Flowertype!

It's no secret I love plants. Our home is 3 ferns short of a jungle and I love it.

I've also been playing with plants as a decoration for type recently (art mimics life?) and was thrilled to be able to pull out some of my experimentations for a new project.

From my sketchbook; my initials in flowertype

A few weeks ago I started a project for a terrific friend of mine; the goal to create a sign/framed image with her name to be hung in her new office. I wrestled with a few different types of hand-illustrated lettering, but nothing really felt right. It looked 'ok', but it certainly wasn't exciting.

After a full day of sketching, erasing, more sketching and more erasing, I found myself flipping through my sketch book for ideas. And whambam, found the above page.

Immediately inspired and excited to try this method of lettering for her project, I started to work.

5 hours later, it was complete.

It was a joy to work on, start to finish... which has inspired me to do a few more posters in this same style. On my list of words to illustrate, "Love" was immediately suggested, as was "Peace." It was such a great project, I'm totally taking requests. Any thoughts on other words?

Eli and Edythe Broad Art Museum

Having officially opened in November of 2012, I am ashamed to say this was my first visit.

I remember hearing about the groundbreaking back in 2010 and even got a chance to walk by during construction in the hours before a friends on-campus wedding, but this is the first time I've been able to step inside.

Before that however, I'd have to make it past the outside. I must have walked around the museum 3 or 4 times; gazing up at the grand angles, admiring the lines of each facade and just drooling over the building in general.

Once I *eventually* made it through the doors, we proceeded through the exhibits.

Mithu Sen: Border Unseen

Imran Qureshi: The God of Small Things

We took about an hour, slowly walking around the space and taking it all in. Was a fantastic experience.

Added bonus; after lunch at a nearby restaurant we looked down at the sidewalk to see more of Imran Qureshi's work!

Excuse the shadow...

It was the same coloring/technique, but seeing it on the sidewalk really referenced blood/street violence. A whole new perspective on the pieces we saw earlier.

I'm so glad I *finally* got a chance to stop by my alma mater's new museum and I will be eternally jealous of all the students that are able to show their work within it's walls. If I had only waited to graduate by 6 years...

Sunprints Up North!

I just returned from a wonderful week up in Michigan -- filled with flowers, arts (see follow-up post on our museum trips) and delicious craft beer.

We started out in Lansing after attending the 2014 Common Ground Music Festival, which was an absolute blast. AND I got to see Braid. Success!

How beautiful is this stage?

We stayed an extra day in East Lansing to walk around the MSU campus (where my husband and I met/graduated) and to make our way over to the new art museum. I'll cover that trip in an additional post shortly :)

From there it was off to Grand Rapids, where we met with more friends, visited Founders (finally), the UICA and a shop I've been dying to see; Have Company.  Truly a wonderful (and very full) day.

Once back in Ann Arbor, I decided to walk around my parents yard photographing plants and thinking about how I wanted to play with the Sunprint kit I brought up with me.

My parents have a 'butterfly garden' attached to their regular garden. I love all the thistles and resident bees!

Pretty fun dead rose leaf. 

I ended up convincing the husband, my brother and his girlfriend as well as my mom into making a few sunprints with me, so it turned into an awesome group project. We made a mess.

We're back in Florida now, and I'm busy updating, sketching, printing... all those things I couldn't get to while away. We had a wonderful trip - but it's always so nice to be home :)

Seabirds and Paddleboards

I adore living in Miami. 
Aside from our mouthwatering guava pastries and the delicious/ever-flowing café con leche, having access to the water is a huge plus for me.

My favorite office.

As of a year or so ago I've been extending my water adventures to the realm of paddleboarding, and while I am pretty sure I am not very skilled at the activity -- I love it.

Lulubelle, pre-deck rigging.

Taking my usual coastal exploration slowly and relatively silently into the bays and channels around Miami has been a wonderful source of inspiration and meditation for my work. My paddle board (affectionately named Lulubelle) has given me a literal platform with which to observe and enjoy the natural world of South Florida from a totally different perspective.

Also, Pelicans.

Pelicans have always been one of my favorite animals. Being able to paddle out to the buoys and old abandoned docks they frequent has given me a chance to get up and close and personal with these beauties, and I am so grateful for it.

I went paddleboarding this past weekend up at Oleta and while I didn't see any Pelicans I did manage to get stuck in a small storm. As invigorating as it was to fight the rain and the waves, having a friend in a kayak tow me to the rest of the boats was incredibly welcome.

After I returned home (and napped), I set to drawing the pelicans I didn't happen to see that particular day.

Finished!

I added the gilded triangle this morning to finish up the 13 x 19 illustration. I love quick little projects like this, but am now just aching to get back on the paddle board and find something new to draw.

Or more pelicans.