PeaceLoveStudios.com illustrations

I'm so happy to announce that the new PeaceLoveStudios.com has been launched! This process has been a great collaboration between the team at PeaceLove, designers at Studio Pie, and developers at Trestian. To emphasize the artistic and community-building aspects of PeaceLove, I created an illustrated background filled with art supplies and a peaceful little world. I also created illustrations for the rollovers in the navigation bar, and icons scattered throughout the site. Take a look at the new website and let us know what you think!

The Learning Garden

I designed this sign for a client who is opening a daycare that will focus on outdoor play in natural spaces. After playing around with a number of ideas, we decided to go with this version that focuses on typography with some playful illustrated elements scattered around. This design will be translated to a 12' wide x 6' high sign that will be mounted to the exterior of their new building.

Create Peace of Mind

I'm so happy to be working with PeaceLove, an organization that is a creative voice for mental illness. Amazingly, 1 in 4 americans suffers from a diagnosable mental illness, but 2/3 of them won't get the help they need because of stigma. PeaceLove is building a positive symbol of hope and acceptance for mental illness, fostering conversations that bring this issue into the light, and bringing relief through creative arts experiences. This illustration is inspired by their tagline "Create Peace of Mind", and shows a peaceful scene being created by art supplies.

Lots more PeaceLove work to come - we've been busy!

Making dreams come true

I'm super excited to share my latest project with you - just the process in itself has been fun, but what really makes it special is the meaning behind it. A few weeks ago, my friend Tino asked if I would help design a tee shirt to raise money for a family in our church that we love dearly. They are honestly some of the most loving, welcoming people I have ever met, and I can't wait to see their dream come true. They are working towards adopting two girls from Haiti, Magella (10) and Darline (11). I knew I wanted to create something really special for them... one night as I was falling asleep this image of a ship floating through a starry sky popped into my head. I loved it instantly. Here's what the idea turned into:

I wanted this to be something special and meaningful for the family and the girls who will soon be home with them, but also a message of hope for everyone. This is the first time I've ever designed a tee shirt, and to be honest it was a little intimidating! But I really love how it came out and I hope you do, too.

So, what happens next? We are selling pre-orders of the tee, with a goal to sell 200 by our deadline. When we reach our goal, the tees will go into production and will be mailed directly to everyone who pre-ordered. All the profits will go straight to the Gibb family's adoption fund, which helps cover the cost of  the very expensive process of adoption. These are really high quality, silkscreened tees and I hope you'll consider buying one for yourself, and a few more for gifts! :) There are only 10 days left, so please consider helping out by buying a "Dreams Do Come True" tee.

Update: I'm so happy to announce that we exceeded our goal and ended up reaching 311 tees! Thanks so much to everyone who helped.

Food illustrations for Providence Monthly

This month, I illustrated a feature for Providence Monthly that highlights the variety of dining options on Thayer Street in Providence, RI. Since the illustrations would take up a bulk of the page layout and visual interest, I chose a vibrant color palette - while still keeping it limited to three colors to maintain a cohesive look. Enjoy!

Young Leaders Fellowship design & branding

I recently teamed up with Tino Chow and Big New Ideas to create branding and some design pieces for Young Leaders Fellowship, a local non-profit we are involved with. We designed a logo, website, postcard and poster in record time!

I also had the pleasure of creating some illustrations for the website. I used a combination of tight pencil drawings and loose brushstrokes to convey the personality and spirit behind the organization.

In my line of work, I spend a lot of time figuring out how to visualize abstract ideas. Working out how to illustrate some of the programs offered by YLF was challenging, but in the end I was able to get the point across simply.

Summer Bucket List

Here's a quick full page illustration I did for the cover story of SO Rhode Island's June issue. I haven't had a chance to do very much hand-lettering lately, so I jumped at the opportunity. You can read the article for our Rhode Island-y  summer guide.

"Threads" solo show

Many thanks to the kind folks at the Beard Art Center for hosting my first solo gallery show, "Threads." It was a pleasure!

Dawn & Dusk

Inspired by Psalm 65:8 Dawn and dusk take turns calling, 'Come and worship."

Knit Together

This is what 44 hours of hand-stitching looks like:

To be fair, I'm not totally sure exactly how many hours I put into this piece. But with 55 vertical rows and 77 horizontal rows, at an average of 20 mins spent on each row, 44 hours is my best guess. It began with a silhouette, cut out of one of my favorite floral fabrics.

After that, I pulled out my needle and thread and started stitching.

It was important to me that these two intersecting thread systems didn't just lay on top of each other, but instead be woven into each other. It's not quite "knit," of course, but I wanted to convey the same interlocking of materials to form something whole and complete.