July 10th, 2014
Whenever I’m looking for a change of pace, my default is to head for a coffee shop and work there. This time, though, I wanted something a little different—and besides, I needed some reference material for some additions to my Succulent! series I’m working on. So I strapped on my walking shoes and headed to another Tacoma favorite: the glass conservatory at Wright Park. The cacti are right as you walk in the door, and there’s a convenient bench nearby. So I just plopped myself down and set to work, happier than a hothouse flower.
September 21st, 2013
Now that the rainy season is starting again, I keep thinking about my amazing trip to the Chihuahuan Desert last year. Here in Washington, the rains make everything lush and green for most of the year. In the Texas desert, a single thunderstorm was enough to make every cactus for miles burst into bloom. The Tailor and I were so lucky to be able to witness something so rare and fleeting—especially since at the time of our visit, they were in the middle of a record drought.
Those cactus blooms have stuck with me ever since, and I just can’t seem to get them out of my head. So I decided to do something about it—I’ve started a new series of illustrations called Succulent! Instead of letterpress prints, these are purely paintings. I’m just getting started, so here are the first two for now—look for prints to appear in the shop soon!
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