Settling into Spain: A New Studio, Summer Sketches, and What’s Next

It’s been a while since my last update—almost three months! Life has been full of changes, and I’m excited to finally sit down and share what’s been happening behind the scenes.

The big move

As many of you know, my family and I recently moved to Spain. The past few months have been intense—finding a place to live, enrolling the kids in school, unpacking what felt like endless boxes, validating our car in Europe… basically, it’s been a mountain of paperwork! On top of it all, I started a new job at the Thyssen-Bornemisza Museum in Madrid!

Things are starting to settle down now, and once the kids begin school in a couple of weeks, I think we’ll really feel grounded in our new routine.

Finding time (and space) to paint

With so much going on, painting had to take a bit of a back seat. But in our new home, I finally carved out a space just for art. I managed to bring some supplies in my suitcase, and the rest arrived a couple of weeks ago—so now I’m slowly organizing my new studio. Even though it’s been a quieter season for creating, I’m starting to feel that spark again. Having a dedicated space makes all the difference.

What’s next for my Shop

I’m still figuring out the next steps for my small art business, but for now my Etsy shop is open. I’m planning to add new art prints and products soon, and I’m finalizing the 2026 calendars!

One exciting update: I found a wonderful printer in Pennsylvania that specializes in giclée art prints. This means I can now offer larger print sizes—something I couldn’t do when I was printing at home.

One big change is that I’ve had to pause custom watercolor commissions for now. New tariffs have ended the exemption for packages under $800 sent from Europe, which means shipments face full customs duties. To make things more complicated, many postal services have suspended parcel shipments to the U.S. due to the lack of clarity around the process. I’m disappointed about this, since I love painting those special places for you, but I’ll keep you posted if anything changes.

Summer in Cantabria

After all these transitions, I’m writing this from Cantabria in the north of Spain, where we’re taking a little summer break. It’s absolutely beautiful here—mountains, beaches, and perfect summer weather.

I’ve finally been filling pages in my sketchbook again. One morning, I even woke up early to watch the sunrise from our hotel and painted the warm light spilling over the view.

Thank you for continuing to follow my art journey—now from Spain! I’ll be sharing more updates here on the blog as well as in my newsletter, and of course you can always find me over on Instagram for day-to-day sketches and studio moments.

Until next time,
Elena