Tambourine Dreams

When I first joined a group of some friends playing music a few years ago, I bought a new tambourine that I couldn't wait to paint -- an idea very much fueled by the inspiration of favorite art heroes, The Fool: a Dutch design collective who got their start in the late 1960s (a good article about them contemporary to their heyday found here, and I've also pinned some favorite images along the way for even more visual reference). Their colorful vision extended into every aspect of life: from album covers, clothing designs, painted furniture, murals and more, exemplifying that art is truly a way of living. They even recorded an album of their own, which I am happy to have in my collection! 

Late last year I was excited to receive a private commission of another tambourine: 

Happily it arrived safe & sound across the Atlantic to London, to the home of a lovely lady with a golden voice! I painted it with several layers of fluorescent acrylic, shiny metallic gold (difficult to entirely capture in the photo), and a few rings of glow-in-the-dark paint around the top. 

On-stage glow! Photo via Ellie

The Magnetic Mind

While the process was definitely different from my favorite medium of watercolor/ink on paper, I loved doing these projects. Combining two great passions of art and music is always a perfect match! 

⇋☼⇌ Recent Work ⇋☼⇌

Working on this colorful illustration for Michelle at The Sacred Expanse was so much fun and turned out to be one of my favorite commissioned projects! She had a specific celestial image concept in mind to reflect her offerings: workshops and events focused on intuitive, spiritual well-being and harmony in the everyday. We incorporated balanced imagery of the sun and moon with silver and gold acrylic paint surrounded by watercolor, arced with a vibrant rainbow and an overall geometric vision of symmetry. 

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It's always an honor and privilege to be trusted in helping someone's business come alive in image-form, and while the nature of my work doesn't usually lend itself to logos, when my friend Suzy spoke with me about what she had in mind for her business ILLUME (professional organizing services with a focus on Feng Shui), I was more than happy to be a part! From start to finish, this design was hand-drawn and painted, with a black and white design chosen to represent the main logo as it is flexible and graphically bold. For the full-color image, an ink circle still surrounds the watercolor butterfly, kept simple with black, white, and a warm turmeric yellow. 

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Image via Craft Not Crap

When Nick contacted me about collaborating with him on the label for his latest beer, Spirit Braid, part of the Brewer & Artist Series at Hardywood Park Craft Brewery, I jumped at the chance! I had been wanting to work on a project like this for a long time and was so excited for the opportunity - and I love this brewery! Such a supportive group of people for all things Richmond. As a Lead Brewer at Hardywood, Nick has an affinity for saisons: this would be an effervescent farmhouse-inspired ale brewed with a hearty blend of yeasts, raw organic wheat and oranges, light and perfect for the warmer Virginia spring days. He wanted something simple and lettering-focused, with a small braid and feathers as an accent illustration to complement. To capture the bright elements of the beer, I painted the Spirit Braid lettering in a pinkish-red watercolor with bursts of yellow orange to represent the pops of citrus.

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Definitely click through the links to visit the websites for more info on all!