The banner for Giving You A Voice incorporates an original oil painting, titled "Mountain View," by the Southern California artist, Larisa Lewis. 

I met Larisa several years ago when I bought a house in Huntington Beach, and needed artwork for the walls.  After my usual run at the beach one Friday, I took what I thought would be a short cut through the Pier Market Place.  One of Larisa's brightly colored canvasses caught my eye.  

A ten minute conversation turned into thirty minutes and then forty minutes and before I knew it, she was helping me hunt down blooming Birds of Paradise for my gardens.  She -- of all my friends -- understood that I didn't have the patience to wait two years for tiny little green plants to produce flowers!  She drove up and down the streets of Long Beach and Belflower to find them and then drew me a map that took me right to the nursery...hidden in an interior block... and known only to landscapers. 

If you're ever at the Pier Marketplace in Huntington Beach on a Friday, be sure to look for Larisa! 

You can also view more of her paintings at www.larisalewis.com.