The Real Deal

Artist: Kelly Tidwell

Medium: Watercolor

Dimensions: 11 x 14

About this Painting: "The Real Deal" captures a nostalgic and cheerful slice of city life in summertime.

The whimsical illustrations of desserts and the detailed textures on the truck’s surface give the scene an inviting, almost storybook quality. The background buildings loom in the misty haze, allowing the joyful energy of the ice cream truck to take center stage.

This piece radiates warmth, nostalgia, and a touch of urban magic—inviting the viewer to slow down and savor life’s simple pleasures.

About the Artist: I am a self-taught artist based in Redondo Beach, working primarily with gouache, watercolor, and acrylic. My work is rooted in emotion, drawing on personal life experiences that explore surreal, dreamlike moments. I’m fascinated by the quiet tension in “captive moments” — the kind that live between memory and imagination. 
My palette and composition often evolve in response to feeling rather than form, allowing the process itself to guide the final piece.