The Summer My Walls Turned Pretty

Lauren Pardoe • September 4, 2025

Art inspired by The Summer I Turned Pretty: dreamy butter yellow sundresses, Belly’s iconic red dress, and ocean wave blues.

Dreamy Butter Yellow -


The color butter yellow feels like innocence and possibilities—soft, glowing, and endlessly hopeful. In The Summer I Turned Pretty, Belly’s sundress in this shade became instantly iconic, embodying her transformation and the sweetness of long, sun-drenched days. Translating this into artwork, butter yellow can serve as the backdrop to capture warmth and nostalgia, or as an accent that draws the eye like sunlight filtering through curtains. Whether brushed across a canvas in abstract swaths or used to highlight delicate florals, this hue carries the same youthful optimism that Belly radiates, making it the perfect color muse for summer-inspired pieces.



  • nate nettleton daisy
  • marcy Vreeland florals
  • James navarro house with florals

  • Belly’s Iconic Red Dress -


    The bold red dress marks a turning point in Belly’s story—where innocence meets the intensity of love, desire, and heartbreak. Red in art carries a visceral power; it’s a color that demands attention and stirs emotion. On canvas, it can symbolize passion and vulnerability at once, whether splashed in expressive strokes or woven into subtle details that hint at deeper layers beneath the surface. Just as the red dress in the series becomes a statement of self-discovery and longing, red artwork channels the complexities of growing up, falling in love, and learning how to let go.


    

    • Sarina Angell artwork

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    • Logan Ledford painting

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    • Anna Beurskens artwork

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    • Kate Blomquist artwork

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    Ocean Wave Blues -


    Taken place in Cousins Beach town, The Summer I Turned Pretty’s constant backdrop of oceanfront reflects both freedom and the ache of unspoken feelings. Art inspired by ocean waves brings movement and rhythm to a space—rolling brushstrokes that capture tides of joy, melancholy, and everything in between. Blue tones remind us of open skies, salt air, and the infinite horizon, evoking both escape and reflection. Like the ocean itself, artwork in these shades holds a duality: it soothes while also stirring restlessness, echoing the push and pull of summer romance. 


  • Joy Kinna painting
  • Rebecca Stern plaster art
  • Kristin Abbott artwork
  • Bethany Mabee painting
  • As the long summer days come to a closure and the air turns cooler, we’re reminded that art has a way of carrying every season within it. That’s the beauty of it, it holds on to the warmth of what we’ve had, while also giving us hope for what’s still to come.


    The pieces inspired by summer shine with butter yellow light, mirror the rhythm of ocean waves, or deepen with intensity of love and heartbreak. Together, they remind us of endless nights filled with possibility. Even as the calendar shifts and Labor Day reminds us that summer is slipping away, the artwork remains, capturing those feelings so they never truly leave.


    

    Lauren Pardoe
    Digital Content Coordinator

    Lauren brings her passion for storytelling and experience working with small businesses. Originally from Illinois and a graduate of Iowa State University, she contributes fresh ideas and engaging content to the team's brand strategy.

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