A Salute to the Couples of Summer TV

In conjunction with my column from last week in which I saluted the fun faces of summer TV, this week I wanted to take the time to honor the great couples who have graced our TV screens over the summer.

As I mentioned last week, we can all easily identify the shows for which we loved to watch over the past few months; but we don’t always pay as much attention to the fun characters – or in this instance – the great couples who help to make our favorite shows even more fun to watch.

So in salute of those great TV couples, below you will find another list for which I compiled. As before, they appear below in no particular order:

Evan and Paige - Royal Pains

Evan Lawson and Paige Collins on Royal Pains (Paulo Costanzo and Brooke D’Orsay) – They may have started out in a fake relationship arranged by Paige to satisfy her parents, but Evan eventually won Paige over and now they are engaged to be married. Evan has evolved since meeting Paige from a wanna-be ladies’ man into a caring and compassionate man who has captured the hearts of the viewers as well as Paige.

Amy and Rory - Doctor Who

Amy Pond and Rory Williams on Doctor Who (Karen Gillan and Arthur Darvill) – What can be said about two of the most unique and captivating companions for which the Doctor has ever had? You root for these two to come through ever adventure that comes their way, you feel the loss of their baby being taken and you cheer for each triumph they attain. And you wait to join in the fun and frivolity – scary or not.

Spencer and Toby - Pretty Little Liars

Spencer Hastings and Toby Cavanaugh on Pretty Little Liars (Troian Bellisario and Keegan Allen) – They are the quintessential opposites-attract teenage couple; but with all the complications in their lives because of the disappearance/death of Allison DeLaurentis, and their presumed guilt, their relationship is that much more poignant. They are more than just simply soul mates, they are more than your standard Romeo and Juliet, they are Rosewood’s version of West Side Story meets Cruel Intentions.

Peter and Elizabeth - White Collar

Peter and Elizabeth Burke on White Collar (Tim Dekay and Tiffany Thiesson) – They are a great example for which every married couple should strive: a healthy, loving, collaborative relationship where they are each other’s best friend, lover and staunchest supporter. And while no relationship is 100 percent perfect every waking moment, these two sure make it look like that is possible and whether you are in a relationship or not, you sure hope that when you are, it will be as close to theirs as possible.

Allison and Jack - Eureka

Allison Blake and Jack Carter on Eureka (Salli Richardson-Whitfield and Colin Ferguson) – Jack has been in love with Allison since pretty much the first day he met her and while it’s taken years for them to finally get together – and several other relationships between the two of them – it is blissful to see them happy and approved by the government to be a couple. Let’s just hope that with the ending of the show coming next year they are still a couple.

What do you think? Do you agree with the above list? Was there a couple that you really loved this summer that isn’t included above? Please share your list and let us know who your favorite summer TV couples have been.

Mad Hatter by Gloria Muriel

Artist’s Spotlight: This month’s spotlight is on Gloria Muriel, a graphic designer by trade who was born in Mexico City, raised in Mexicali and attended college in Tijuana. She now lives in San Diego with her husband and two daughters.

Gloria got her start in art around the time she was in middle school. She shares that, “I used to be the one that made the T-shirts for class rallies; and I also had a friend who drew really cool comic-like characters, so we used to draw, sketch and write stories together. I think that was very motivating for my hidden talent to kick in”.

As a child, she wanted to be a superhero when she grew up; then she wanted to be a fairy, a scientist, and then a cartoonist. Each week it changed from (wanting to be) a Pegasus, to a dragon, to a firefly. According to Gloria, the possibilities were endless at that age; and while her parents weren’t artistic they certainly did encourage her and her siblings. Her sister is a talented make-up artist and her brother is studying audio and visual multi-media.

Her primary influences include music, which she claims she cannot live without, and cartoons. She also cites artists, directors and illustrators such as Miyasaki, Tim Burton, Gennedy Tartakovsky, Michael Parks, Joe Sorren, Vladimir Kush, Dali, Bouguereau, Klimt, Miro, Picasso and Van Gogh (among many more) as inspirations for her work.

Gloria’s favorite art form is acrylics because they are fast and water friendly, but she also loves oils, which are the exact opposite of acrylics. She says, “oils take time and the possibilities are endless. You just need lots of patience”.

The prevalence of young girls in her work refers to her inner child and harkens back to the time in her life that was most idyllic. She explains that she had “a happy childhood, (but I) was something of a loner and cultivated a rich inner world. This might explain the melancholy look of the girls in (my) pictures, alone with their thoughts and absorbed in their music, even as they commune with nature”.

In her spare time, she enjoys being with the people that she loves, having good conversations on the patio with her family, friends and fellow artists. She also enjoys taking breaks for her art by taking her dog Rocco to the canyon, the bay or fiesta island for a walk or hike or a jog. She loves being “in the middle of nature; it’s like my soul is getting a refill”.

Her featured piece is called Mad Hatter and it is a piece that wasn’t meant to be a hatter. Gloria actually planned to feature Alice and the Cheshire cat, but she ended up painting a hat on her. Gloria shares that the Mad Hatter is her favorite character in the book and in the cartoon because he is so laid back and happily insane, enjoying life in a cup of tea, full of non-sense but at the same time everything makes sense.

You can reach Gloria at info@gloriamuriel.com and you can learn more about her and her art work here.