I’m back with another interview, the second in my monthly Sips of Inspiration series.

Today I’m chatting with Melanie April Houten.

Melanie is a watercolor painter and teacher. We connected over Instagram quite a while ago and I always love seeing her posts.

If I had to choose one word to describe her art it would be “magical”.

Recently she’s been painting small pieces as part of a mail swap.

She’s been making the envelopes, too (you can see some of them on the left in the photo above).

Earlier this week she announced she’s completed 56 of these little paintings since March 19. Pretty amazing, no?

We recorded our interview back in February and I know a lot has changed in the world since then, but the struggles we talk about aren’t any less valid amidst the other struggles we’re all facing right now. And, if anything, the ability for us to connect over social media is even more amazing, and valuable, during times like this.

Ok, now for the interview! Make sure your tea or coffee is hot and then press play.

Be sure to connect with Melanie over on Instagram and go take a look at her website, too. (Melanie joined me for our chat in her living room because her backyard shed studio doesn’t get good internet/cell reception, so you might want to take a look at her studio tour).

As she mentioned, Melanie teaches online. Her most recent class is about painting crystals with watercolor. Looks like a lot of fun!

Oh, and if you want to catch Melanie’s Sketchbook Conversation, you can find it on my old blog here.

Thank you for reading and watching! Take good care.

The photos in this post are © Melanie April Art. Used with permission.