I was asked to create personalized Christmas cards for a dozen people. It was such a thoughtful gift and the recipients were really touched at her gesture. Together, the person requesting the illustrations and I came up with meaningful and whimsical images about the people, and then I added a whole lot of festive.
Here’s three of my favorites.
Posted in paintings
Philip is the visionary behind Home Harvest Farms, sturdy planters for indoor food production. His vision includes communities growing food everywhere. For him, intensive, local food production opposes climate change by protecting the climate, transforming the economy, connecting with nature, and rebuilding community. He contacted me about bringing these four concepts to life in two paintings:
www.homeharvestfarms.com
Home Harvest Farms can look like this: Continue reading
Posted in community, food and gardens, illustration, paintings, process
It was a friend’s birthday recently, and I wanted to paint Mary Timony’s pedal board for him. I was inspired by an extremely long thread on Facebook between a few people identifying her gear.
It turned out like this:
Posted in paintings
In our Hastings Sunrise neighbourhood I bike past chicken coops, orderly rows of beans where lawns used to be, and see the odd beehive here and there.
And now helpfully, there’s a tour to help me snoop in other people’s gardens. The first Hastings Sunrise Garden Tour happens July 23rd, 2011: http://sunrisecommons.org/garden-tour/.
Thanks to Megan and Brian, all the supporting households, and funding from the neighbourhood grants program. I was able to contribute with a poster- working with pen and watercolours to make the illustration.
Posted in community, food and gardens, paintings, posters
New painting of Chayse, my cousin’s Shiba Inu, when he was a puppy. 
(Of course now he’s even more handsome.) I first put down the outlines in pencil, then filled in with watercolour. For the past 15 years I’ve used a travel 14-colour watercolour set- I’m almost out of indigo but I like the limited colours.
January brings new projects and more illustrations by hand. Digital illustration means I can redo and undo for hours, but I must embrace imperfections when illustrating by hand. It teaches me to go slowly, to know my materials, and to leave it instead of trying to “fix” it if what I see on paper isn’t what my mind’s eye imagines. Watercolour is spontaneous, and dries quickly. Sometimes that colour just has to be left alone.
I’m collaborating on an upcoming climate justice issue of the Dominion, and working on a new poster drawing lots of hands- always a challenge. I’ll post the pictures to the portfolio galleries at the top of the page.
Posted in illustration, paintings, process
