For the past two years, we’ve been doing Secret Santa at our meltmedia holiday party. I love giving personalized gifts so I decided I’d create custom artwork for whoever I pick. This year, I picked Naomi. He and another coworker, Ben, are great friends who love each other and bicker like an old married couple. I thought it’d be funny to put the two of them in Grant Wood’s famous American Gothic. I think he really liked it and it reminded me that I need to paint more just for fun.

Japanese American Gothic, acrylic on canvas, 16" x 20"

I love trailers and this is about as perfect as it gets: beautiful animation, appropriately touching music, and a cast of characters that define generations. Nostalgia and Disney at their best.

We all have a list of our favorite Christmas movies: the kind that get us in the spirit and remind us of the magic we felt opening our gifts on Christmas morning. Here are my absolute favorites. Although I do love many classics not on this list (A Christmas Story, National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation, and A Charlie Brown Christmas, to name a few), these are the ones that really remind me of why I love the holiday. I grew up watching many of these every year and they bring back all the memories of my childhood Christmases. The holiday really snuck up on me this year, but I do plan on watching a few of these while wrapping up all the presents.

Venice is the kind of city from a storybook. Arriving there, it’s like stepping away from the real world and into a fantasy land where everyone is fashionable, the pasta is endless, and the streets are made of water. At the heart of the city is Piazza San Marco, a sprawling courtyard surrounded by stunning architecture and capped by the tremendously beautiful Basilica of San Marco. The piazza sits only feet from the mouth of the Grand Canal, guarded by two iconic columns. On any given day, Piazza San Marco is flooded: with tourists, pigeons, or a thin layer of water from an afternoon rain. It’s truly picturesque and must be seen in person.

“Every child is an artist. The problem is how to remain an artist once we grow up.”