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Summary: For my second plein air sketching journey, I went north to south from West Palm Beach to Deerfield Beach, exploring eight places along the coast and capturing each in soft pastels. Along the way, unexpected discoveries—from a historic tower and a “Flagler’s Paradise” sign to mirror-like water, changing light, and a curious iguana—reminded me that you never know what you'll find when you slow down and really look. These sketches became more than landscapes; they became timestamps of where I was, what I noticed, and how I felt. Plein air sketching has given me confidence, gotten me outside, and reminded me that so much beauty is hiding in our own backyard. Key Takeaways:
 Plein Air Sketching Journey, Part 2! Eight places, eight sketches, 50 minutes down the South Florida coast, hosted by Jackie Morreale Plein Air Sketching (Part 2): Palm Beach Landmarks and Learnings Transcript Written by Jackie Morreale What happens when you take your creativity and your sketchbook and start exploring your own backyard? For me, it's become one of my favorite ways to see the place where I live, which is Palm Beach County. For this second plein air sketching journey, I decided to go North to South, from West Palm Beach to Deerfield Beach. It's about fifty minutes along the coast. Eight places, eight sketches, and a lot of little moments that I never would have experienced if I hadn't stopped to look and draw. For this particular project, I was going for intercoastal views, fountains, historic landmarks, heavily inspired by this Plein Air sketch from part one in the series, of Worth Avenue Clock Tower that I just think turned out so awesome. So let's take the journey!  Morreale, J. (2026, August 24). Eataly Tower in CityPlace West Palm Beach, FL [Pastels on paper]. CityPlace, West Palm Beach, Florida We're starting in West Palm Beach at CityPlace. I really wanted to draw the fountain there in CityPlace. It's beautiful. It lights up at nighttime. But I showed up on a Monday morning and the fountain was turned off. So I couldn't draw what I had intended. That's one of the things that I love about plain air sketching: You never really know what'll be there until you get there. So instead of the ground, I looked up. I noticed this tower emerging into the sky from the building that used to be a theater that has now been transformed into the Eataly marketplace. That became the drawing. My eye had gone up because the fountain wasn't available to me. I'm really glad I did, because I ended up with a completely different picture than the one I came looking for.  Morreale, J. (2026, August 24). Flagler's House, view from West Palm Beach, FL [Pastels on paper]. Flagler's House, view from Clematis Street in West Palm Beach, Florida Heading over to Clematis Street. One of my favorite places is the little pier at the end of the street. You've got this incredible view of the backside of Flagler's House. There's also this enormous historic Kapok tree right next to the house. If you're lucky, you can see the Breakers in the distance. I happened to get that glimpse in this drawing. The Intercoastal, a beautiful sailboat anchored right in front of me, yachts everywhere. It was incredibly peaceful. No table, just me, my sketchpad, and my pastels. There's something about sitting in a place with that much history and just taking it all in. While I'm drawing, I'm thinking about all the people who have stood in that same place before me, looking with wonder out into the intercoastal view.  Morreale, J. (2026, September 3). Lakeside Sunrise in West Palm Beach, FL [Pastels on paper]. Okeeheelee Park, West Palm Beach, Florida Continuing south, we get to one of my favorite parks in West Palm Beach. There is this lake that I absolutely love. It's almost like a mirror most days. There's a little hill and trees on the other side, and the reflection in the lake makes it look like the landscape is repeating itself underneath the water. I called this one my lakeside sunrise. There were grasses coming out of the water. Green reflected everywhere. Everything felt incredibly serene. That's the other thing I've noticed about Plein Air sketching: You can go somewhere you've been a hundred times, but when you sit down and try to draw it, you see it completely differently.  Morreale, J. (2026, September 4). Boynton Beach Inlet, FL [Pastels on paper]. Boynton Beach Inlet, Boynton Beach, Florida Next stop is the Boynton Beach Inlet. What I love about the inlet is that you can see two completely different personalities of the water. Where the boats are coming through, the water is moving incredibly quickly. There's action, white caps, wind, movement. Then on the other side, where people swim and paddleboard the coral rocks, it's almost completely peaceful... until a boat comes through... then suddenly you get these waves. I wanted to capture some of that movement in the drawing. I kept the structure fairly simple. The inlet walls. Those little moments of movement that make this place what it is.  Morreale, J. (2026, September 4). Ocean Ridge beach park, FL [Pastels on paper]. Ocean Ridge Public Beach, Ocean Ridge, Florida About two miles farther south is Ocean Ridge Public Beach. There's a white fence all around the area, and this incredibly clean, white, sandy beach. I found a table close to the sand, although not quite close enough to really see the waves. But I had this beautiful view of the lifeguard hut, trees and calusias behind the fence. The light was just beautiful. White puffy clouds, the sun coming through the leaves. One of those things that I really liked was the wooden boardwalk that meets the fence. You don't see that everywhere here in Florida. It just had this really clean, peaceful, almost timeless feeling. So that's what I tried to capture. Not necessarily the whole beach, just this particular little view of it.  Morreale, J. (2026, August 21). Atlantic Avenue beach park in Delray Beach, FL [Pastels on paper]. Atlantic Avenue, Delray Beach, Florida Continuing south, we get to Delray Beach. Atlantic Avenue is one of my favorite places because there is always something happening. People running, people biking, people walking their dogs. Right across from the beach, there's a table where I can sit and look past the park to the street and the dune fence toward the ocean. That's what I decided to draw on that very hot August day. As I worked my way forward through the layers, I eventually got to this big Calusia tree and the wooden dune fence. Then I ran out of black. So I had to adapt. Instead of fighting it, I leaned into other colors. I used the greens and the browns and the highlights from the sunlight hitting the branches. I really like how it turned out, especially the pathway leading toward the beach. It feels like the drawing is inviting you to walk through it.  Morreale, J. (2026, August 21). Mizner Park, Boca Raton, FL [Pastels on paper]. Mizner Park, Boca Raton, Florida One of the most iconic places in this series is Mizner Park in Boca Raton. The fountain sits right in the center of the promenade. There's almost always somebody taking a selfie in front of it. There's a bench right about here where I was sitting, and the whole place is incredibly designed. The palm trees line up beautifully. The coral colors, the green and blue gazebos. Everything feels very South Florida. I sat down with my sketchbook and started drawing. I got to watch Mizner Park come alive while I was capturing it.  Morreale, J. (2026, August 25). Iguana in Deerfield Beach, FL [Pastels on paper]. Deerfield Beach, Florida Finally, we cross into Broward County and arrived in Deerfield Beach. I wanted to draw the Deerfield Beach Pier. It's iconic. But I couldn't find a good place to sit and draw it. So once again, I adapted. I went a little farther off the boardwalk toward where more of the locals hang out, work out, and found a table overlooking the water. There was some foliage framing the view. I sat down. I stayed there long enough, I suppose, for a very unexpected visitor to show up. This enormous Godzilla-looking lizard. My new favorite iguana. He just kept coming back. He'd look at me. I'd look at him. He'd run away. And then he'd come right back. Eventually he went directly into the foliage where I was drawing. And I thought, 'You're going into the picture.' This one might be my favorite of the whole series, because it captures the experience.  Plein Air Sketching Project Part 2, Eight pastel landscapes from West Palm Beach to Deerfield Beach, Florida, pastel on paper by Jackie Morreale, August - September 2026 Learnings So, what is going from CityPlace in West Palm Beach to Deerfield Beach taught me, eight drawings later? More confidence, more comfort drawing outside, and a supreme appreciation for my surroundings. Every place has given me an experience. Some unexpected interaction or something that catches my eye that I never would have noticed if I just drew from a reference and I hadn't sat down and tried to draw something outside. That makes me think about the bigger journey I've been on. A little over a year ago, I left a 20-year career in marketing to do my own thing. I started podcasting, interviewing people, and now I'm leaning more and more into my art, into creating things, into visual storytelling. And if you would have told me a year and a half ago, 'You're going to quit your job so you can go draw in parks...' I probably would have thought you were crazy. But now, I honestly don't know what else I could be doing that would make me happier.
Imagination Exercise There's a scene in Mary Poppins that I keep thinking about. Dick Van Dyke's chimney sweep character draws this fantastical scene in pastel, and suddenly, Mary Poppins, the children and he step right into it. They become part of the picture. Part of the story, and that is what plein air sketching feels like to me. It's the best possible imagination exercise. You go somewhere, you look around. And you try to capture it. And for that hour, you're completely enveloped in the beauty of the place that you're in.  Deerfield beach Pier, April 2026. Photo by Jackie Morreale. Conclusion These drawings aren't meant to be perfect representations. They're timestamps, a record of where I was, what I noticed, how I felt in that moment. One journey, a whole lot of beauty. Thanks for coming along.  My kids playing at the fountain in Mizner Park, Boca Raton, FL.
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What happens when your grandfather’s painted plates start falling off the wall? You keep drawing them. 😂 I’ve now recreated 12 of my grandpa’s acrylic original artworks in soft pastels (see Part 1 and Part 2 in the blog!), and along the way, his art has literally taken me places, from the Hillsboro Inlet Lighthouse to Juno Beach, West Palm Beach, and my first live online session.  Part 3: Re-creating Robert George Etienne's original acrylic painted plates in soft pastels, by Jackie Morreale Honoring Grandpa, Robert George Etienne, by Re-Creating his Art (Part 3): Going Places By Jackie Morreale (00:00) Hi there. My name is Jackie Morreale, and I'm the host of Wisdom for Wannabes. Apparently I have not finished recreating my grandpa's art. I really didn't expect to do a part two. I definitely didn't expect to do a part three. But here we are. Once again, happy 100th heavenly birthday to my grandpa, Robert George Etienne. I moved the installation of Grandpa's painted plates out of my podcast recording studio, to a more permanent location. As I was reinstalling this very tall six by nine-foot-ish installation, plates started falling. Every night, there would be another plate on the floor. Fortunately, they're plastic. First:
I started thinking: Maybe I'm using really cheap tape? Or maybe, I'm meant to keep going with this project?  Morreale, J. (2026, August) Hillsboro Inlet Lighthouse [Pastels on paper]. RE-CREATION 1: STRIPED LIGHTHOUSE The first piece that I created was this lighthouse. I decided to venture to Broward County, and find the Hillsborough Inlet Lighthouse. I found a park across the water with an incredible view, and this amazing two-tone lighthouse. Grandpa's lighthouse had a red and white striped pattern, but this actual lighthouse has this beautiful architectural structure, black in the upper portion and white below, with its cylindrical middle and these supports that come together toward the top. I had my ruler out because there were so many angles and structural lines. I spent more than an hour drawing it. The water on the park side was incredibly peaceful. People were snorkeling. There was beauty above the water and underneath it. It was just one of those perfect days. Then I went back to my car, there was a $45 parking ticket on the front windshield. Apparently there was an art tax for creating this particular drawing. The more you know.  Morreale, J. (2026, August) West Palm Beach Park with waterski lodge [Pastels on paper]. RE-CREATION 2: GAZEBO This second painting brought me back to a park in West Palm Beach that I really love. Grandpa's painting has this beautiful garden and gazebo surrounded by flowers and layers of foliage. I saw this elevated structure beside the lake where people watch waterskiing. I thought it looked reminiscent of this beautiful gazebo that he had done. It's not exactly the same scene as grandpa's. His is more, I think, fantastical, more spring-like. More ornate. Mine had a lake, reflections of palm trees, wildflowers growing right along the water, and layer upon layer of trees. I noticed something that I hadn't noticed or thought about before. The trees don't all look the same in this park, they all have different leaves, different shapes. The shadows were dancing across the path. Very different interpretation from grandpa's painting, but somehow I was able to find magic in both. I think that's one of the things I'm learning through this whole project. We don't have to recreate someone's world exactly. We can take what they loved and find it in our own.  Morreale, J. (2026, August) White Pelican [Pastels on paper]. RE-CREATION 3: PELICAN The third painting was a little bit scarier because I did it live. It was my first live drawing session as part of my new 'Wisdom Wednesdays' live series. Grandpa's Pelican painting is incredibly simple. It's basically a black background with a white pelican. beak and feet are this beautiful yellow-orange. That's almost it. But I found the contrast absolutely genius. The more I drew it, the more I appreciated it. The proportions of the wing, the belly, the head.The curve of the beak, the webbed feet, even the way the individual feathers were suggested on the wing. There was so much going on in such a simple composition. He didn't need a lot, he just needed the right things... and suddenly you have this incredibly striking image. I also think it's funny that I'm so drawn to animals. The same kind of visual simplicity. Maybe some things really do get passed down.  Morreale, J. (2026, August) Sheldon the Loggerhead Sea Turtle in Juno Beach [Pastels on paper]. RE-CREATION 4: SCUBA DIVER & TURTLE Finally, the turtle. This is especially fun because I had a reference of my own. Last year I had seen a loggerhead sea turtle at Loggerhead Marine Life Center. He would come right up to the window and greet people. When I was thinking about how to recreate grandpa's scuba diver and turtle painting, I thought, 'Why not just draw Sheldon?' I drove up to Juno Beach, and drew my own version of Grandpa's sea turtle painting. I had my little Loggerhead turtle stuffed animal with me. It was such a sweet experience. I talked with some of the volunteers. They told me how much they missed Sheldon. He had just gotten released last week! There were other beautiful sea turtles there too. What I really love about this place is that It's a rehabilitation facility. The goal is to care for those animals and then return them back to the ocean. Sitting there drawing a turtle that I've seen in this environment, that was released back into the ocean, made the whole thing feel very connected.  Morreale, J. (2026, August) West Palm Beach Park and Waterski Lodge closeup [Pastels on paper]. ART WILL TAKE YOU PLACES By this point, I started thinking: People say things to kids all the time, like: 'Your sport is going to take you places.' 'Your brains are going to take you places.' Grandpa's art has literally taken me places. This project has taken me to the Hillsboro Inlet Lighthouse. This project has taken me to Juno Beach. This project has also taken me live, completely out of my normal routine. It's gotten me into parks, onto beaches, and into my own imagination. I remembered something else: Grandpa used his art to take himself places, too. He spoke some German after serving in World War II. He would travel to Germany, Austria, and Switzerland. He would sit on a train and look out the window and paint. He told me what he would actually use to mix his paints... his own spit... which might sound disgusting, but also kind of hilarious. He was practical, adventurous, creative, a little quirky, and completely willing to make his own way through the world. So, Grandpa, thank you for leaving behind enough pieces of yourself for us to keep discovering you. Happy heavenly 100th birthday, for the third time. I'll see you when the next plate falls off the wall.  Jackie Morreale with White Pelican in soft pastels and Grandpa Robert George Etienne's original White Pelican acrylic painted plate.  Morreale, J. (2026, August) Sheldon the Loggerhead Sea Turtle in Juno Beach closeup [Pastels on paper]. On Plein Air Sketching Video Blog Transcript By Jackie Morreale PART I: DRAWING AL FRESCO What if your office was outside? What if instead of sitting at a desk, or sitting on the sidelines of an activity, you could simply draw whatever you see in front of you. That's what plein air sketching has become for me. What's funny is, I never set out to become a landscape artist. In fact, when I started doing this, I wasn't even in Palm Beach County. I was in Austria.  Jackie Morreale with her Austrian Alps sketch in soft pastel, June 2026 SKETCH 1: AUSTRIAN ALPS I was traveling through the Alps, away from my studio. I wanted to make something as a gift for family. I remember looking out at this incredible postcard-like view, the mountains, the folds of terrain, the grass, the trees. The light was disappearing, and it was getting darker and darker by the minute. I had until about nine o'clock before it was going to be pitch black. I remember thinking, 'I don't know how to draw landscapes.' 'It's been so long.' 'I'm probably not very good at this.' But all the stores were closed. It was a Sunday. It was family dinner. I wanted to leave my family with something unique, from me. I thought, 'You know what? I'm just going to draw what I see. No matter how good or bad it is.' That's really where this whole thing started. I stopped worrying about whether I was good at landscapes. I just started looking, layer by layer, top of the sheet to bottom, farthest away to closest to me.
Shapes that could be blocked by colors, where the natural lines are composed on the page. I cared about making something beautiful for the people that I love. Somewhere during that drawing, I realized maybe this way of making art actually works. Maybe I don't have to know exactly what I'm doing. Maybe I just have to pay attention. I've carried that lesson into every plein air sketch that I have done since. When I came back home to Palm Beach County, plein air sketching became something completely different. It became my favorite kind of office. I worked from home now for almost 10 years, and sometimes, I just need a change of scenery. With plein air sketching, my office is outside. I never know what I'm going to find when I get there. I always come home feeling better. Feels like art therapy.  Morreale, J. (2026, June) Sunlight through the Pine Trees [Pastels on paper]. SKETCH 2: LIGHT THROUGH THE PINE TREES The first plein air art sketch that I did back here in Palm Beach County happened while I was with my daughter, at swim practice. I was going to be sitting there for an hour and a half, so I thought, 'Why not take my pastels and my sketchpad and find something to draw?' I walked around the pool looking for a table and something interesting to draw. I found these palm trees, pine trees, and pine cones scattered across the ground next to a table. Nothing particularly extraordinary except for the light. There was this beautiful sunlight coming through the trees that just illuminated the entire scene. It almost felt divine. I sat down and I started drawing. I worked from the front to the back. This is why I love plein air sketching, because all of a sudden in Florida it could be raining when you start doing a speech outside. Let me take this inside... --- PART II: BACK IN THE STUDIO Inside. Out of the rain, talking about plein air sketching. Back to my story. I sat down and started drawing, layers of trees, the bark, the pine cones in the soft green grasses, and that beautiful light coming through everything. That's when I really started to understand something about plein air. You don't have to find an extraordinary place to make an extraordinary experience. You just have to look closely at an ordinary place, like some trees at a park next to a swimming pool.  Morreale, J. (2026, July) Mango Tree with Ripe Mangoes [Pastels on paper]. SKETCH 3: MANGO TREE We have this little mango tree that just started producing fruit. That in itself feels special. My daughter loves to cook. She loves making mango salsa. I wanted to capture the mangoes while they were ripe and ready to eat. I love drawing fruit because it gives your eyes something to focus on. I'll admit I did take one of the mangoes and put it on the ground, because I wanted the painting to communicate: They're ready to pick, they're ready to eat. Of course, after I drew them, we harvested them and made mango salsa. That drawing became part of an actual family experience. Literally tree to table. That's another thing I love about plein air sketching. The drawing isn't just the finished piece, it's the memory attached to it. While I was drawing, ducks came swimming over, my dog was sitting next to me. Family was all around. Suddenly this little mango tree became an entire story, an entire experience.  Morreale, J. (2026, July) Everglades with water lilies and butterflies [Pastels on paper]. SKETCH 4: EVERGLADES Let's talk about the Everglades. This one was hot. There are some days in Florida where you step outside and there is absolutely no breeze. This was one of those days. I found this swampy grassland area with a little boardwalk bridge and a bench next to it and just started looking. The more I looked, the more I saw. Layers upon layers of grasses, different colors and kinds of trees, different shades of green throughout. Then the water lilies right there on the surface, white water lilies. And butterflies, these tiny orange butterflies, everywhere right next to my feet. I probably wouldn't have noticed all those things if I hadn't been sitting there trying to draw the landscape. That is one of my favorite things about making plein air art. It forces you to pay attention. The landscape didn't necessarily change. I changed because I was looking at it differently with the intention of capturing the beauty of it.  Morreale, J. (2026, July) Jupiter Lighthouse [Pastels on paper]. SKETCH 5: JUPITER LIGHTHOUSE I wanted to draw an iconic Florida landmark, the Jupiter Lighthouse. This is one of my favorite places in Palm Beach County. As I sat down to draw that lighthouse, I had one thought running through my head: 'Don't mess it up!' because this time the focal point is super obvious. The lighthouse is rising right out of the trees and bushes. There were boats in the water too. Boats are interesting because they don't wait for you to draw them. You really have to look, and you have to draw quickly. Nature doesn't pause for you while you're drawing it.  Morreale, J. (2026, July) Worth Avenue Clock Tower [Pastels on paper]. SKETCH 6: WORTH AVENUE CLOCK TOWER, PALM BEACH Then it came to another iconic Palm Beach landmark, the Worth Avenue Clock Tower. I went early because this is one of those places where there's almost always somebody taking pictures. Graduations, tourists, families, people just trying to capture this beautiful view that is the Worth Avenue Clock Tower. The ocean behind the clock tower looks like a postcard. I sat down next to the clock tower with my sketchpad on my lap and started working. Again, 'Don't mess this up!' because everybody knows what this landmark looks like. I focused on the light reflecting off the architecture, the foliage around the tower. While I was drawing, people started stopping. Stopped to look. Asked what I was drawing. That's one of the unexpected gifts of drawing in public. You think you're going to sit alone and quickly and quietly make art, but people become part of the experience.  Morreale, J. (2026, July) Lake Worth Beach by the Pier [Pastels on paper]. SKETCH 7: LAKE WORTH PIER Then there's Lake Worth Pier and Beach. There's always something happening. I couldn't find a place to sit except under a covered area next to a group. I thought, 'Okay, This is where I'm drawing today.' What happened next was so much fun. Even though I had my headphones on and my head very much down, almost everyone in the group came over to talk to me. They wanted to see what I was doing, they wanted to see what I was making. They told me about family members who were artists. They asked me questions. Suddenly, this very quiet, antisocial activity of drawing became incredibly social. It's probably not the most detailed drawing that I've ever done, but that's okay because that really wasn't the point. The point was the experience.  Morreale, J. (2026, July 18) Boynton Beach Everglades with Bird [Pastels on paper]. Part III: ON PLEIN AIR SKETCHING After doing all of these plein air sketches, I realized that I am not trying to make photographs. I don't want my drawings to look exactly like the scene in front of me. They're more like time stamps. Just like my blog posts, just like my interviews, they are a record of that particular moment in time or my interpretation of it. Where I was, what I saw, what caught my attention. Maybe most importantly how I felt in that moment. That is what makes each drawing different. The Everglades drawing isn't just the Everglades. It's butterflies and water lilies. The mango tree isn't just the mango tree. It's my daughter's mango salsa. The lighthouse isn't just a lighthouse. It's a place my family loves. This Worth Avenue clock tower isn't just a clock tower. It's runners, it's workers, and it's people taking pictures. There's another lesson in all of this. I've been sharing my artwork publicly and that has been its own exercise in bravery. For a long time I worried, 'What if people look over my shoulder?' 'What if they don't think I'm good enough?' But the funny thing is, people do not seem to care about whether or not it's perfect. In my experience, they just want to see what you're making. They want to tell you about their own artists and the places that they love. And sometimes they just say, 'That's beautiful.' Because the whole experience is pretty beautiful.  Morreale, J. (2026, July 5) Lake Worth Bryant Park intercoastal view with tropical dart frog, inspired by Grandpa's original acrylic art [Pastels on paper]. ART CHALLENGE: So if you have ever said, 'Somebody I know likes to draw.' Or maybe you've thought, 'I'd love to try that.' Here is my challenge: Next time you go somewhere beautiful or even somewhere completely ordinary, take a pencil, take some crayons, or that old camera, or even an app on your phone that lets you draw. Just draw what you see. You don't have to be good. You don't even have to finish. And you don't have to show it to anybody. I drew for a very long time without showing it to anybody. Just look, really look. It gets you out of your own head. It gets you outside. Most importantly, it gets you to notice the beauty that is around you. That is what plein air sketching has done for me. It started in the Alps, because I needed to make a family gift, and somehow it became one of my favorite things to do. So now my office is outside. I never know what I'm going to see. I never know who I'm going to meet. I never know what little detail is going to catch my eye. Maybe even the beauty of rain. I can't think of a better day at the office. I'm Jackie Morreale, host of Wisdom for Wannabes. This is not only wisdom that I have learned, but this is my little love letter to plein air sketching. Thank you for coming along. Can't wait to see what you make.
Celebrating the Life and Art of Robert George Etienne with his Creativity, Re-Imagined (Part 2)8/17/2026 For my grandfather Robert George Etienne's 100th heavenly birthday, I began recreating his original acrylic paintings on decorative plates using my own medium: soft pastels. After completing Part 1, I realized our family had almost 100 more of Grandpa's painted plates to choose from. So I asked my family to pick some of their favorites, and created four more. But this time, I took his artwork outdoors. Each recreation became a plein air conversation between Grandpa's imagination and mine. Through recreating his work, I've learned more about my grandfather not only as an artist, but as someone who knew how to see. I've learned about composition, color, observation, and most importantly, imagination. We don't have to create the same way. We can take what someone gave us and make it our own. Love you, Grandpa. ❤️ After all these years, you're still teaching me how to stretch my imagination. 🎨 Original artwork: Robert George Etienne 🖍️ Pastel recreations: Jackie Morreale Transcript By Jackie Morreale Hi there, my name is Jackie Morreale, and I am the host of Wisdom for Wannabes. I've completed part two of my art honoring project for my grandfather, Robert George Etienne. For his 100th heavenly birthday, I recreated four of his original acrylic paintings using soft pastels. Then I realized I had almost a hundred more. I asked my family to pick our favorites from among the plates that you see behind came up with four more drawings, all of which were drawn plein air art style.
1: TROPICAL FROG This first piece in part two started with a tropical dart frog. Grandpa focused on this little frog sitting on a leaf. I was sitting outside looking at a completely different kind of scene. I was drawing a beautiful view of the intercoastal in Palm Beach County, Lake Worth, surrounded by trees, grass, reflections, and all the layers of green that you find in a Florida landscape. I decided to put grandpa's frog into the landscape, beneath a palm tree. A little piece of grandpa hiding right there inside of the picture. It made me think about how differently we see things. Grandpa could take an idea, a frog, on a leaf, and create an entire world around it. So I took his idea and put it into mine, and I kind of love the result.
2: CHERUBS The second painting was one of my favorites because it's so different from everything else in grandpa's collection. It feels celestial, spiritual, almost otherworldly. Two hearts connected by this flowing white ribbon or piece of fabric that seems to move behind them almost like a parachute. The background is filled with sparkling blues, reds, whites, and stars, and with this dark area in the center of the ribbon. My kids called it the black hole picture. Honestly, I love that interpretation too. This painting pushed me somewhere completely different. I had to imagine figures that weren't really there, other than in his reference. This one was much more loose, much more intuitive. I was letting myself wonder. And that was really fun.
3: LAKE & BIRDS The third painting brought me back to something Grandpa loved to paint again and again: water. His original artwork shows what appears to be a seascape with seagulls perched on dark rocks, greenery, blue water, and a beautiful blue sky. I went to one of my favorite lakes. I've been seeing this huge flock of Egyptian geese sitting there along the water, soaking up the sun. So I drew the lake. I drew the reflections of the trees. And instead of grandpa's seagulls on rocks, I added the Egyptian geese. I realized, we can take what they loved and find it in our own.
4: THE BEACH Then came the one I knew I had to do: the beach. Jupiter Beach is one of my favorite beaches. You walk through this little path that almost feels like jungle before arriving to the sand. Then suddenly you reach the beach. It's just you, the water, and the sky. It reminded me immediately of Grandpa. I love the simplicity of this one. Blue sky, blue water, clouds reflected almost perfectly on the surface, and a sandy beach. This incredible sense of peace. I quickly realized that water is hard to draw. For about 20 minutes, I watched the water change. At first, it was this beautiful tropical green reflecting the sky. Then it became deeper blue. A pelican flew by. My phone was so hot it couldn't even record the drawing. It was ninety-six degrees F. I was covered in pastel dust. So when I finished the drawing, I did the only reasonable thing I could think of: I hopped into the water. I literally took a dip in whatever I was wearing, covered in pastel, and it was beautiful. The water was so clear, so calm. I floated there and looked up at the sky. Everything was completely still. Just water, sky, and the sound of the waves. I wouldn't trade that morning for anything.  IMAGINATION EXERCISE
Let's take an imagination journey through grandpa's art. Imagine you're walking through a tropical landscape. You see small creatures hiding beneath palm trees. Just stop and notice them. Then look up. The trees begin to open into a beautiful celestial sky. The sky stretches endlessly above you. The water is almost perfectly still. You walk into the ocean. You submerge yourself and you float. Look up. The sky is above you. The water is beneath you. There's nothing else. You hear the waves. Maybe you hear the shells gently tapping against one another as the water moves them across the sand. Somewhere in that moment you feel connected to someone you whose influence is still with you. CLOSING That's what this project has given me. A way to pause, a way to remember, a way to feel connected across time. My grandfather, Robert George Etienne, passed away in 2024, two years ago, but his creativity... It lives on in the paintings he left behind. I've learned so much from recreating his work; about composition, color, observation, and most importantly, imagination. That's the beauty of creativity. We don't have to create the same way. We can take what someone gave us and make it our own. So, Grandpa, thank you. Thank you for the inspiration. After all these years, you're still teaching me how to stretch my imagination. Love you, grandpa. Thank you. More Than a Tribute: Learning to See Through My Grandpa's Eyes When I began recreating my grandfather Robert George Etienne's paintings, I thought I was simply honoring his memory. Instead, I discovered something much deeper. Each pastel drawing became an opportunity to slow down and notice the thoughtful choices he made as an artist—the play of light on a kitchen pot, the delicate blues of summer hydrangeas, the warmth of a fresh-picked peach, and the vibrant colors of a simple bouquet. Along the way, I realized that the greatest inheritance he left me wasn't his traveling easel, his oil paints, or even his artwork. It was the ability to find beauty in ordinary moments. This video is an invitation to remember someone who shaped the way you see the world and to reflect on the creative legacy that lives on through each of us. Happy heavenly 100th birthday, Grandpa. 🎨 Original painted artwork by Robert George Etienne 🖍️ Soft pastel recreations by Jackie Morreale 🌐 View Robert George Etienne's tribute art gallery.  82 acrylic paintings by my grandfather, Robert George Etienne, and 4 re-creations in pastel Remembering Robert George Etienne Through his Art By Jackie Morreale Every artist leaves something behind. Sometimes it is displayed in galleries, sometimes it hangs on the walls of a family home, and sometimes it lives through the hands of someone they inspired. My name is Jackie Morreale, and I'm the host of Wisdom for Wannabes. This is the story of my grandfather, Robert George Etienne, through his art. This past Thursday, we celebrated his heavenly hundredth birthday. Many people knew him as a World War II veteran who earned a purple heart, a husband, and a father of eight children. But to me, he was Grandpa, and Grandpa was an artist. Grandpa had a gift for finding beauty in everyday moments. He painted peaceful seascapes, flowers, fruit, simple scenes from didn't need grand subjects. He saw beauty in the ordinary. Before he passed away in 2024, Grandpa gave me his travelling easel and oil paints. After his passing, my grandmother, Mary Etienne, shared part of his painted plate collection with me. Those paintings became a connection to the artist that he was. To honor Grandpa for his heavenly hundredth birthday, I decided to recreate four of his original acrylic paintings on plates in my own medium, soft pastels on paper. They are not exact copies, they are conversations across generations.
1: RED BOUQUET The first one is drawing grandpa's red flower bouquet. Before I even started, a gust of wind knocked over the heavy Lenox glass pitcher I was using to hold the flowers. It shattered across the wooden floor. After cleaning up the glass, I ended up cutting my left hand. So yes, I literally bled for Grandpa's bouquet. It isn't my favorite flower drawing but I love it because sitting there recreating grandpa's work, it felt like he was with me. It became another special memory.
2: BLUE HYDRANGEA The second drawing that I attempted to recreate was Grandpa's Blue Hydrangeas. Growing up in Long Island, New York, I remember seeing these beautiful flowers everywhere during the warmer months. Grandpa's painting immediately transported me back there. Simple joy of noticing something beautiful.
3: HIERLOOM TOMATOES Drawing Grandpa's heirloom tomatoes. This painting was the one that made me appreciate Grandpa not only as my grandfather but as a true artist and creative genius. Grandpa grew heirloom tomatoes in his own backyard. He loved gardening, and I remember him always making tomato soup. Those memories are so him, but when I created this painting, I discovered something deeper. I suddenly saw the artist behind the image. The painting is simple, quiet, almost understated. But the more I looked, the more I noticed. The way the tomato reflected off the pot, the shape of the handle, the strong perpendicular lines between the wood grain and the way the light created depth and balance. What looked like a simple painting of a tomato was actually a lesson in composition, observation, and restraint. After all these years, he's still teaching me how to see.
4: PEACHES Part 4, drawing grandpa's peaches. Peaches and nectarines are my absolute favorite food to eat, which makes this painting especially meaningful. There's something magical about a fresh picked peach. The soft texture, the sweet smell, the first bite filled with summer. As the warm oranges and golden colors, I wasn't just drawing fruit. I was remembering: imagining the taste, the smell, and the feeling of those moments again. That is the gift of art. It allows us to revisit the people and places we love, no matter where they are.  Robert George Etienne original acrylic art next to Jackie Morreale's re-creations in pastel on paper IMAGINATION EXERCISE: As you look at these paintings, I invite you to imagine stepping into one of grandpa's scenes. Imagine walking through a summer garden filled with blue hydrangeas. Feel the warm breeze. Notice the colors. Imagine reaching for a peach fresh from the tree, feeling its soft skin and tasting the sweetness of summer. Taking in the beauty of something simple. --- IN LOVING MEMORY: This is what grandpa's art gave me: a way to pause, a way to remember, and a way to feel connected across time. My grandfather's paintings remind me that creativity is one of the greatest gifts that we can pass down. An artist's life does not end when they are gone. Their vision continues through the people they inspire. Every time I pick up my pastels, I think about my grandpa. His easel, an actual palette, his paintings. His way of noticing natural beauty. And now his art continues through mine. Happy heavenly 100th birthday, Grandpa! Thank you for your service. Thank you for your creativity. Thank you for teaching me to see the world a little bit differently.
Little Puppy, Big Heart: The Story Behind Yin-Yang the Brave, Children's Book by Jackie Morreale6/4/2026
Worldwide Book Tour, Yin-Yang the Brave
Video Transcript Jackie Morreale My name is Jackie Morreale, and I am the host of Wisdom for Wannabes, the podcast that seeks wise words in business, beauty and betterment. I am joined by two of my favorite people, my co-illustrator on Princess Tessa & Luc the Duke: The Furry Christmas Miracle, Natalia Morreale, who is also my daughter, my very talented daughter, and our fur-baby, Lily Morreale. Natalia Morreale That's me! (in her doggie voice) Jackie Morreale AKA Yin-Yang the Brave. We are very excited to share my sixth story for children, which is a brand-new series called 'Voices in Wonder.' This is a story inspired by our real life Bichonpoo puppy. Natalia Morreale 'It's me, guys.' Jackie Morreale Lily and an old box of pastels that turned into this wall of illustrations behind us. Natalia, will you help me read through this story so that our listeners can hear what it's all about? Natalia Morreale Yes. Jackie Morreale Okay. It is called, Yin-Yang the Brave: A Puppy's Tale of Finding Home, by Jackie Morreale. This is book one in the Voices in Wonder series. Dedication page. This and every book that I have and will ever write is dedicated to my family, who inspire me every single day, and our fur-baby Lily. Natalia Morreale 'It's me.' Jackie Morreale To Morena Mollina for your many words of encouragement. To Gary Fails for your thoughtfulness, creativity, and keen eye for editing. To Keith Gamache for decades of art education and inspiration. 'To make good art,' he says, 'you have to think, look, and care.' Thank you for that. To dog lovers from all over the world who know that providing a 'fur'-ever home, no matter how much yin there is to their yang, comes back to you tenfold in love. Shall we start? Natalia Morreale Yes. Jackie Morreale Page 1: Her day begins like any other. Small, quiet, waiting. The puppy watches the world from her window. Natalia Morreale Page 2: White paper covers the floor. Other puppies sleep, jump, play, or pout. But this puppy is the smallest one of them. Jackie Morreale Page 3: Every day, she waits. Hoping someone will choose her. Maybe today will be the day. Natalia Morreale Page 4: A little boy walks up to the glass. His smile is bright, his eyes are warm. He looks at the tiny puppy, curious. Jackie Morreale Page 5: Then a little girl arrives. She presses her fingers to the glass. The puppy lifts her tiny paws. Natalia Morreale Page 6: Pick me. Pick me. PICK ME! Her whole body wiggles with hope. Her paw reveal her purpose. Jackie Morreale Page 7: A woman lifts the puppy into a small pen. The girl skips closer. The boy follows. He, like the puppy, is quiet and cautious at first. Natalia Morreale Page 8: Then the puppy explores the pen, especially the shoelaces. They're perfect for tugging! Jackie Morreale Page 9: The boy jumps back. The puppy tugs harder. 'Oh!' the girl laughs, gently lifting her away. Natalia Morreale Page 10: A black box appears. 'Say cheese!' says the mom. The puppy panics, squirms in the girl's arms, and howls. Yip yip! She's taken away. Jackie Morreale Page 11: Then the fun is over. The girl waves goodbye. The puppy is back in her window. Natalia Morreale Page 12: The room grows quiet. The tiny puppy rests her head. She dreams of love. Jackie Morreale Page 13: Time passes. The sun moves slowly across the sky. The puppy curls up and closes her eyes. Natalia Morreale Page 14: A tiny bell jingles. Jackie Morreale Page 15: They're back! The girl, the boy. Fingers meet paws on the glass again. Natalia Morreale Page 16: Pick me, Pick me! Puppy-please! This time, the puppy rolls over. She shows her belly, full of trust. Jackie Morreale Page 17: 'Let's call her Yin-yang,' says the girl. 'Yinny for short,' says the boy. 'Because she's silly and sweet,' laughs the dad. Natalia Morreale Page 18: Yin-yang. Like day and night. Cocoa and cream. A perfect balance. Jackie Morreale Page 19: Yinny goes home. She has a name. A family. Natalia Morreale Page 20: A heart full of love. But learning a new world… takes time. Jackie Morreale Page 21: Yinny slips through the fence. Adventure calls! She dashes into neighbors' yards. Natalia Morreale Page 22: When her family runs after her, she thinks it's a game. Catch me if you can! Jackie Morreale Page 23: She chases frogs by the lake. She barks at big dogs on walks. She rolls at things that smell… very, very bad. Natalia Morreale Can we stop real quick? Yes. I just wanted to say, this is my favorite page. Jackie Morreale This one? Aw. Natalia Morreale Page 24: Yinny is having the best time. But her family feels frustrated. Out of balance. Jackie Morreale Page 25: Inside, she begs for food. She leaves little puddles where she shouldn't. Natalia Morreale Page 26: She nips while Dad tries to brush her teeth. At night, her tiny paws scratch as her special girl dreams. Jackie Morreale Page 27: 'Oh no,' says Dad. The girl's eyes filled with tears. The mom sighs softly. The boy hides. (Continued below)  Natalia Morreale and Jackie Morreale introduce the new Yin-Yang the Brave book for children (clip at 9 minutes 45 seconds). Natalia Morreale Why does he hide? Jackie Morreale Because he's afraid and he's sad. Natalia Morreale Of Yinny? Jackie Morreale Yeah. She's sorry, look at those eyes. This is my favorite. These are the puppy-dog eyes, my favorite. Natalia Morreale Page 28: Yinny sits still. She wants to behave. She just doesn't know how. Not yet. Jackie Morreale Page 29: Yinny is learning. Her girl teaches her to sit. Her dad teaches her to stay. Natalia Morreale Page 30: Her mom teaches her to come. Her boy teaches her to fetch. It's not instant. It is not perfect. Jackie Morreale Page 31: Sometimes she wiggles. Sometimes she forgets. But little by little... Natalia Morreale Page 32: They understand each other. The family is learning to speak Yinny. Yinny is learning her place in the family. Jackie Morreale Page 33: One day, Yinny hears it. Tiny footsteps. Rustling in the yard. Natalia Morreale Page 34: She pauses. Stay. She remembers. Her body stills… but her ears listen. Jackie Morreale Page 35: Then – Bark. Bark. BARK! She runs to the yard, focused and sure. Natalia Morreale Page 36: 'Blank' scatters across the yard… Jackie Morreale What do you think is there? What did she find? Natalia Morreale Well, if you want, you can buy the book. You can find it on Amazon. Jackie Morreale I want to skip to the end of the exciting story of Yin-Yang the Brave. I'd love to share a little bit about the real-life dog who inspired the Yinny character in the story. Natalia Morreale It's me, guys, I'm right here. It's nice meeting you, by the way. (in a doggie voice) Jackie Morreale Yes, this is our real-life doggie Lily. What kind of breed is she? Natalia Morreale She's a Bichonpoo, a mix of a Bichon Frise and a Toy Poodle. Jackie Morreale Yes. Not all Bichonpoos look the same. Some are white, tan, black, black, apricot, gray. She is a perfect blend of white and black, and curly all over. Yinny may weigh less than ten pounds, but her personality feels much bigger! She loves to play. Natalia Morreale I love playing. Jackie Morreale She loves to 'chat' and spend time with people. She's happiest curled up in someone's lap or exploring outside. Natalia Morreale I love outside. Jackie Morreale What's one of her funniest talents? Natalia Morreale I heard that Bichon Frises could be dogs in the circus. She could stand on her back two legs and hop around. Jackie Morreale Yes, while she's hoping for table food. Natalia Morreale She knows how to get up. She can spin sometimes, while she's on her hind leg, she can spin. Jackie Morreale Yes, she's very talented. This book was made with so much love and inspired by our own family's adventures with our dog. However, it is not a dog training guide. This story is shaped by observation, imagination, and and everyday moments with our very expressive little Bichonpoo. Let's talk about the meaning of yin-yang. In many cultures, yin and yang represent how opposites work together - yin being the dark, yang being the light. Dark and light, loud and quiet. Playful, calm. Independent, together. At first, Yinny is curious, barky, and sometimes even chaotic, but she's also very loving, gentle, and deeply connected to her family. The look and find. The bonus is how many Yin-yang symbols are there in the book? From cover to cover. Check paws, collars, and clouds. You'll also have to see if the rendering of Lily's real-life paw, used in a story to look like a yin-yang, does look like a yin-yang. I want to talk to all my young artists out there. I believe that every single one of us is an artist on the inside, one way or another. To prove it, I want to share how Yin-Yang the Brave came to life in the art that you see behind. These are the actual pages in the book. I've had the same box of pastels in my possession, these soft pastels... Since about high school? Yes, so 20 years. They were very well-loved back in that day, but sat unused. Then, a year ago, I decided to make a small change: Drawing for five minutes a day. That old box of pastels, mostly broken, tiny itty bitty little pieces of my favorite colors, found its way back into my hands and became the pages that you see behind me. I found inspiration in animals almost every day, and many days it was Lily. Our Miss Yinny over here was finding her own voice in the story, so was I, as a storyteller, as an author, as a podcast host for this show, Wisdom for Wannabes, in the past year. And it all started with sketching ideas daily with these old beat-up soft pastels. We end the book with a creative challenge. If you had to come up with your favorite animal, and come up with some way, some superpower, a way in which they save the day, what would it be? Natalia Morreale This is hard because my favorite animal is a seahorse. Jackie Morreale Hmm. Seahorses are tiny but mighty, just like someone else that I know. Natalia Morreale Seahorses don't have arms. They have a tail. The tail could wrap around, helping stuff hold on tight. If I had to write a book... Everyone doubted the seahorse, saying it's not strong. Then, there was a big, big wave and everyone was going to wipe out. The seahorse grabs on to everyone and also grabs on to the thing and saves them! Together, they make a chain! Jackie Morreale Oh, my goodness, you just wrote the next book in this series. The Brave Little Seahorse that Chains Together. So excited. Thank you so much for reading this new book for the Voices in Wonder series. What do you think young readers will love most? Natalia Morreale The fact that it's a dog. Jackie Morreale The fact that it's a dog. Do you think they should read it with their favorite stuffed animal or pet? Natalia Morreale Yeah. If you have a fish, don't take your fish out of the tank. Jackie Morreale True! Thank you so much for your time. Can't wait to hear your feedback on my new book, Yin-Yang the Brave, A Puppy's Tale of Finding Home. Have a great day! Give your doggie a hug.  Jackie Morreale with her illustrations for her newest children's book, Yin-Yang the Brave: A Puppy's Tale of Finding Home. Wisdom for Wannabes host Jackie Morreale explores the essence of authentic creation, emphasizing the importance of honesty, emotion, and releasing the need for approval. Through personal stories and reflective prompts, she guides listeners to reconnect with their inner creative process and embrace vulnerability. Topics: • The difference between performing and creating • Creating from emotion and truth • Letting go of external validation • The process of painting her grandmother as a metaphor for authenticity • The importance of presence and connection in creation Takeaways: • Creating is about making something honest, not perfect. • Releasing the need for approval opens up true creativity. • Creating is a process of internal exploration and emotional expression. • Letting go of control and expectations fosters authenticity. • The act of creation is a form of release and self-discovery. Quotes: • "The goal isn't perfection, it's truth." • "I was trying to paint a feeling." • "Imagine that feeling has a shape or a color." Chapters: 1 - The Question of Value in Creation (00:00) 2 - The Journey of Authentic Creation (00:29) 3 - Painting as a Means of Connection (01:21) 4 - Creating Beyond Approval (03:06) 5 - Imagination Exercise for Art (03:45) 6 - The Freedom to Create (05:08)  Jackie Morreale and her family at the Cornell Art Museum in Delray Beach, Florida, during April 2026, celebrating Jackie's birthday over art and family! Transcript, On Art Creation: What Makes Art 'Good', and Who Decides? Spoken and written by Jackie Morreale 1 - The Question of Value in Creation (00:00) Is what I've created good? In whose eyes? Because that question almost stopped me from creating anything at all. My name is Jackie Morreale, and I am the host of Wisdom for Wannabes, the podcast that seeks wise words in business, beauty and betterment. I've spent years creating and almost immediately questioning it, second guessing it, how it would be received. And the truth is, if you're creating in that lens, you're not creating at all. You're performing. That's the moment I decided to cut the cord. 2 - The Journey of Authentic Creation (00:29) Earlier today I found myself driving through the rain a recording session here in West Palm Beach, my first time recording in a studio outside of my own home. I didn't have a script, I didn't have a plan. I just had this quiet hope that something meaningful would come out of this space if I showed up and let it. Because that's what creating has started to feel like to me. It's not about certainty, not about control. Just willingness. Creating something has nothing to do with impressing anyone. It's just taking something internal and making it visible. An emotion becomes a color. A thought becomes a sentence. A feeling becomes a brushstroke. For me, it always starts with the emotion. Instead of trying to fix it, I try to use it. Because the goal isn't perfection, the goal is truth. 3 - Painting as a Means of Connection (01:21) A few nights ago, that idea became real in a way I didn't expect. It was Easter. I was home alone. After thinking about it all day, I finally sat down to paint my grandmother, who passed away a couple of months ago at the young age of 99 years old. No sketch, no plan, just a blank canvas and a feeling. I didn't want to make her look younger. I wanted to make her look like she lived a wonderful life. Every line on her face meant something. But the most important part was her eyes. Because without the eyes, it's nothing. In the photo I was painting from, she was smiling, but she had just lost her husband of over 70 years. Her expression held everything on her face. Joy, because her family was around her, but also grief, longing. I wasn't painting a face. I was trying to paint a feeling. At first, a few times I painted her eyes, but they weren't right. They felt flat; not her. I caught myself doing something I didn't expect. I started talking to her. 'Grandma, help me get your eyes right.' I kept going, layer by layer. Adjusting the color, trying to find that exact shade, greenish blue, or bluish green, depending on the light of that day. Trying to make them feel alive. At one point, my dog, started barking in the other room. No one else was home. She just kept barking at the same spot. For a second, I stopped... because it felt like something, like a connection. Maybe she was there. Maybe she wasn't. But in that moment, it didn't matter because I wasn't painting anymore. I was with her. Creating something, really creating, doesn't feel clean or controlled. It feels uncertain; perhaps unfinished. It feels like starting without knowing where it's going. Feels like frustration. Then a small breakthrough. For me, it was in getting the eyes. Feels like listening more than actually doing. Like letting something move through you instead of forcing it into place. 4 - Creating Beyond Approval (03:06) More than anything, it requires freedom. Because the second I think about what someone else might think about what I'm creating, I freeze. I hesitate. I hold back. When I let that go, and release it, everything opens up. I'm not creating for approval; I'm creating to feel something. To process to remember something. And that's enough. Maybe creating isn't about making something beautiful. Maybe it's about making something honest. Maybe it's not even about the finished product. Maybe it's about what happens inside of you while you're making it. Because sometimes what you're really creating isn't a painting or a story. You're creating closure, connection, understanding. or a release. Just giving something inside of you a place to exist. 5 - Imagination Exercise for Art (03:45) If you're still here, I want to I invite you to try something with me. Close your eyes. Take a deep breath in. Slowly let it go. Imagine you're sitting in front of a blank space, a blank canvas, a blank page, an empty room. There's nothing there yet. No expectations, no pressure, no one watching, just space. Don't try to change it, just notice it. Imagine that feeling has a shape or a color. What does it look like? Is it soft or sharp? Bright or muted? Still or moving? Now gently place that feeling into the space in front of you. Let it take form. There's no right way to do this. You're not creating for anyone else. You're just creating for yourself. Now imagine a cord, a cord that connects you to other people's opinions, expectations, or what you imagine to be judgments. See it clearly, and now gently disconnect it. Let it drift away. You don't need it here. 6 - The Freedom to Create (05:08) Now return to what you're doing. Notice how it feels now. More open, and free. Let your hands move, let your mind wander, let something new begin to form. And when you're ready, slowly come back. I'm still learning what it means to create, but I do know this: The more I let go of what other people think, the more honest my work becomes. Maybe that's the point. You're free. Go have a beautiful day.  Jackie Morreale with her painting of Grandmother Mary, work in progress. Click to view more paintings by Jackie Morreale.
Transcript:
Hi there. My name is Jackie Morreale and I am the host of Wisdom for Wannabes. I am joined today by a firebird artwork that found me again. This Christmas 2025 has already come and gone. Like every year, it carried with it a familiar warmth of giving and togetherness and reflection. But this year, I received something completely unexpected, a gift that didn't just make me smile, it allowed me to revisit the past. Not in that nostalgic, "wasn't that so nice" kind of a way, but as a living time capsule. A message from the person that I was 20 years ago, arriving precisely when the person I am today needed it most. My mother brought me a framed painted silk piece that I created two decades ago. Back when I was a young designer in New York City, fresh out of school, painting silk in my parents' basement. Back when all I wanted to do, literally all I wanted to do, was paint whichever visions lived in my head. Selling to stores came later, business plans came later, expectations came later. At the beginning, all there was was silk, dye, movement, and instinct. I learned a silk painting technique in school and it felt magical. Applying it to these scarves made for wearable artwork that someone could actually live inside. But seeing this piece now, 20 years later, framed, hanging on the wall, I'm reminded that it was always more than just fashion. The watercolor blending, the motion, the way the colors breathed life into each other. It was just meant to live. The piece had originally been purchased by my grandmother, who's now 99 years old. (Hi, Grandma!) My mother found this silk painting in her possession, a firebird that I had created all those years ago, and she decided to frame it. The image is striking. It's a firebird with three red feathers emerging from its slender head. It has long, powerful wings layered in warm red hues and glowing tones. A dramatic curling tail feather rising from the flames beneath it. Behind it is a sky washed in cool rainbow-like hues. Twenty years ago, it may have just been something "pretty," but today it feels prophetic. Because here I am after two decades of trying to figure out who I am as a businesswoman. A designer, a mother. A human standing in a moment of pause, a moment of surrender, a moment of following life's current instead of treading against it. Back to being an artist, into new waters as an entrepreneur, a writer, and someone who thinks outside of the box, just like that young woman painting silk in the basement. Back then, we didn't document everything. We didn't have iPhones. We didn't have endless photo libraries. Files were saved on CDs. Computers came and went. And every single silk scarf that I made during that time was either sold or given away at flea markets, house sales, small boutiques, trunk shows, even department stores. I didn't keep one. So to have this firebird returned to me, something that I made with my hands, with my imagination, and with my whole a year of enormous change, healing, and transformation, it feels intentional. It feels like timing. I'm grateful for my mother who has always had an eye for art, always supported my creativity, and for thinking to bring this piece back to me now. (Hi, Mom!) She's the best at giving a subtle nudge, a window opening, and a reminder that maybe this artist path is not behind me but ahead. I look at this firebird now...and I see myself. Not just emerging from the ashes, but remembering who I've always been. I was pretty scrappy back then, literally "material"-istic. Every dollar I had went into fabric, trim, samples, creation. I showed collections in New York City. I pitched lines to department stores. I sold pieces to buyers out of a room that I rented off of Fifth Avenue, more like closet, but it was a room. All made by hand, with my family. And when I committed to fulfilling an order, I fulfilled it no matter what. That same determination lives in me now, in my books, these three that 2025 has brought me, and more to come. In my deadlines, my promises to myself. The difference has been wisdom. I'm the same person but now with experience, perspective, motherhood, and a deeper understanding of putting others first. My mother and I don't always see eye to eye. But she shows up and she always has. She understands the artist in me and has always supported that part of who I am. I don't exactly know why I'm being led down this path right now. I just know that I am. Maybe that's why I painted the firebird 20 years ago too. For this moment, now, for this remembering: who I was, who I am, and who I'm becoming. No matter what, I'll always emerge from the ashes. Looking ahead to 2026:
Reflecting on a wonderful 2025, and wishing you the best year yet for 2026. Become new by remembering who you are. New Kids Book Launch: Princess Tessa & The New Look - First Glasses, First Grade, and Friendship10/6/2025 Hello, my name is Jackie Morreale, and I am the host of Wisdom for Wannabes, the podcast series that seeks to discover wise words in business, beauty, and betterment. I'm very, very proud to announce the launch of my newest, latest and greatest book, which is called Princess Tessa & The New Look: A Tale of First Glasses, First Grade, and Friendship. It's now available in paperback and ebook on Amazon and soon to be coming to hardcover. Let me put on my new look before I tell more about this particular tale. This tale was inspired by a new pair of glasses. Could anything be scarier on your first day of school than having a new look that means a new pair of glasses right there on your face for everyone to see? Sometimes all you need is the help of a friend to get you through the day. That is just what we found with our character, Princess Tessa, when she met her BFF in this story. This story was illustrated with the help of ink on paper and colored with markers. I would like to talk directly to all my young artists out there: Keep drawing, keep coloring, keep exploring. Very excited to bring back this first day of school poster that we actually used back in the day and revive it with Princess Tessa. So Princess Tessa in this story is six years old. Date in the story is September 2025 now. Her favorite day was when her brother was born. When she grows up, she would like to be a veterinarian. She's very sweet. I'm very excited to bring this character to life with my new book. For those of you who've been following the Princess Tessa saga, I wanted to share an exciting update that Princess Tessa meets Luc the Duke is now available in hardcover. It's great for little fingers. It'll keep longer. It's a great book, a great gift for any big sisters to be, especially if a little brother is on the way. So that one is available anywhere that you buy books online as a hardcover in addition to ebook and paperback, soon to be on Audible as well. Without further ado, I would love to read some excerpts from Princess Tessa & The New Look, which is written in rhyme. Let's see how this goes. Excited but nervous and almost late. I check my calendar, today's the date. I'm starting first grade. Get up. Here we go. Grab my notebook, my backpack. Fix my pink hair just so. I wait for the bus. My daddy says, bye. I look out the window, new houses fly by. The bus makes a stop. What's that? Let me see. More children pile on, but who can they be? New faces, new backpacks, new worries. Oh my! Whe driver keeps going and I just want to cry. What is this new place? It can't be my school. It's big and it's noisy and I don't know the rules. I walk to the classroom, my name's on the line. I carefully look to find which seat is mine. Rounding the tables, not here, not there. I peek toward the back. Is that the one that I'll share? With loads of new friends, all different from me. Some bigger, some smaller, some seem so ready. "Hello," says a voice, so glittery and fun. "Let's all introduce ourselves and get to know someone." I look beside me and who do I see? A girl with round glasses, just like me... If you'd like to explore more from Princess Tessa & The New Look, pick yours up today and you can see how this story concludes. This book is dedicated to my daughter, for always knowing how to bring style and people together. It is also dedicated to all our BFFs, who know how to make you smile and feel confident on your first day, no matter what. And to whoever branded girls' glasses to make my daughter believe that they are jewelry for the face, thank you very much for making life easy. Thank you all for reading my stories. I really appreciate it. I hope it brings you together with the little ones in your life! Have a wonderful day.
Hi there, my name is Jackie Morreale and I'm the host of Wisdom for Wannabes, a new podcast series that seeks to discover wise words in business, beauty, and betterment. Today I am tuning in to share a very exciting update: I recently fulfilled my dream of becoming an author, illustrator of children's books with the new title called, Princess Tessa meets Luc the Duke: A Tale of Sisterly Love for a New Baby Brother. The book is 40 pages. It is appropriate for children ages four through eight. It is based on real life adventures, a little bit of creative license. I'm so excited to start this literary journey through Princess Tessa and all her sassiness and her adventures with her little brother and how her life completely changed that day that she no longer was the only princess in her castle. For anybody who's interested in the art making process, I used ink on paper. I used these wonderful markers right here. I encourage anybody who loves to draw to pick up some markers and see where it takes you. This story has been on my mind for many years. I can't wait to keep Tessa's adventure coming. But for now, let's read the tale of Princess Tessa Meets Luc the Duke: A Tale of Sisterly Love for a New Baby Brother, written and illustrated by Jackie Morreale. I can't believe I just said that. I'm so excited! Turning the page. The dedication is to my children who inspire me every day, wishing you a lifetime of adventures together. And to my brother Kevin and his growing family, especially big sister Quinn and the new baby. I'm going to read in Tessa's voice. Let's see how this goes. Hi, my name is Tessa. I'm five years old. I just started kindergarten. I love my teacher. I love my family. I also love fashion. My school is so big it has seven playgrounds. Plus, my bus driver is so grand her name is Ms. Grande. I love my Girl Scout troop. Math is pretty cool, and all my besties live right on my block. I like music and movies. (Please tell my mom I need a cell phone like the big girls.) Yep, my life is super busy. The best part? My dad calls me his "principessa". That means "princess" in Italian. The pink crown above my bed proves it. There's the crown. I was picking out my school outfit for the next day after a sweet strawberry scented bath. (For us fashionistas, it was a metallic gold skirt over pink printed leggings with a gray tee that had a bedazzled heart.) When my parents both entered my bedroom with the look. And the sit. I knew something was up. Was I in trouble? How could this face be in trouble? Or was it a surprise? I'd been asking for a puppy for ages. Lately I was even negotiating for a hamster. Could that be it? Yay, I'd name her Lucy and I'd take care of her every day and be the happiest girl in New Jersey. "Tessa, we want to tell you something," my dad said. "Come sit with us." "Okay, Daddy," I said, curious. I went to sit on my rocker with Dad while Mom sat nearby on the bed. "We have some exciting news," my mom said. I gulped. "We are going to have a new member of the family soon," she said with a smile. "Is it a puppy? Can we name her Lucy?" I blurted out. I could not believe this was happening. Finally! Dad tried not to laugh. "Ah, not right now." "How about a hamster?" I asked. "Not exactly," said Mom. "A goldfish?" "Well, no," Dad said. "You're going to have a baby brother soon!" What? The shock, the horror, a baby? Big surprise: Parents, one. Princess Tessa, zero. "Well, what do you think?" Dad asked. What can you think when your world is instantly turned upside down? A brother, oh brother. "What's going to happen to all my stuff?" I asked. Everything I have is so high fashion, a brother does not fit my style. A baby? So four years ago. What else would I have to share? Mom laughed. "Nothing will happen to your stuff. In fact, a baby means more stuff. We'll be preparing the room next to yours for him. That will be the nursery." There goes my playroom. "Fine," I said with a pout. "But why can't it be a girl? You can even borrow my good luck name, Lucy." "That's not really how it works," Mom said with a laugh. "A baby is a gift from God. You and he will have a lifetime of adventures. You'll always have a friend at your side and someone to have your back." "I guess that doesn't sound too bad," I said. "And about the name," Mom added, "funny you should say that." She winked. But I couldn't stop thinking about the doom of it all. Diapers, noise, a brother who might smell like the boy in my class who tooted during Twister. Ugh, boys smell... weird. The next day at school, I couldn't stop thinking about my problem. I may have been thinking about it when my teacher asked me to draw a heart on the board, my favorite shape, and I drew bunny ears instead. Behind someone's head in their school picture. When the librarian asked me a question, I answered in duck quacks. I even fell off my chair during science while applying slime to my toes. All I can say is he'd better like purple, and I'm not sharing my stuff. Or Daddy. The dreaded day came before I knew it. Mommy had to rush to the hospital with Daddy and Grandma came to stay with me. "What is he waiting for?" I said, "Just be born already." Grandma took my hand as we walked in. "All in good time, Tessa," Grandma said. "Now are you ready to make some cookies?" Grandma always knew what to say. Finally, we went to the hospital for The Meeting. What if he was a baby monster instead of a baby brother? That would make a great story for school, alright. Grandma took my hand as we walked in. Be brave, Tessa, I told myself. This is a royal moment. Of course, I made sure to arrive in pink scrubs with Princess Tessa embroidered over the front pocket. Dr. Princess in training. The room was full of light blue boxes and balloons. Everything felt strange. Then I saw Daddy next to Mommy. She was holding something small, wrapped tight like another blue package, and she was smiling at it. Then she looked up and smiled at me. He couldn't be that bad if my mom and dad were this happy, right? "Principessa mia, come meet your baby brother," said Daddy. I walked over slowly, slower than a sloth... And if you would like to meet Luc the Duke yourself, go on Amazon or wherever you find your eBooks, paperback, and soon to be in hardcover. It's the perfect gift for any little princess becoming a big sister. Have a great day! Keep on reading!
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Jackie MorrealeJackie writes from her own experiences and reflections on her journey in seeking wisdom, creativity, spirituality, and life in general. This is "putting thyself out there" at its finest. 
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