About

My story and my art may be interesting to some - as it brings together two seemingly unrelated paths, that somehow in the end merge to create unique and special pieces of art.

The first path is my love of the ocean, sailing, and traveling — a dream I held onto since I was a young girl on ocean-side vacations with my family.

My second path, and equal to my love of sailing, is my love of art. My mind always worked differently than my peers. I looked at the world through an unusual lens, one that saw beauty and life where others saw none. After finishing art school I needed to put my artistic aspirations aside to raise a family and make a living.

Nearly 25 years later while on an extended vacation in French Polynesia and looking to spend some time on sailboats, I met Captain Doug. A few weeks later I quit my job, left my life in Italy, and moved permanently aboard his boat.

Now with time on my hands my artistic passion began to resurface. I began with simple watercolor paintings on whatever paper I could find. It turned out that Nautical charts were the perfect medium and the effect was amazing. After sailing through Micronesia and arriving in Malaysia with a considerable collection of Pacific Island scenes, I tried my luck with selling my pieces. To my surprise, nearly all sold, and with this my enthusiasm and inspiration were renewed.

In the following year, my focus changed from painting with watercolor on charts, to painting with acrylic on driftwood. This time, inspiration found me in Thailand while walking on a beach littered with exotic wood pieces of all shapes and sizes. I very quickly realized that there is something special

about creatively reusing and giving this wood a new life. Initially I had many themes for my driftwood paintings-- including boats, fish, and scenery — but eventually found that there was something magical about old buildings. I have always loved local architecture and combining the culture and history of a building with the naturally sculpted elements of driftwood added a new dimension to my painting.

This is how the driftwood company was born!

Now, having visited over 50 countries and walked thousands of beaches, I call my business a more appropriate Paint The World Tour.  My collections are based on the current country I'm travel within, and tend to come and go as I continue to sail onward. Now being in Europe my choice of culture and beautiful architecture is endless - you can definitely look forward to many new pieces and styles. 

I hope you enjoyed my story and my art – please feel free to follow the Tour as I continue to travel and paint this amazing world.

Elena