"Cousins Beach" by Ashley B

 

In the book series, The Summer I Turned Pretty, the setting where the story is centered around is the beach house owned by the close friend of the main character’s mom, named Susannah. From the introduction of the house, Belly had described it as being “magical,” a place where the atmosphere made her feel at home, comfortable, and happy. Every summer growing up, Belly and her family spent the summer at the beach house with Susannah and her family. For Belly, the beach house represented the nostalgic and beautiful feeling of summer. She said, “Everything good, everything magical happens between the months of June and August.” To embody the magicalness that Belly described the beach house in Cousins to be, I painted a watercolor sunset in the background. The bright and vibrant colors of the sunsets not only represent the end of the day, but also Belly letting go of being a kid and growing up. Sunsets also carry a sentimental and bittersweet feeling, displayed by Belly’s constant reminiscing of her fun times at the beach house growing up. I drew the beach house at the center of the canvas since it is the central setting where the plot takes place and serves as a time capsule for Belly’s fondest memories and dreams

 of summer.