Botanically Speaking

Lately, I've been drawing and painting plants - lots of plants. Specifically medicinal plants. And I couldn't be happier.



A friend from college pointed a co-worker in my direction for some watercolor illustration work recently. It's been an absolute dream working with Steph (founder/organizer of Herbstalk) to make the 2014 poster for the event as well as planning some other work for her personal business FlowerFolk Apothecary.



Another local herbalist, Jennie of Wildflower Revolution, contacted me for some banners and I'm working on those too.



If herbalists are my new client base - I AM HAPPY TO WORK. Keep it coming, folks. Let me draw every plant for you always.

My dad has always had a cabinet filled with dried leaves and medicinal tinctures for just about every ailment you could wander into his house with so working for folks in the business of healing plants means the world to me.

In other/semi-related news...

I've been taking a break from shows/fairs for a while but this year I will be vending at Herbstalk in June and Jamaica Plain Open Studios in September. My semi-new self employment status keeps me secluded a lot of the time and I miss talking to folks about my work so I'm excited for a couple of events in 2014.

All the new work I plan to show is plant-focused and I'm working on some very specific items just for the herbalists!


[Screen printed organic cotton drawstring medicinal plant bags - debuting at Herbstalk in June]

I have spring on the brain and the promise of little sprouts and getting back into the community garden is very motivational. This New England winter has been a doozy (similar to ones I remember as a kid) and I'm ready for a break in the snow and wind departments.



That's what's going on over here!
xo
Sarah

Blizzard Dispatch

Boston is digging out of a storm that brought us over twenty inches of snow over the past couple of days. The streets of our Jamaica Plain neighborhood are narrow and have tall white walls on either side. We have been hunkered down since Friday, venturing out to run essential errands only - post office, tea, sledding mid-storm, a stroll around the block, shoveling.

There are still a lot of people without power and as the snow gets melty and heavy, it can be dangerous but, holy cow, it is so beautiful and otherworldly right now.






The brightly-painted victorians wear the white so well!






The pub down the block is open!






Hard to believe we'll be planting tiny seedlings here in a couple of months.



More here: February Blizzard Flickr Set.

Hope you are weathering the weather.
xo
Sarah

If you can call it work.

New England Winter is fully upon us and it's time to get cozy and/or begrudgingly scramble around the city on errands as quickly as possible.

Indoors...

Cat assistants


Taking stock of winter reading.


High-quality breakfasts.

Outdoors...

Bundled-up walks do nearby urban wilds.


Delivering art and wholesale orders is a great excuse for a quick cozy lunch.

The paintings in-transit above are now at Gather Here for the month of February. Eleven original watercolors of varying sizes looking for new homes (and priced to move). Later this month I will be teaching a (sold out!) screen printing workshop at GH. Next month I will be teaching the same workshop at Eliot School here in JP.

So that's my life lately. I'm currently painting when I can, acting as a (very) part-time teacher and a full-time small business owner (seeking new wholesale customers for screen printed goods and stationery). It feels pretty good and we'll see if I can keep pursuing this combination of things as my capital J Job. Wish me luck! :)

xo
Sarah

Weekend Bits - January 8 & 9

Brunch with friends at Sherman Cafe


Heading to Somerville.


Visit to the sleeping winter garden.


New watercolor set!


Working.


...and of course, the cats.

Good things...

Hello Internet!

Happy post-valentines day. To celebrate C and I stuffed our faces at Bon Savor and watched a robot play Jeopardy. Very romantic.

A good friend was in town briefly last week and we went to see the new Art of the Americas wing at the MFA.






The wing is DENSELY packed full of incredible pieces. We were on a tight time-budget so we breezed through but I look forward to going again soon and taking my time.

What else? We've been having a little bit of a thaw here and I saw some little sprouts peeping up out of the ground yesterday. Can't wait to see you more often, friends!


I'm working on a few new things for spring. New silkscreen designs and hopefully some painting. The Button Bird Pillows are going back into production for another wholesale order for Hunt & Gather and for my shop.
Sneak preview:


OH! And ... my boxing kangaroo is in a forthcoming book!

Last year someone from Chronicle Books contacted me about submitting my beard&glasses design to be in a little book. She said it was an art/craft inspiration book and all of the images were going to be text-based.

I sent the beard&glasses along with my "when two people love each other VERY much" onesie and my boxing kangaroo. And look who is now in a book!

Good for him! I hope people find him inspiring rather than kind of sad. The book isn't out yet but it's up for pre-order here.
xo
Sarah

Already February...

Hello Internet.

We are still feeling hibernate-y and quiet over here.

Curtis and I are building the Taj Mahal (in lego).



Our neighborhood has been deadly with icicles and snow-eating chairs.


The house is still cozy.


The Etsy shop has been busy!


I feel like all is quiet now but there are a lot of exciting things coming up. I'm in the process of buying plane tickets to Alaska (!!!) with high school friends to go visit our other friend who lives in the Lake Clark National Preserve. (Just looking for that link now, I learned that Lake Clark Park was where Dick Proenneke's cabin is! I had seen his documentary last year but had no idea we would be in the very same park. Amazing!)

Have a delightful week!
~Sarah

Busy in the real world...

I haven't been doing much drawing lately. Some doodly bits now and then while visiting my friend Megan at her studio.

But I've been nesting into the new place, playing Little Big Planet 2, organizing art supplies, printing cards and packing etsy orders, visiting with friends, cooking, hibernating, trudging around in the snow.

Here are a few other things that have been going on:

PLANT PARTY!
C and I took a botany class recently.



I came across it on the Arnold Arboretum website. The 5 hour (super beginner level) course took place at the lovely Wellsley College Greenhouses. It was fun and silly and the greenhouses were otherworldly.







I took pretty good notes and hope to keep drawing plants for the next few months to keep me sane (and warm) through the remainder of winter. (Last I checked, Boston had enjoyed almost 50" of snow this winter... and we have more on the way tonight. I love to get cozy at home and walk around in the clean white but I'm tired of wearing boots and big coats. Ready for spring!)

CAT PROJECT!
We've started the process of toilet-training our cats. It seems to be going right on schedule but I think it will be a long and winding road with many clean-ups along the way.
I am (sporadically) documenting it over at The Cats' Bath.
Oh and as a reward for their cooperation I've been letting them watch episodes of The Life of Mammals with me. (They love David Attenborough too!)



GETTING COZY!
The bedroom is pretty much my project and we're just about finished in there. I have plenty more to frame and hang but everything else is settled I think.






That's all the news for now.
More soon I hope.
xo
Sarah