Surtex!

Let's start out (like I usually do) by saying it's been an embarrassingly long amount of time since I last blogged. I guess you could say I've been super busy- a totally true yet boring explanation. I feel like I've mainly switched to staying connected via Instagram but I thought it was time to post about the awesomeness that is having my work at Surtex! Surtex is a surface design/textile trade show where my awesome reps at Lilla Rogers Studio will show work, sell work, and make new connections. I'll post more about the prep for the show soon (making a Blurb book, signage I did for the studio, etc). I hope if you are going to the show you'll stop by the LRS booth and take a look at my work!

Updates and such and such

So what's been happening since I last blogged you ask? Well...LOTS of art making, a new computer, still pinching myself that I'm represented by Lilla Rogers Studio, 8K+ instagram followers, and I took up needle punching (I'll show pics of that in a separate post once I have a few things to show).

Can I just say that upgrading from a 5 year old 17" laptop to a 27" sparkly new desktop has been AMAZING?! I must've had the patience of a preschool teacher while I was working on that lappy. Now I have the patience of a preschooler if my file takes longer than .3 seconds to save. Seriously. Having the large screen also revealed a major flaw in my website. My images were all different sizes and I couldn't tell on the smaller screen. It was bugging me for a while- so tonight I decided to re-size all my images and make them consistent. I also updated my landing page with that big kitty illo that I reworked from a MATS assignment. rawr.

WHAT THE WHAT?!

Wow. Just WOW. I'm not sure if I'm even ready to write this post- it's all so surreal. But here goes...I am so excited to say that I won the Special Studio Award of being represented by Lilla Rogers Studio! (Read their post HERE) This final round of the Global Talent Search was pretty intense! We were to design two boards of a home decor line based on a trend board given to us by Margo Tantau (Art Director for Midwest CBK). I chose "Vintage Cottage" and just started brainstorming. I knew I wanted to do some animal/floral platters so I jumped right in. And actually, those are the only items that stayed in from start to finish. I have about 3 other boards worth of illustrated products that did not make the final. The whole time I just tried to stay confident and true to myself. I knew that if I was designing things out of fear of losing, my work wouldn't come across as strong. Here's what I ended up submitting:

I love where I landed with these boards. I knew that perhaps it wasn't the most commercial stuff- but I also knew that Lilla liked my quirkiness. Now I need to do a shout-out to some awesome peoples. My hubs and family for being the ultimate support crew! Emily Balsley and Candice Hartsough McDonald for encouraging me to take MATS a year ago and being super artists to bounce ideas off of! Also a shout out to the other finalists- I know Lilla's choice couldn't have been easy. And then a mega CONGRATS to Kate Mason- the grand prize winner and Clairice Gifford- my fellow studio prize winner! 

Now....how do I get that rug made?!

GTS Round 2

CLICK HERE TO VOTE!

This assignment brought up some (ok, a meeeelllion) questions for me:
-How do I do 110% without looking heavy handed?
-How can I wrestle an idea that I can't get out of my head?
-and then all the other questions that were floating around all week: too simple? too busy? not quirky enough? is the illustration really shining? does it look like i'm considering every aspect?
(rinse & repeat)

The idea of "Night & Day" came to me pretty early in the brainstorming process. I tried to shake it to consider other ideas but I just kept coming back to it. I knew it would be a strong way for me to show my love for plants/flowers and there was a lot of breathing room and play for me in this idea. So I embraced it and ran. With only a week and a few days to create there's not much room for completely changing ideas. Thankfully the piece came together fairly quickly over the course of four days. And that left a few days for tweaking... Background or no background? Should the hands stay or should they go? Do we like the purple tone or should it go back to teal? Add in a small tin or let the main set really shine? Background or no background (this question was still being debated up until the very end)?

Obviously I answered the questions and chopped away at the doubt bit by bit by considering every detail. I looked at how the piece compared to my portfolio (yes- it looks like my work). Does it stand up to what I consider my strongest pieces? (yes- it holds its own). Would I be interested in this piece at a store? (yes- i would be drawn in and then delighted by the nocturnal pangolin and interesting flowers) Could this be used in other markets? (yes- I could see it working even better in the paper market) Am I enjoying myself while I make it? (YES!)

Holy crow. No wonder I am exhausted- it was a lot of questioning/answering! But i'm feeling good with what I submitted and that's all I can hope for at the end of the day. Now it's time to rest, make more art, try not to stress too much, and wait.

You can vote for me HERE and read all about our brief HERE. xoxo

GTS Semi Finalist!

I am beyond thrilled that I made it into the top 50 for Lilla Rogers' Global Talent Search! The assignment was to design a pattern to be used on a shoe for a hip/quirky 20-something girl in NYC- so of course I would include a ghost and a shuttlecock. haha. You can see the other semi finalists here. Working with Lilla and her team would be a total life-changing dream come true. She and the artists she reps are total rockstars! Now I'm going to go lock myself in my studio for the next two weeks (though maybe I'll have some bubbly first!) xoxo

Charish Mix n Chic Style Challenge

I was recently approached by Charish to create a style board for their August Mix n Chic Style Challenge. I was so excited! Then I saw that they wanted me to use Shabby Chic items and I was like- wah wah. In my mind Shabby Chic = 90s wannabe cottage home with faux weathered wood, milk bottles, and sponge paint. Ha! But here's what they said: Shabby Chic will match well with most styles. Whether it’s Bohemian Charm or Rustic meets Shabby Chic– you can play up coastal elements in the bathroom, provide a touch of French country living to the bedroom, and vintage charm in the kitchen. The less matching the better! Ok- feeling better. I'm a big fan of not totally matching! I looked through some images they gave me as well as items from their site and created this board:

I started with that ultra-feminine pink chair because it scared me and made me smile. Paired with the graphic pattern of the rug, some functional industrial pieces, my art (duh), and a few funky vases/containers (can never have too many of those in a studio), the chair ends up feeling fresh and fun! How have you embraced shabby chic?

(counter-clockwise from lower left) Similar pink, feminine chair // Ceramic face vase // Mexican rug // Harwood top work table // Danish modern lamp // Fish pot // Katie Vernon Healing Wreath // Apothecary cabinet // Monkey dish // Yellow horse candy dish // Catherineholm bowl

MATS Home Decor Week 5 + roundup

Week 5 (the final week :( ) in the Make Art That Sells Home Decor course focused on wood and textures/mark making. I started the week with markers and inks and soon realized I needed to do something totally different. I created the three 11x14 paintings over the course of a few days- building layer after layer until i had the desired effect (in person they are very textural). I've been lusting over a bunch of the abstract painters' work I follow on instagram and really wanted to do my spin on some abstract-ness coupled with a tiny still life. To make these pieces more functional I thought a plant shelf would be the perfect addition. That nesting terrarium set came towards the end of the week after many walks, some mild procrastination, and an hour or so of out-loud brainstorming. I think the idea is really fun (though perhaps a bit impractical).

We were also encouraged to put together at least one piece from each week to show a full collection.

I think i ended up creating a fun, hip (but not unapproachably cool), modern collection that I'm really proud of. I definitely made some tweaks to a few of the products from each week (1, 2, 3, 4, 5) to make it all a bit more cohesive. 

So what would I give this course on a scale of 1-5? For me it was a total 5- I feel like I was able to experiment just enough to keep growing but there was enough structure to not make me loose my mind. I loved being stretched in new ways- like allowing myself to dream of products that don't even exist. I adored the fast pace of a 5-week course but if i was working another job during the day i don't know how i'd get it all done. I am also glad I had already taken MATS A/B (mostly to be used to the pace and format). Also one of the best things about the class is the community that forms. Between the classmates (who are amazing and supportive and rockstars) to Lilla and Margo (who are such excellent mentors- totally encouraging, relatable, and engaging)- you really feel supported during the craziness. 

Now it's time to update my website, list some new products in my etsy shops, work on a few commissioned projects, and prep for the Global Talent Search (don't worry- if you don't know what that is- i'll be talking all about it for (hopefully) a few months). Cheers!

MATS Home Decor Weeks 3 + 4

whoa. how do nearly 5 weeks go by so fast?! Week 3 for the Home Decor class focused on glass and pattern. Here's where I landed:

This was the hardest week for me so far. I really enjoy how some of the pieces turned out (pink jug, smokey plate). There are times when you just know you need to go back to the paint/paper again rather than trying to force something in photoshop- and this week I just didn't have the time to start again. Ah well. Week 4 was all about hand lettering and ceramics. I was so excited for ceramics week but I was also traveling the entire time. I took my travel watercolor kit, wacom, laptop, and camera to San Fransisco and was able to work during Juniper's naps. She also had a fever for one of our days- so I got some extra work time in. First some progress shots:

For some time I've wanted to do some illustrations involving foreign words that we don't have english words for. In retrospect- these would make better spot illos or cards rather than something you eat off of or use to serve lemonade. But still- i loosened up and just had a bit more fun with the whole assignment: 

Here's a round-up of all my weeks so far:

I've definitely learned something new each week and pushed myself in new ways. The whole course has been pretty fantastic for experimenting and creating loads of new work!