stuff about artstuff.

Illustration Friday: Bicycle

A fitting subject for Earth Day, don't you think?

I haven't played along with IF for a while so it was kinda fun to see this subject in my in-box this morning when this was already one of the drawings floating around my brain, in the running for sharing with you all today in honor of clean, fresh air and all.
You might still find this design lurking around as a garden flag by Toland Home Garden or coasters by Legacy Publishing, although it's been a few years for both products.

As for today, I suggest you go ride a bike over to your favorite tree and give it a big hug for me, ok?  Happy Earth Day, everyone.

Good Things.

Taking a peek around this blog, one might get the impression that heads are planted firmly in the sand over here at The Artstuff's.  Although I can't deny being at least a little bit self-absorbed now and then (quite often more than I'd like) the empty yet peaceful grasshopper-chirping sound coming from this corner of The Interwebs on the subject of The Outside World (beyond my immediate studio and garden) has not been due to lack of concern, frustration, anger, even heartbreak over the tragedies and atrocitites going on in the world.

Partly because I'm still having difficulty wrapping my little brain around so many sad and terrible things; my heart feels heavy and sometimes my brain and stomach feel like they don't remember which parts of my body they should be sitting quietly in.  And partly because I would like this to be a place where maybe you and I both could escape those feelings and think, just for a minute, about things like pretty flowers, or nice drawings, even nice drawings of pretty flowers.
And speaking of a little much-needed positive energy, I just discovered this neato little news site that focuses on good stuff, thanks to one of my favorite blog-lurks ... just this morning I subscribed so they'll send "one good thing a day" to my email box, seems like that might be, well, good.

North Head Lighthouse

I thoroughly enjoyed visiting this beautiful old piece of Washington State history last month.

Although aged architecture in decay makes for a neato artsy photo-op, it's not necessarily the respect that should be shown to our historical monuments.

There is a wonderful group, "Keepers of the North Head Light", who are working toward properly restoring the old beauty.

You can see some of the masonry work already done by students from the Historic Preservation Field School at the University of Oregon.

I'm not sure exactly why, but I seemed to have gotten giddy enough while there that I forgot some very basic and vital information about myself. I have extreme acrophobia. Like, standing-on-a-chair-is-too-high-phobia. But caught in some sort of moment - most likely I was out of my mind from the tsunami-advisory-excitement of the day - I seemed to be determined to go up inside and see it for myself.
Halfway up the first flight of stairs, it struck me, "holy crap girl, just what do you think you are doing?"

Those of you who know me well, feel free to answer aloud, in unison:

What is the one thing in the world I hate more than anything else?

"Stairs you can see through."

And what else?

"Stairs with no railings."

Thank you.

Once started, though, I couldn't exactly back down on my hands and knees (you think I'm joking?) and ask for my donation back. I'm sorry, I've changed my mind. I don't really care about your dumb old lighthouse any more. I'm going home now. So I looked up and kept going.
It was worth it. Really cool.

I hesitated for only a second looking at the stairs below, realizing I pretty much had no other choice but to take a deep breath and step down

but that's the only good thing about stairs-that-you-can-see-through - you can see-through much less going back down. And even better, point-and-shoot digital cameras can be held out from one's body while one is firmly pasted to the wall (look at me, I'm wallpaper. I dare you to peel me away). I had no idea what these next 2 shots looked like until I was back down on level ground.

If you're in Southern Washington it's worth a visit, and the folks who are organizing the fundraising/restoration efforts are super nice and are passionate about what they're doing. For more info about their organization or to find out about making a tax-deductible donation, you can contact:

The Keepers of the North Head Lighthouse

PO Box K, Ilwaco, WA 98624

or email them at KeepersOfNorthHead@gmail.com

They're Asking You and Me...

The Federal Government (yes, that Federal Government) wants to hear from you about how copyright law effects you.  No, really, they do.  Let y0ur voice be heard, creative friends and those who care about the rights of all artists and creators!

Please visit this post on Sue Zipkin's blog for the full story.

In the Art Licensing community, we have all been faced with infringement situations on some scale; when those new to the industry ask me about this issue I tell them "it's just a matter of time before it happens to you" and I don't mean that in a "we're all doomed" sort of way, it's just how things are out there.  It's so important that the law continues to protect artists as it always has in these cases, and grows and changes with the digital age as new media becomes available to the public, including those who would take advantage of others.

This is our chance, they're making it simple - you can do it in an email - please take a moment to speak out about how important Intellectual Property Enforcement is to you, and to all of us.

Thanks to Sue and to the Copyright Alliance for getting the word out about this! 
And thanks to the Copyright Alliance for all the great work they're doing.  You can find out more on their website.

The Wave that Wasn't

It was our last full day out at the coast, and after a very busy week, I was looking forward to a quiet day with no plans ... my art supplies were spread around me on the table, and I was sipping the last of my morning coffee going back and forth between drawing and just watching the rain outside.

That came to a screeching halt with a knock on the door, word about the tragedy in Chile, and a warming that there had been a tsunami advisory for the coast.  The beaches were closed (the much anticipated clamming weekend was canceled until further notice) and although there wasn't an official evacuation in place, many were packing up and heading inland.  Although they were only predicting 2-4 foot swells where we were, that seemed significant enough for concern sitting beach-side, right at sea level on a 28 mile peninsula sticking out into the ocean.  Looking out into the surf, or what you could see through the mist, it was easy to imagine the unknown dangers lurking beyond. 
We scurried around between the television news coverage, worrying about friends and loved ones in Hawaii and Guam, starting to pack, then deciding not to leave ... finally settling on packing up "a little bit" (we would be leaving the next day, anyway) putting some stuff up on tables or shelves "just in case" and heading to higher ground for a few hours.  We decided to make our final decision after reports started coming in from the more southerly beaches.

For us, "higher ground" was a place we'd been talking about visiting anyway ... just maybe at a little more leisure.

There seemed to be a little more traffic than usual, everyone was out doing something: heading to the north end of the peninsula where there were a few hills, heading south to go back inland, or chuckling at those who were doing so from a beer-drinking bonfire party along the highway.

The sun was back out as we arrived at our destination, and we were greeted by cheerful blooms along the path. 
Heading along the trail we'd get ever increasing glimpses of the dramatic ocean below.




 
It seemed a lot of other people had the same idea as we had...
There's just something about lighthouses. 
The symbol of safety, protection; 
looking down from a lighthouse one is easily reminded what could happen to ships if it wasn't here, guiding them away from the rocks.


 
I have much more to share with you about this particular lighthouse, North Head Light - but that will have to wait for another post. 
For now, well, you already know how this story ends.  After a while, reports started coming in that Hawaii had "dodged a bullet"; folks headed back down the trail to their cars, and eager clammers were already gathering on the beach below.
Although there seemed to be a collective sigh of relief upon hearing that the Pacific was no longer in immediate danger, I can't say the mood actually lightened, as the fact remained that earlier that morning, hundreds of Chileans had lost their lives, and it was indeed a sad day.

Thank You!

Big thanks to everyone who purchased items from my Etsy shop during my Haiti-donation promotion, from February 1 through March 10.

Although news coverage of the crisis has tapered off, the Haitian people have a long struggle ahead and are just now facing the rainy (hurricane) season without proper infrastructure, and many are still without shelter.  

With your help, $314 was donated by the Artstuff Studio Store to the Clinton Bush Haiti Fund, where 100% of the donations received went directly to supplying food, water, shelter, and medical aid to the people of Haiti. and I couldn't have done it without you!  You really are the Bees Knees! 

Every Little Bit Helps...

I'm in the process of (finally) adding a few new things to my Etsy store ... starting with some lovey kissy huggy mushy red-and-pinky themed prints.  Yeah, I'll be bringing them out in honor of Valentine's Day but really, they are prints you might just want to love all year round. 

Like this guy. 
It's been pretty cool to see the art and crafts communities come together to raise money for the efforts in Haiti.  New Etsy shops donating to the cause are popping up left and right, and many with existing shops are donating from their own sales.  My friend Jane found a program called Giving Works on eBay where sellers can donate any percentage they choose to the charity of their choice, and eBay takes care of the details (and Jane is donating 100% of the final sale price of her beautiful digital scrapbooking collections, you should check them out!).

I've been really wanting to join in myself, and have finally gone and figured out the details and updated my own store to do so; and for the entire month of February, I will be donating 100% of the price of all items sold in my Etsy store to relief and recovery efforts ... see my store for details.  And do check back - I will be adding more new goodies there in the days to come.

Helping Haiti

Have you been meaning to do something but haven't gotten around to it yet?

Google has a handy page of buttons and links where you can donate any amount directly to your choice of charities:  UNICEF, CARE, Red Cross, Mercy Corps, Save the Children, Doctors Without Borders, and a number of others - plus codes where you can text (if you're in the US) to donate to Red Cross, Yele Haiti, or Direct Relief directly from your phone.  Just click here, it's super simple, and any little bit can make a difference. 
Sending thoughts and prayers to all those affected by this tragedy.

Illustration Friday: Legendary

From my Moleskine: just a little ode to some of the legendary icons of Seattle. 

After the last issue yesterday, the Seattle Post Intellignecer, our city's oldest  newspaper, joined the ranks of the Kalakala, the Twin Teepees, Frederick and Nelson, the Rainier Brewery, the Supersonics, and countless other entities and landmarks which are now just part of our city's history. 

The PI was around since those old-timey prospector days, when this place was the Gateway to the Klondike. 

Now, it will exist as an online-only news source.   

Those local folks who found themselves unemployed after the last run on Monday night can in all fairness lash out at me for even mentioning this, let alone go on and on as I'm about to. Lash away guys.  Sure, I can wax nostalgic about the daily newspaper as an institution, about the smell of the ink and tactile quality of rough newsprint, with a sudden unexpected fondness for the grubby black smudges on my hands and clothes, or even that little jerk who used to manage to crush at least one blooming bulb every time he blindly tossed a paper over my fence. I can ramble annoyingly about a world where co-workers would gather around a crossword puzzle during a break or strangers in a coffee-house or on the bus would share sections of the paper rather than avoiding all human contact by texting or web-surfing.

I could go on and on...but I'm one of the guiltiest parties in the decline of the daily news printed on a piece of paper. Like many others, I learned the news about the PI's last day online.

I know.

Who am I to wax nostalgic over something I did nothing to support when it most needed me? Well, I'm just a serial nostalgia-waxer...I can't help it. I still turn my head trying to focus quickly as I drive past, hoping to catch a glimpse of the skinny-house in Montlake or the weird-white-lump "building" on lower Queen Anne, only to see shiny perfect boxes that look the same as everything else built in the last decade; I feel a painful little tug from deep inside when I realize I'll never again eat a greasily delicious after-hours feast at The Doghouse, where the fluorescent orange gooey goodness oozing from my grilled sandwich is rivaled in cheesiness only by the drunken sing-along led by Dick Dickerson and his organ that wafts from the dark bar along thick clouds of cigarette smoke.

Yeah, I'm the girl who actually paid money for a carload of stinky old chairs and tables from the Music Hall before it was torn down, who dragged my nephew to the imploded carcass of the Kingdome the day they opened the site to the public to gather armloads of broken concrete, small pieces that had once been our big round stadium. So it seemed only natural that I would actually make the effort to buy that final issue of the PI yesterday (again, the former employees can all shout "where were you last month, last year...?" while throwing things at me, I'll take it). But I was too late anyway. Boxes all over the city were empty by the time we started looking at noon. My own jaded guess was that before the sun even came up, armloads were taken all at once after dropping in the first few quarters to open a box, and that they would all show up today on eBay.  I'm afraid I was right.

I'm nostalgic but I'm not crazy.

Stuff changes, and I guess that's ok.

But something that will remain unchanged is that I will always speak fondly of things I remember from our city's past, with little stars...or are those little kitschy neon signs...in my eyes. Those of you with JP Patches episodes on DVD tucked away in the back of your  media cabinet, who, try as you might, can't help but crack a smile when you hear the words keep clam, you will understand what I mean.

Sustainable Decor!

We all get a bit of a thrill around here when UPS or FedEx arrives with samples.

Molly loves to hate box-trucks and is beside herself, barking and dancing like a maniac the second one pulls up in front of the house. After thoroughly inspecting the package and learning the complete background of every warehouse worker and driver who touched it along the way, she steps back and lets Flossie take over.                  

Flossie especially loves boxes with tissue....    

And for me, it's like Christmas morning every time I get to see new product samples for the first time. I squeal, I  rip packaging, I might even hop up and down, I am not even one bit cool about it.  

Everyone's talking about sustainability and going green. Eco buzzwords are swarming around us in advertisements and media like yellowjackets to a late-summer picnic. You hear an awful lot of talk...but the folks at Toland Home and Garden are literally putting their money where their mouths are, and have come out with a line of garden flags made from recycled water bottles! How cool is that?  

These flags are beautiful and bright, the fabric is sturdy and hangs nicely, and I'm so pleased with how my art looks on them! They are the same great quality flags Toland has always been known for...but you can now feel even better about showing them off in your garden! Each flag has saved 6 16-oz plastic bottles from going into a landfill. I love this. And Toland has even packaged them in recycled plastic and paper.  

Along with these 5 new designs they have also produced my Breathe and Seasons images (remember these?) as part of their new "RE" (for recycled) line. You'll find them all here and in your local garden center...and as always, links to other current online retailers can always be found on the Retail Partners page of my website.

It's pretty awesome for me to see my art on this kind of product, and I do hope you enjoy them too!

And while I'm on the subject...you can also now find my Conserve design as a cool stretched-canvas print by Elsa L at a Target store near you! 

Hope, and Then Some.

Here's a word we're hearing a lot this week. 

And isn't that nice, after all? Feels good, the positive energy in the air. So refreshing in a dreary winter and difficult times. I do hope folks can keep the good-vibes part up...I'll try. Really I will.

Hope doesn't stand alone, though...it requires a little more for dreams to be realized. Hope goes hand in hand with Faith...believing in your heart what you can't see, knowing deep down that what has not yet come to be actually can, and will. (But wait, there's more). As feelgood and nicey-sounding as they are, those 2 things can't stand alone, either. We can't just sit back and hope for stuff...even with faith in our hearts, without doing anything about it, without action. Dreams require nurturing. Upkeep. Actual work. Thing is, when we're working toward stuff we care enough about to hope for and have faith in, it's not so much a chore, is it?

Yeah, I know.

I've been thinking a lot. Too much, you say? Sorry.

But all this thinking has inspired me with the last 3 better-late-than-never freebies I had promised you for Blogiversary week. I've taken my 3 designs, Hope, Faith, and Nurture, and created memo-pad designs from them for you to download and use to your little hearts' desire. 

You can view and download the high-resolution versions by clicking on each word: Hope, Faith, and Nurture. Saved and printed at 200dpi, they'll measure 4" x 11".

Being an avid list-maker myself (no, really...you have no idea) I thought it might be a fittingly useful item for these sentiments. I mean, what are lists if not little glimpses into the future of things that have not yet come to be; just a bunch of stuff that is hoped for, that you will work toward and accomplish. And then...well, then the really satisfying part comes: crossing the completed item off the list. I know some list-makers who relish in striking a long, straight line through the entire item. Others who get a thrill from completely blacking it out with scribbles. Myself, I'm a box-filler-inner...oh boy, do I love filling in boxes.

How do you cross off your completed tasks? I'm curious. Really I am.

I've always wondered what those different styles of list-crossing-off meant about people, if anything. It's one of those terribly unimportant non-scientific long-term polls (no, really long-term) I've been taking randomly since grade-school (yes, that long-term), right up there with why people who don't like either tomatoes, cucumbers, or watermelon usually don't like the other 2 either...and people whose elbows naturally pop outward when they lean on the heels of their hands on the edge of a table seem to have sticky-outy-er ribcages than those whose elbows stay inward when they lean that way.

As a little kid, the results seemed so much more conclusive and significant. These days it's simply an unfortunate situation if I accidentally fall into a conversation that has anything to do with lists, watery produce, or elbows; I can't help myself and all too soon I realize it would have been best had I kept those mysteries of my childhood to myself...but still, I wonder. Sort of.

Anyway, here's to feeling hopeful. And having faith that things will get better. And nurturing those dreams by working toward our goals. Together even.

And finally, I know I don't need to say this to you, but I have to put this here:

Downloadable "freebie" images from Stuff About Artstuff are protected under copyright law and are solely for the private use of my readers; they are not to be reproduced for commercial purposes of any kind. If you are interested in an image you see on this site for commercial use, please contact me to discuss licensing terms. Thank you!

Illustration Friday: Wise

This week's subject made me think about the eyes of our closest relative. How can one look into the eyes of a chimpanzee and not see the deep and profound wisdom and emotion they posess? 

This drawing was inspired by a photo of Moja, a beautiful being who was once part of CHCI, the Chimpanzee and Human Communication Institute at Central Washington University.

I drew it a few years ago, hoping a friend of mine would want to use it as the logo for the chimpanzee sanctuary he was about to start...one day I just blurted out, "I dreamed your logo last night...can I draw it?" and fortunately for me, he indulged me, and it is their logo.

Chimpanzee Sanctuary Northwest is an amazing organization. Since this past June, it has been home for 7 beautiful souls who suffered in captivity in labs for most of their lives. You may have seen their story on ABC News with Charlie Gibson last month.

I admit, even when I don't have time to keep up with my friends' art blogs, I start every day peeking at the chimps' blog to see pictures and videos of the "Cle Elum Seven" as they are now called. In a few short months the changes in their appearance and demeanor has changed dramatically; now in a home where they are finally able to nest, play, swing, see the sunshine for the first time, their true personalities are blossoming. And that deep, intelligent look in their eyes...where before there was pain and fear, you can now see peace. It's so cool.

I hope you check out their website and blog to see what great work they're doing, there are all sorts of links and info and cool stuff...and if you are able to consider making a donation there are many different ways to do so. There are fun and cool fundraisers and "Shop for a Cause" where all you have to do is shop (how hard is that, you were already going to, right?) and a portion of the profits will go to CSNW. And they just started a pretty neato thing called the Chimpanzee Pal program, where you can make a donation (spread out into several payments throughout the year if you like) and you'll receive a magnetic-framed photo of your chosen chimp, postcards to share, and a certificate...what a great gift idea.

These amazing creatures, our closest cousins, are wise...just look into those eyes.

Thanks.

Just having myself a little feelgood patriotic moment, and thought I'd share it with you.     I hope that whatever your feelings about political or other matters, whichever candidates and issues you supported and why, we can put that aside and you can share with me in feeling proud of ourselves, of our country...for record voting turnouts, for making history, for caring. Thanks, America. Thanks for caring.

Whether this past week has you feeling elated, disappointed, or just cautiously optimistic...it seems to me that the common thread for all of us, the thing we do agree upon, is that what we all really want is change, cooperation, and a hopeful light at the end of the tunnel we've found ourselves in financially, morally, and otherwise. Here's to all of us, as a country and a people, continuing to care and act, working together to get through that tunnel and arrive on the other side to bask in the light of our accomplishment, to continue to grow and become better people who live in a better world.

We're going to be okay after all.

...Because We Can.

 

International Day of Peace.

Did you know that Sunday, September 21 is International Day of Peace? Check this out to learn exactly what this is all about.

You may also already know this, but 2008 marks the 50th birthday of the Peace Symbol.

Together with licensing partners Books Are Fun, I created this note-card set commemorating that birthday, my Little Messages of Peace. The coordinating patterns were super-fun to design, but for me this project was so meaningful because the designs came truly from my heart, the words and images spilled onto the paper from deep inside me...more so than most projects I work on. Little Messages of Peace includes 12 different blank note-card designs in 3 decorative boxes, each box with a title theme: Imagine, Dream, and Peace. For those of you not familiar with Books Are Fun, they are a direct marketer selling products through school and corporate book fairs and online. These are truly the highest quality product, every detail is manufactured perfectly...the box-flaps open and close smoothly with a handy magnetic clasp; the color reproduction, the paper and print quality, top-knotch; even the interiors of the envelopes are decorated with my designs...every inch is covered and beautifully done. I love these cards, and I hope you will too! If you don't already have a Books Are Fun representative, you can contact them to find out more.

Also, big news (well, to me it's sorta big)! I finally finished setting up my Etsy store...and the first prints I will be featuring are (you guessed it) my Little Messages of Peace.

They are available as 11 X 14" and 18 X 24" prints. More prints and goodies will be coming soon...

When you have time, definitely check out the Happy Birthday Peace website, there is a neato gallery where people from all over the earth have shared (and you can, too) their versions of the Peace Symbol, videos, and a blog. Also, if you've never visited, be sure to visit Yoko Ono's interactive online peace event, Imagine Peace. This is an amazing e-book you can truly lose yourself in, a beautiful worldwide tribute to John Lennon and his dream for peace. Really, you ought to check it out. And I do hope you join me, as one of the Little Messages of Peace designs says: "pray for peace, imagine peace, live peace, dream peace, be peace."

Happy Peace Day everyone. One last thought, a quote from the IDP website: International Day of Peace is also a Day of Ceasefire – personal or political. Take this opportunity to make peace in your own relationships as well as impact the larger conflicts of our time. Imagine what a whole Day of Ceasefire would mean to humankind.

Here's wishing each and every one of you real peace on every level, on this and every day!

PPS (Peace post-script!) added on September 22nd:  Strangely (or maybe not) on Peace Day yesterday I was blessed to be the recipient of a random-act-of-kindness from a stranger, a true act of peace.

The kind gentleman who found (in the street, in the dark, on a rainy night) Husband-Guy's mega-phone (not like the big-horn-for-yelling-at-crowds kind of megaphone, but mega in that it has way too many keys...the entire alphabet and then some, and so many functions that require you to poke it with a stick because mere fingers are just too big) dried it off, figured out how to use the blasted thing (with the help of a teenager I understand) found "home" on it and called the number, kindly allowed me to come to his home to retrieve it...he may have known the significance of such an act on that particular day, but would have done it, I'm sure, whatever day it was.

As I scrambled to get dressed (was already watching TV in my jammies when the call came) and scurry out of the house to drive to the address scrawled on a post-it, I ran into my office wishing I had something to give him in return. What does one give someone who kindly saves a very expensive electronic gadget with one's husband's entire life programmed into it? A giant plate of freshly-baked cookies? A generous cash reward?

Not having either of those close at hand, I grabbed the first thing I saw...the Little Messages of Peace card set still on my desk after photographing it the other day for this post. I hesitated for a second, realizing it's my last set and wondering if that was a weird thing to give a stranger...but without a better idea scooped it up and ran out of the house, found his address in the dark, and ultimately shared a short yet warm, grateful, positive moment with a complete stranger who I may never see again in my life.

Upon returning home it hit me...that is what this day was about, and what true peace is about. Humans sharing random acts of kindness, to put down our arms (literal or figurative) long enough to connect with one another (too easy to forget how to do this).

Thank you, kind-stranger-who-stepped-on-a-phone-in-the-street, for the obvious...but also for reminding me what I've really been talking about all this time.

Well, Every Day Should Be...

But today actually is.

And in the spirit of promoting responsible environmental stewardship, my good friends at pcCrafter will be introducing my latest Creatables collection soon, with an Earth Day-ish theme. Here's a little sneak-peek at what will be included:
As I've talked about here before, I'm very aware that how I create and what I do for a living depends so heavily on our precious natural resources...but I've always tried my hardest to conserve in other ways to reduce my carbon footprint. Around here, everything possible has always been recycled, composted, reused...and well, we all know I don't throw anything away.

Then just last week I learned about (and immediately signed up for!) a program available here in Seattle where for a minimal extra fee added to each month's electricity bill we can purchase green power to cover up to 100% of our total energy use. Pretty neato, eh?

Oh...and in trying to follow a practice-what-I-preach approach, this particular collection of artwork for pcCrafter was created on tree-free paper and instead of using our previous shipping method, I was able to upload the files digitally saving additional paper, fuel and money, a method  I'm able to use with most of my clients now...which is awesome!

Really it's the baby steps we can all take, little simple stuff, that can make a difference...every little bit counts. I realize I am far-from-perfect (far-from-far...) but I'm trying to be better.

Personally I am pretty fond of this old planet and all the cool stuff on it, and would like to see it stick around a while after we're gone, so I'll continue to strive to be a better steward of this precious little rock I like to call home...and I'm hoping you agree.
 Happy Earth Day to all of you - today, and all year long...because every day should be, shouldn't it?

And if you have cool ideas or have just discovered something new (just new to you, or brand-new-to-everyone) to conserve, please share with me... I'd love to hear them and have them shared with others here!

Have You Hugged a Tree Today?

Here is another new garden flag by Toland Home Garden you'll find in stores this spring.

The original artwork was created on this really neato super-textury handmade hemp-based paper...it's really meant more for decorative uses, not so much for painting on (it's like painting on wet Kleenex) but I love the results and have fun with weird little challenges like that.
I wasn't quite sure about my original colors so after the art was scanned I played with them digitally...and that experimentation resulted in 2 garden flag designs!
 
What I do has always depended so heavily on trees. Along with that whole air-that-I-breathe thing, most of the paper that I draw and paint on, the hundreds of wood pencils on my desk, and ultimately the stationery products my artwork eventually become in order to make a living...it all has to come from somewhere.

So when long-time licensing partners Marian Heath approached me a few months ago to discuss working with them to design a logo for a new line of tree-free, chlorine-free, carbon-neutral, oil-free, certified-renewable-energy, and 100% recycled greeting cards, I eagerly started sketching away!
They've just introduced the new Love Mother Earth line of cards.

I can't tell you how proud I am that my little logo design is there on the back of each card representing Marian Heath's commitment to the environment!

I just received some samples of the cards...they are lovely. They are truly that high-quality and beautifully-designed product that the company is known for.

It's a very happy moment for this tree-huggin' granola-eatin' animal-pettin' hippie-chick-at-heart!

As companies like Marian Heath take this kind of big step toward saving the planet, it can remind each of us to take those little steps, day-to-day things, that we can do to make a difference.

Stay tuned in the coming months for more news about new green-projects I've got going with other licensing partners. I can't wait to share them with you!

In the mean time, thank a tree for all that nice air you get to enjoy and just...breathe.
Aaaahhhh.