Where the Wild Smiles
An Original Portrait Series by Denise Roussel
You are about to embark on a wild ride — so buckle up.
These are not ordinary creatures. Oh, no. These are extraordinary beings who have shown up with one intention: to give you a magnificent experience.
Each one arrived with a personality already fully formed, a name that chose itself, and absolutely zero interest in being ignored. I just picked up the brush.
Where the Wild Smiles lives in my home gallery in South Austin — a space where art isn't behind glass or behind a rope. It's at eye level, in the light, asking to be seen.
Scroll down and meet them. I think you'll know immediately which one belongs with you.
And don’t forget to cast your vote for your favorite character!
By the way, the exhibit opens July 11, 2026 — and you're invited.
Join us for the opening from 3–6 pm at 4532 Merle Dr, Austin, TX.
Can't make it in person? The full online experience is right here.
Ready to bring one home? All prints are 16×20 and available now.
“Clyde: Unapologetically Alive”
The Embodied Trickster
22” x 28”
Clyde doesn't walk into a room — he arrives. Equal parts mischief and magnetism, he is the one at the party who says the thing everyone else was thinking and somehow makes it the funniest moment of the night. He is joy with no apology attached.
"Elvis: Born to Be Seen"
THE SACRED PERFORMER
22" x 28"
Elvis has never once questioned whether he belongs in the room. He is the room. Part rock legend, part lizard mystic, all swagger — he holds his hands on his hips like someone who has already won and is just waiting for everyone else to catch up.
"Ember: Love Is the Revolution"
THE TENDER REBEL
22" x 28"
Ember knows something the rest of the world is still figuring out — that the bravest thing you can do is stay soft. She rides hard, loves harder, and wears her broken heart right on her jacket where everyone can see it. She is not here to be tamed. She is here to remind you that fierceness and tenderness were never opposites.
"Percival Augustus Theodore III: We Might As Well Talk About It"
THE SOVEREIGN CONVERSATIONALIST
36" x 36"
Percival has seen things. He has thought about those things — deeply, unhurriedly, with a ring on every finger and a peacock feather in his hat. He is the elephant in the room, and he would like you to know that he finds your avoidance of him both amusing and unnecessary. Pull up a chair. He has been expecting you, and he has questions.
"Sir Otis Beauregard von Wigglebottom: Born for Joy"
THE HOLY FOOL
22" x 28"
Sir Otis has never once in his life wondered whether it was appropriate to feel this good. He arrived in full colonial regalia, adjusted his tiny spectacles, and immediately started the party. He is the reminder you didn't know you needed — that dignity and delight are not opposites, that joy is not frivolous, and that sometimes the most enlightened response to being alive is to just let your tongue hang all the way out.
"Sebastian Noir: Where Bold Meets Stillness"
The Quiet Disrupter
22" x 28"
Sebastian doesn't make an entrance — he makes a permission slip. One look at him and the room remembers it was allowed to have fun all along.
“Theo: Make Peace Loud”
THE BRAVE IDEALIST
22” X 28”
Theo doesn’t whisper. He doesn’t plead. He doesn’t wait for the world to calm down before he shows up fully. He arrives in tie-dye and aviators, peace sign raised, grinning like a man who has already won. He is the calm in the eye of the storm. The anchor in the middle of the chaos.
“Serafina: The Crown Is Within”
The Unshaken Queen
22” x 28”
Serafina did not arrive seeking a throne. She arrived as one. Grey as moonstone, green-eyed as a kept secret, adorned in real pearls and jewels that catch the light the way certainty does — quietly, completely — she has always known exactly who she is. The heart at the center of her crown is not an accident. Real sovereignty, she understands, is just love that has nothing left to prove.
"Eloise: Strength in Stillness"
The Gentle Elder
22" x 28"
Eloise has lived enough life to know that power doesn't raise its voice. She arrives wrapped in teal, daisy-pinned, Om resting at her heart — not as symbols she chose, but as truths she grew into. She looks slightly upward, not because she is searching, but because she has already arrived and simply likes the view from here. She is the elder who holds the room without trying. The one whose stillness makes everyone else exhale.
"Millie: Take a Seat, Sugar"
The Sweet Optimist
22" x 28"
Millie arrived in her pink uniform, name badge pinned just so, cap tilted like she owns the place — because she does. Not through authority, but through the particular magic of someone who makes you feel, the moment you walk through the door, that you were expected and you are wanted. Millie is proof that warmth is its own kind of wisdom.
"Luka: Just Let It Flow"
THE DANCING SAGE
22" x 28"
Luca didn’t arrive with a plan. He arrived with a vibe — and it turns out that was enough. He is the one who says the thing that stops you mid-stride, not because he was trying to be wise, but because wisdom is just what comes out when you stop fighting the current. He is the embodiment of cool. Effortlessly. Gracefully. Without even trying.
Which Wild Smile Is Your Favorite?
The portraits have been painted. The personalities have arrived. Now it's your turn.
Scroll up, see which one holds your gaze a little longer than the others, and cast your vote below.
Leave your name and email and you'll be among the first to know when the exhibit opens — including availability of canvas prints.
Trust your instinct. They've already chosen you.
And if one of them has already chosen you — you can make it official right now.
Come Meet Them in Person
These paintings live in my home gallery in South Austin, where the light is good and the company is better. If one of them has been looking at you a little too long, trust that feeling.
This is not a formal gallery — it is a living space where art is meant to be experienced up close, in person, exactly as it was painted.
Original paintings and canvas prints are available.
If one of them has been looking at you a little too long, trust that feeling.
You are welcome to reach out with questions, inquire about pricing, or arrange a visit anytime.
But first — come to the opening.
Saturday, July 11, 2026 · 3–6 PM · 4532 Merle Drive · Austin, TX
Interactive Art Show · Light Refreshments
Pull up a chair. Percival has been expecting you.