Blog
September 30th, 2013
They’re here! At long last, the Red Deck of the Tacoma Playing Cards is finished, printed and delivered.
(You’ll have to excuse my cheesy phone photos—I was just too excited to dig out the fancy camera.)
It’s so great to see the finished product, and how well everyone’s artwork reproduced at playing-card size. But you can also see the originals—if you’re local, stop by the big launch party this Friday, October 4 in downtown Tacoma. If not, you can find all the originals for sale on the Tacoma Makes website.
I illustrated the Queens again—and in the process, saw some secret pockets of Tacoma I’d never visited before.
I also got to revisit some old favorites,
get to know some beloved institutions,
and even discover hidden corners of old haunts.
But best of all is the feeling of seeing both decks together. Maybe now I’ll finally learn how to play Bridge…
September 18th, 2013
If you’re like me, and you need a break from the studio every once in a while, I’d recommend hopping on a ferry and heading for the San Juan Islands.
Spend a few days soaking up the sights,
and maybe bring along your paintbox.
I guarantee, you’ll leave refreshed and good as new.
September 8th, 2013
Jessica and I (and our friend Caitlyn) were invited to have a table at this yesterday’s Wayzgoose at the School of Visual Concepts in Seattle. We didn’t contribute a steamroller print this time, so it was fun to just be part of the audience outside, and enjoy the show! I love the sort of mischief that happens when a bunch of letterpress printers get together for a day.
August 28th, 2013
I’m pleased to be able to show off a couple of brand new illustrations! The Broadway Center for the Performing Arts commissioned me to illustrate their two historic theatres to kick off their new capitol campaign. They’ll be restoring and spiffing up these grand dames in time for their centennial in a few years, so expect to see these illustrations pop up around Tacoma between now and then.
Many thanks to Lacey and Mariesa at the Broadway Center for bringing me on board! It was an honor to be a part of such an important milestone.
August 20th, 2013
It’s the time of year where our kitchen is a lot hotter—and the days much longer—than anything summer might throw at us naturally.
The Tailor and I have been up late with the dilly beans,
out at dawn at the Blueberry Park,
and across the mountains to get peaches right off the tree.
And then everything has got to get washed and sliced—
—and packed into jars—as quickly as possible. It’s the best way we know how to make the fleeting summer last.
August 6th, 2013
I moved to Washington five years ago today. In that time, I’ve enjoyed a whole lot of apples,
beheld countless spectacular views,
stared out to sea a zillion times,
stood beside many lit (and unlit) beacons,
memorized every crag of my favorite mountain,
lost count of all the city sunsets (even in the rainy Northwest!),
and numbered my lucky stars over and over again that I get to call this place home.
August 2nd, 2013
I just got back from a return trip to Victoria—this time with the Tailor in tow.
We were only there for a couple of days, but long enough for me to see the Gardens—and sketch them—
—in their summer colors.
This was the Tailor’s first trip to Victoria, so I got to relive some favorite experiences with him.
Others, on the other hand, were new to both of us—
—and some were complete surprises.
Best of all, I think we had a chance to see the city in its best light.
July 12th, 2013
The other day I received the most peculiar thing in the post, from a couple who had recently purchased my Local Conditions artist book.
I opened it up, and inside was their own version of the book, made out of vintage postcards!
I’m pretty sure this is, hands down, the best thing anyone has ever sent me in the mail.
July 7th, 2013
I just finished decking out Dandelion Wishes with new handmade shop decorations for summer! I took down the robin’s eggs, daffodils and rain clouds of the spring window dressing, and traded them for ice cream cones, sea stars, sunglasses and a whole flock of wheeling seagulls. So if you’re local, swoop on down and check them out!
June 28th, 2013
More than a thousand towns and cities in the U.S. are lucky enough to have had a Carnegie Library under their belt, and Tacoma is no exception. Today, our Carnegie Library is a wing of the expanded main campus of the Tacoma Public Library—and the rotunda now houses the fabulous Northwest Room, the ultimate resource for Tacoma and Northwest history. It’s a gorgeous space, and beloved in these here parts. So I figured it would be a perfect addition to the Red Deck of the Tacoma Playing Cards.
I didn’t think they’d take kindly to me breaking out the watercolors in a room full of rare books, but I was at least able to do the line drawing on-site. (‘Scuse the wobbly iPhone photo.) And that’s always a tricky prospect for me—I always do as much drawing from life possible, but I’d much rather disappear into the woodwork while doing so. My drawings are always better when I can concentrate uninterrupted. The trouble is, the only place I can consistently sketch in public without anyone noticing me is New York. Here in Tacoma—where I run into someone I know at least once a day—it’s a different story.
In the Northwest Room there was a table right in front of me, which would have made me far less conspicuous while sketching. But in order to get the point of view I wanted, I had to stand dead-center in an aisle, right in the middle of the room. Yet not once in the hour-plus I stood there, sticking out like a sore thumb and obviously not doing what people normally do in there, did anyone bother me—or ask me what the heck I was doing, or make eye contact, or even register my existence.
I think I just found my new favorite sketching spot.
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