Past Illustration Highlights and Newly-Released Prints

If I don't blog about something right away, sometimes I forget to share it. So, I'd like to peel back history and show you a selection of illustration commissions I worked on since last summer. 

One of the illustrations from a wedding invite I illustrated for my friend last year. She was born in the year of the Dog, and he in the year of the Horse :)

Another commission from a friend - a watercolor picture for his son who was born in the year of the Snake.

CD art I created in pen and ink for Caitlin Currie's "All A Dream" EP. It's a really cute album featuring Currie's melodic folk-pop vocals and guitar and ukele playing. Check her out at "Fallen Love Records," a label "dedicated to friendship and pop songs" based in Ontario, Canada. I just visited the site and her EP is temporarily sold out, but maybe they'd print more if you ask nicely.

A linocut cover and disc art for the band "Hallelujah Hill Quartet," a gospel group from West Virginia. This was commissioned by a couple whose grandparents, led by Ella Hanshaw, had formed the musical group in earlier years. Ella loaned them her old tapes, which they digitized and inventoried, going through hundreds of hours of listening. The result is this special album, showcasing the band's heartfelt spirituals and performances in churches all across West Virginia's hollers. At the moment, it has only been circulating among friends and family, in the hopes that one day it will be picked up and distributed by a record label.

In April I created this map using watercolor and pen and ink for The Visual Arts Center of Richmond. They used it for their spring Open House celebration to highlight the day's events and activities. If you notice, there is a cow flying near a white tower. This is in reference to the building's historical use as a dairy.

A poster I created for a craft show coming up this weekend in Richmond, VA. I used digital coloring for the first time, which was fun.

Here are pieces from my art show "Return" which I exhibited last year at Studio Two Three. You can view all the pieces and their accompanying poems here. Archival reproduction prints of the art are now available through BuyOlympia and I've just listed them in my Etsy shop, Sprout Head. 

BuyOlympia is an online and retail shop/gallery originally based in Olympia, Washington, but relocated to Portland, Oregon. They started out to help sell the creations of their artist friends online, and have expanded to include artists around the world. BuyOlympia has always been super-supportive and helpful to me ever since I met Pat, one of the owners, when I lived in Portland in 2008/09. I encourage you to check them out and find other cool goodies from their roster of artists. I try to keep my shop stocked with all 20 reproductions of my art that BuyOlympia prints for me, but my inventory may fluctuate. So if you can't find the print you want, please order it from BuyOlympia.

I hope you've enjoyed seeing these past projects! Most of what I've created after June of last year has been commissions for other people, so it's a nice change to be making new art for myself these days.

Unraveled Revelry Banner and Interview

hello all,

sorry it has been quiet around here lately. i've been working and teaching a lot lately, and i don't have much time or creative energy to work on my own art. i've done a few doodles in my sketchbook which i will share when i get a chance.

in the meantime, i'd like to show you this banner i was commissioned to illustrate awhile back and finished recently. it's for Elizabeth Revels, the eco-conscious crafter behind Unraveled Revelry. she's a cool gal who makes awesome things like board games and messenger bags out of upcycled materials.

Check out her shop and also her blog, where she did an interview with me as part of her "Self-made Saturdays" series. and just a reminder, Earth Day is on April 22nd!

Art 180 Calendar!

 

 

I made the drawings for the new 2011 Art 180 calendar illustrating quotes by youth in Art 180 programs. Erin Potter of Punch Design did the graphic design and color selection. It is a very handy calendar that folds out to sit on your desktop, adding a bit of brightness and inspiration to your day. We are all very proud of having donated our efforts to support Art 180, an organization that provides art programs to youth facing challenging circumstances. Once this product is listed, you can buy your very own calendar for $12 at their online shop, and if you live in Richmond you can find it at craft events where Art 180 and I will be vending! By the way, I've heard rave reviews about the Art 180 cookbook. Someone told me about a recipe for black bean burgers that is simply amazing. May have to pick that up for myself soon...

One Kind Word - Love

This is a poster and postcard set I illustrated and hand-lettered for One Kind Word Project, run by Hartwood Press in Richmond, VA. Please submit writing, art, or a combination of both! There is a chance your submission will be selected for inclusion in a print anthology of One Kind Word. Please pass this along to friends who may be interested.

Veg!

I was commissioned to do some paintings for the walls of my favorite vegetarian cafe in Richmond, Harrison Street Coffee Shop. They have remodeled and are re-opening tomorrow! I only had 4 paintings to give them so far, but by the end of August I will have all 15 done. It is so fun to draw fruits and vegetables! it's rather relaxing. all the paintings were made using a gel transfer technique, where I drew the veg and then made photocopies of the drawings. Using gel medium, I transferred the photocopied image and then painted the back of the gels with acrylic paints. I mounted them onto wooden boards and painted additional decorations directly on the boards, and sealed them off with varnish. I like working in this technique because I can work on the drawing first and then color it in. I can also make multiples of the same drawing, but each is a little different because i paint them all by hand.

From top to bottom: Okra, Plums, Lemon. I got the okra and plums at my local farmer's market because they looked so attractive. i had never liked okra before because the first time i ate it, it was so slimy! but i battered it in flour, salt, nutritional yeast, and "chicken-style" seasoning and fried it up. it was delicious!