30 Days of Studies and Sketching

Last month I set a goal of making art for thirty days. Not necessarily thirty consecutive days, as school work and life are piled high these days. But, thirty days of sketching or producing something purely for my pleasure. I was beginning to get quite sad and missing time to make some art, play with color, muse about form just for the sake of exploration. I'm through day twenty-three and found myself gravitating back to botanicals. I guess that muse is not dead yet. 

Here are a few - follow along on my Instagram

Gracie Brave is on the shelves!

Gracie Brave on the shelf in Grand Rapids, MI! Seeing her nestled in the with these noteworthy new picture books on the market is thrilling! If you are local to Grand Rapids get yours at Reader's World on River. Also available thru Amazon.com. 

Glow

I have been experimenting with my friend's Glowforge and we are brainstorming ideas faster than our little (well, my little ;-) ) brain can process! Seriously, check it out! 

Selfie 

I've started my second semester in the Graphic Design certificate program I am in. This semester I will finally master Adobe Illustrator and InDesign! I got a 4.0 last semester, let's see if I can keep up the momentum. I'm seeking an internship to learn layout design for a magazine or catalogue so if you know any interesting leads in Central Massachusetts for me, I would welcome the resource! 

Gracie Brave has been launched!

Happy 2018 everyone! I am looking forward to a few weeks of break from my graphic design certificate program I am currently enrolled in. I had a great first semester, survived web design with minimal hairs being pulled and made Dean's list! 

Big news for this month is that Gracie Brave has been launched on Amazon by the authors (Pamela Krikke and Kate Eldean). I illustrated Gracie Brave and worked one on one with the authors to bring her to life. It was an interesting project and one I enjoyed a great deal. 

New Bugs and Botanicals Calendar for 2018! 

I have had requests for several years to do a wall calendar and I thought the latest Bugs and Botanicals series would be a perfect opportunity to satisfy my customers. The twelve-month calendar features:

• Large, 12' square format
• Printed in full color on heavy card stock matte paper
• coil-bound with a hole for easy hanging.
• Features 12 of my favorite images from the 100 Day Challenge project. 

Order in my shop by clicking here.

September

I love September! The temperature is a mixed bag and allows for the occasional heavier layer: a favorite cardigan and jeans. It's also one of the most nostalgic times of year, don't you think? I'm headed back to school to get a certificate in Graphic Design to help round out my skills! Don't you just love the smell of new books and pencils!? 

First day of First grade. That's me in the middle wearing polka dots - of course! 

Catchin' up

Oy! Best laid plans... yep. This summer hasn't gone as planned. My seasonal allergies have really dampened my energy and reserve. I was on steroids for a few weeks to try and get on top of them and those were the best two weeks of my summer! I haven't been able to do any of my new series, other than the 100 Days of Botanicals and Bugs which has been really helpful and enlightening. So, let me catch you up on some of those pieces I was able to squeeze out of my hands. I also had some client work this summer which has been great as well. 

I will be at Holden Days Community fest this Saturday with some new works like the ones below, "Love Thy Neighbor" series. I will have afordable originals as well as prints of soem fo the botanical and bugs. COme say hello! I'd love to see you. 

Circus parade

I've been wanting to do circus-themed illustrations for years. I've been collecting imagery and dreaming about the sort of characters and environment I wanted to create. Lately, with the closing of Barnum and Bailey and the changing circus mission, it's been on my mind even more. I'm putting together a promo packet to send to art directors and agents and creating a few personal pieces to include in my port folio. I took this opportunity to have some fun with the circus theme. If you are an art director or agent and are interested in recieing my promotional packet when it is ready please email me or comment here with your email and I will be sure to include you on my short list!

Summer focus

Normally, summer is not my favorite season. I don't do well in the heat and my allergies leave me feeling itchy, tired and a bit foggy most of the time. This year, however, I have a reason to welcome it with open arms! I can already feel the schedule of the school year fading away and I'm starting to adjust to the new,  more consistent work schedule in the studio. I will still be navigating the work schedules of my two teenage sons who are not yet driving and the very phrenetic schedule of my new(ish), high energy puppy but this is all an improvement! 

Looking forward to sinking my teeth into my emerging "Caged" series. This series gets its imagery inspiration from vintage botanical and biological illustrations. The energy for this series is fueled by my own angst and thoughts about being a woman in her fifties as I consider all the choices I've made along the way and the things that cage me in one way or another. I will be incorporating hand embroidery into the works, as I have in the previous two series. This time I plan on working on hand dyed fabrics as well as the tissue paper layers I've used in the past. I have been doing research on the history of embroidery and it's parallel to woman's roles in the family and community.  This history will play its own role in the series and what I hope to express in these works. 

work in progress 

Because most artists these days have to keep many irons in the fire to keep the bills paid, I will also be putting together a marketing package to send out to art agents and directors in the direction of illustration and licensing work. Work on the Gracie Brave book is ongoing and I will be doing some illustration work for the authors this summer as well. 

Happy Summer to all who have teken the time to visit my "desk" today. Be well and stay in touch! 

For sale

I am now offering some of the 100 Days of Botanicals and Bugs as giclee prints in my shop here on my site! Please email me with inquiries or requests for specific images or sizes.