talk about making an entrance : )


Walking by these graceful old doors, you can't help thinking of the countless souls who have called this place home, or dropped in for a visit. General Washington came here, at the war's end, to resign his command. Lincoln came too, to offer terms of peace to the rebel delegation.  Great men and women came here - to end wars. This charming town on the Chesapeake bay, with it's tree lined streets and famous crab cakes.. hoping we can find a little peace here too. 

 -thoughts walking downtown

Fall 2013 textile designs







traditions made new
Keeping with the Fall theme, I wanted to share a few Fall icons I developed with a coworker friend at Jo-Ann Fabrics.  The designs were to have the look and feel of 18th century tapestries, (Versailles meets Cracker Barrel HA! :) but everything had to be in vector. It's a different style for me, but I'm always up for a challenge. Here is what we created.  -thanks again Michael and Johnny!

Fall 2013






You can't help but feel more connected to nature and your suroundings this time of the year and new experiences enhance that feeling even more! Though I've been busy finishing up this next batch of Children's books, I tried to make time to go sailing, pick apples, and walk through a misty pumpkin patch - all first time experiences that I wanted to share here.  Hope you're also having fun and new Fall experiences out there! : ) 

2014 Gay Games Medal


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I'm happy today to share my design for the 2014 Gay Games medal.  This is an incredible opportunity for Northeast Ohio's GLBT community and I couldn't be more proud to help out. Our design celebrates Cleveland and Akron's industrial golden age, as well as their iconic skylines - two great cities hosting a great cause.

The Federation of Gay Games does amazing work, learn more at the following links:
As you can see, I considered a few local landmarks, before settling on the more recognizable, city skyline concept.



Since the medal is being embossed, it had to be designed in negative, making it a little tricky to figure out. At this point in the process, it reminds me of early 20th century woodcuts.  I love that stuff.
Cuyahoga Sunrise
I wanted to create a full color design as well, one that is uplifting and speaks to all the exciting things happening in Cleveland. Go Cleveland! Keep making us proud. 

Galina и Август кошка






A few weeks back, I received a friendly email from Galina, an artist in Russia who creates beautiful cross-stitch designs. She made these from my travel illustrations and was writing to make sure it was okay. I think they're great and it's cool to see these interpreted in new ways. You can see more of her designs and download free stitching patterns on her blog here. It's these friendly exchanges with fellow creatives around the world, that I enjoy the most with this blog. Google's translator is fun to play around with too. Thanks for sharing Galina - keep up the beautiful work!

3x3 Children's Book Competition 2012



Got a nice surprise in the mail last week, the latest issue of 3x3 magazine, featuring works from the 2012 Children's Book competition. My travel series made it into the mix, and is pictured here. I've included larger versions from the grouping below. I wanted to send out a big thank you to 3x3 for the award and recognition, it means so much coming from so beautiful a magazine. Go out and grab a copy today!
Katmandu - Ancient Temples of Durbar Square


Rome - Colosseum


Copenhagen - Canal


Freetown - Marketplace


Tokyo - Habuchi District


I thought it might be fun to include the original sketches (to show how these look starting out). 






Trayvon Martin




I had an instructor in school who cautioned us from creating work about serious subjects we're not directly connected to. I understand what she meant and I wrestled with posting this.  But when I heard the verdict last night, my heart sank and I knew I had to say something.
Peace and love to the victims and families of injustice-

building sketches






It took moving to Washington to rekindle my love for old neoclassical buildings and architecture. Wish we could afford one of the old beauties in Georgetown or Alexandria.  The hotel sketch was inspired from a recent trip to Florida. The National Gallery was sketched on a gorgeous day, a few weeks back.

Dream City

I wanted the place to have a sort of updated 'Arcadia' feel, like beautiful 18th century landscapes



Welcome Center Concept
Campus concept (I have to admit this one is heavily inspired from Cornell's beautiful clock tower)
Meditation Park concept


Early concept: Art director Mick McCarthy
These visuals were developed for an online health and wellness community concept.  Visitors to the site would navigate through a Welcome Center, campus, library, park, etc.. My stuff can sometimes get a little static, so I tried to give everything a sweeping, lyrical quality and feel. A place your mind could escape to for clarity and a little r&r. In the end, the clients decided to go in a photo direction. So if there's anyone out there in need of illustrations for a dream city, I have a few options ready to go!

NYC kids travel journals

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*reverse

*cover

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I created these bright and colorful NYC themed travel journals a few months back for Mudpuppy and they're out just in time for Summer! BIG THANK YOU to Cynthia, for the great direction and all the fun work - such a cool idea for younger travelers and those young at heart alike. Both are available for pre-order on amazon, here and here.