist’s sculpture or fresco. They all used each other’s work as reference, and often created much more similar paintings than even Amy and Michael. We celebrate all of these artists, though. We don’t criticize them for “copying” or being unoriginal. They’re the masters, learning from the art and the world around them. I often get asked “Where do you come up with all these ideas?” at shows, as if I just sit in my room and then out of nowhere I suddenly envision a wizard frog striding off into the trees. Maybe somewhere out there are artists who work like this, but I have a confession: this has almost never been my process. I have nearly always started with looking at a painting that made me go WOW I WANT TO DO THAT. I would copy things my brother drew, the styles of other artists, from Lisa Frank to Stephanie Pui Mun Law. I wish I could be more spontaneous with my inspiration, but it’s often quite direct. This used to be something I shamed myself for. (Confession: I still do this.) I was not a “Real Artist” I was a fake, a copier. I was always stealing from someone else. Did it even come out a perfect copy? Of course not. It ended up with just a little bit of me in there, every time more and more, as I started pulling from more and more varied artists who I wanted to be like. And sometimes that’s just how it goes! That’s how, little by little, you become your own artist. I am a dash of Amy Brown and a heaping spoonful of Lulu Chen, mixed with hints of Brian Froud, Hayao Miyazaki, bits of many others, and something unnameable that might just be me. If you’d left me to sit in a blank room my whole life with no other art to look at, I probably wouldn’t be an artist. Maybe I’d draw swirls or stars, copy the landscape to the best of my ability, but nothing like the paintings I make today. I’ve had the benefit of some incredible teachers, the experience of seeing so much art that made me wonder if maybe I could do something like that too. My chronic perfectionism makes a lot of rules for me. I HAVE to do this and it HAS to be this way. There is so much beautiful, expansive permission in realizing that these rules are absolute hogwash. You absolutely CAN kind of copy something you love. Bring a bit of you to the table along with it and that’s how artists have been doing it for years. Knowing that Carravagio and Amy Brown did that too puts me in better company that I’d realized. If you’re feeling the need for a little jump start to your own creativity, take that as a sign of being human. Delight in it. And maybe check out some of these artists who have, over the years, shaped me into the artist I am today. I now follow over 1000 artists over various social media platforms, many of whom are absolutely awe inspiring in their talent. I could go on for days about artists like Taryn Knight, Laura Bifano, Anna Laura, Arthus Pilorget, Puuung, Josie Wren, it never ends, the talent in the world. I am always reaching to match them and to bring my own voice closer to the front. It’s a journey I’ll be on the rest of my life! AND SO. I hope that when you look at my art it is hauntingly familiar, and yet something entirely new! And on that note, I DO have something entirely new for you! We've seen a lot of other people's art in this newsletter. Here's what I made this month. This painting took many many hours, and it was so much fun. I actually drew the sketch for it in 2021, and was too intimidated to finish it! I knew to do it justice I wanted to paint it big (12x16 inches) and had a distinct lighting envisioned and that was scary until recently. But with a little time and a little practice... or a lot of time and a ton of practice... anything is possible!  I hope you leave feeling inspired and maybe a little more free. Let what speaks to you speak. Just copy the dang thing and enjoy the process.
Hoping you are well and warm (but not too warm, of course), Lara Jean
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 There is a wonderful much repeated quote from J R R Tolkien: “Fantasy is escapist, and that is its glory. If a soldier is imprisoned by the enemy, don’t we consider it his duty to escape? … If we value the freedom of mind and soul, if we’re partisans of liberty, then it is our plain duty to escape, and to take as many people with us we we can!” Sometimes real life can start to feel like the enemy. The difference between avoiding and resting is a truly subtle thing. We are just animals, barely different from trees. We need periods of rest, over and over in cycles that must be honored. These are the small cycles of hungry and full, awake and asleep, but also the larger cycles of productive, driven, focused, followed by rest, recovery, dreaming. Like winter and summer. Over and over. Escape can be avoidance, yes. It can consume and take over and make one incapable of leaving one’s head. But it can also be used as a much needed and much deserved rest. We all require and are allowed some escape, some rest, so we can return refreshed to the real world. Storytelling is such a beautiful middle ground between full escape, rest, and this subtle healing that can sneak in through identifying with the characters and seeing their struggles and their growth. The best fantasies have parallels to the real world. They teach us about the familiar by making it unfamiliar. We can dive into a place that seems just different enough to let us breathe while still showing us ways to interact with our world that are just a little bit kinder. With that in mind, let’s talk about books. I’ve been a long time lover of classic high fantasy, as is most likely evident from my art. But I’ve been proudly branching out into other genres over the past few years (it was about dang time) and I’m constantly amazed by the variety and originality and depth of stories there are to be found in the world. So many I have yet to discover! My To Read pile is always teetering taller and taller and I could not be happier. If you’re looking for a cozy read, I’ve got suggestions. Something edgy and unique and maybe a little gritty and dark? I have some ideas! Are you more of a practical reader, after some science and some self exploration? That’s my jam too. My tastes may not overlap with yours, but in case they do, I’ve collected some suggested reading. Now more than ever we all deserve to honor our cycles and bring in some restorative rest. Like curling up with a good book.  Without further ado, some lovely books you may enjoy:
(*Please note I have done my best to speel everyonys name coorectly but I might have mayde a few mystakesssss) Cozy Reads:
Cozy Graphic Novels:
Not So Cozy Excellent Fantasy:
Graphic Novels:
Self Exploration/Philosophy:
Children’s Books: If you want some very pretty art to look at, I’ve got you.
One final note, now is also an excellent time to put effort into supporting physical media. What do I mean by that? Make use of non-streaming services for consuming books, music, and movies and shows. This can be either with a library or by building your personal dragon hoard of shiny and beloved things. We are in an era fraught with the threat of media erasure, and the best way to protect things from being edited into oblivion or flat out burned is to make sure there are copies that exist in your own home, in your own hands, in libraries, in secret cupboards and locked chests and under floorboards if need be. And this is a really fun way to fight, is it not? Because of libraries, you don’t even have to spend money! Just using your library makes them more likely to stay open and able to provide free computer access, free college classes, free books, free movies, free music, free tutoring, free tax filing, etc. Yes, libraries really do all that and more. Are you more of an audiobook consumer? That’s not a problem. If you’re able, consider spending a day wandering the library, maybe get some ideas for future audio book rentals, and most importantly take books off the shelves and put them onto the put-backs cart. This seemingly annoying act actually helps libraries “numbers” and gives them proof they need funding. People are here! People are looking at books! Librarians are needed! You do also support them by using apps like Libby to rent audiobooks and movies and music! You can also consider, if financially able, joining the trend of acquiring trophies when you finish an audiobook you adored. Buy the most beautiful physical copy of the book and put it in a glass case to show off. When guests arrive, point to it like a tweed dressed British aristocrat who hunts for sport would point to the hapless giraffe in his entryway and say: “I listened to all 62 hours of this Brandon Sanderson novel, took me three whole days with no sleep to slay the beast, and I bet I could take out an intruder with that beautiful brick, what ho old chap. Anyone for tea?” Some studios have threatened to stop producing movies on disc altogether. This allows them to indefinitely charge you, month after month, to watch whatever they choose. And it creates an impassable paywall for anyone unable to afford streaming services. If there are not physical copies, they can’t be donated to a library for those less financially blessed to enjoy. Gross, right? And streaming services are constantly removing--and even modifying old movies to fit whatever narrative they wish to. But a hard copy in your home bypasses all this, and you can share it with friends! Watch it even when the internet is down! Skip the commercials! Oh, the old fashioned joy of it all. So please, in whatever way you are able, support physical media. For better or for worse, we currently live in a world where how we spend our money holds the most power. Choose to spend wisely, my friends. Buy yourself a book. With paper. Till next time, hoping you are well and warm and enjoying a good book, Lara Jean One of my friends featured me as an artist for her art classes, and so I wrote up some facts about myself for her. I've decided to expand on that list a little and share it here, in case any of you are curious about who I am and what I like and where I've been! (I reserve the right to change my mind about my favorites in the future lol)
A Bit About My Life:
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AuthorI'm Lara, illustrator and writer behind Lara Jean Doodles! Archives
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