Fall days

 

Orchard scene from HELLO, WORLD!  How Do Apples Grow?  Fall afternoons at the orchard can feel magical.  I love the golden light, the deep shadows, the cool breeze & seeing families enjoy nature together.

Wildflowers

 

Here's a gathering of different wildflowers before the first frost whisks them away.  This is a piece I painted a couple years ago & was a card for Design House Greetings.  

Did you know there are supposed meanings behind each different flower?

Purple Clover- Resolution

Daisy- Innocence

Dandelion- Growth & hope

Forget Me Not- pretty straight forward... don't forget me

Morning Glory- Affection

Thistle- Overcoming adversity/ difficulty

Queen Anne's Lace- Safety

Sunflower- Love & luck

It would be fun to build a bouquet around each flowers meaning & make a little chart for the recipient to decode the personalized message.  Flowers bring me joy!

Autumn Orchard

 

Today we did our annual trip to the orchard.  I tend to forget how pretty it is until we arrive.  This year delivered once again but it did feel different.  This was my families first trip without our sweet friend Gina.  She'd been a staple for seasonal outings like this for the past 15 years.  This got me thinking of her & I decided to paint a vintage floral this morning in her honor before we headed out.  She loved all things vintage & I think she would of liked this. (although would have preferred it to be shades of aqua, not pink)  Miss you G!  

Pink lady apples are my favorite... I think that's why I had my mind set on pink for this floral.

Fading flowers

 

My garden blooms are fading.  The nights are cooler now, the shadows are stronger & there's a change in the air.  Tried to capture some of that in my mini sketchbook.

 There are two new HELLO, WORLD! coloring pages to celebrate my new releases, BABY ANIMALS and ON the FARM.  You can find these and many more HELLO, WORLD! coloring pages on my website.  Just head to the HW COLORING PAGES section, hit download, grab some crayons & have some fun!

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N.Y.C.

 

 

Thinking about NYC today.  Three weeks after turning 18 I headed off to art school at Parsons School of Design.  When I graduated I worked in the city for a couple years.  Missing home I left to head back to the Midwest about one month before 9-11.  Manhattan is a special place–there's really nothing like it.  In an big city that can be known as a gruff, cold place I always felt a sense of community and kindness.

My heart goes out to everyone carrying the burden of that very sad day.

On the Farm

 

There's another new title out in my Hello, World! series... it's On the Farm.  The farm is a lively place– I hope you enjoy taking a look.

 

We start early morning at the farm where there's work to be done.  We meet some animals, harvest some crops then head off to the farmers market to sell some of the farm goods.  A simple, fun breakdown of farm to table to share with toddlers.

Sunflower Farm

 

Over the weekend we drove to Kansas to visit a sunflower farm.  It was spectacular this year & felt like just the boost of beauty I needed.  

There was bright, bold yellow for as far as your eye can see.

 

 

Up close you could see the special symmetry of the petals & seeds.

With different bugs sprinkled on top the blooms.

 

I love sharing this little moments with my son- flower.

(who at 14 has grown much taller than me)

BABY ANIMALS

 

WELCOME…. Baby Animals the next book in my Hello, World early learning series. (out today)  I made this book during the first couple months of lockdown.  I reached out to my editor and told her I’d love to make a book that felt like a safe, happy hug.  Baby Animals explores a variety of creatures some furry, some feathered, some big & small the commonality here is like us they all started out as a baby.  

 

 

 

 

Each spread features a different animal and the help it receives starting out.

Hope this brings a smile to your face when you share it with the little ones in your life.

Did you know... *A baby swan is called a cygnet.

 

 

 Here's a glimpse at some of the original art in the book.

 

Labor Day

 

It's hard to let summer go! (sigh)

Like a squirrel I wish I could hoard it away in a safe spot and quickly dig it up when needed. Here's to one last, long summer weekend.  *** ENJOY!***

September

 

Here we are SEPTEMBER... already.  I associate this month with sunflowers.  Each September we visit a sunflower field in Kansas.  The drive is long & boring.  We travel down what feels like an endless gravel road until you see the bright field of deep yellow up ahead.  I love the height and strength of sunflowers & the way their bright blooms follow the sun throughout the day.  They're the last flower to appear each summer and worth the wait and the big dose of Benadryl my son & I take before hand. (they make us sneeze!)

I'm not a winter person & slipping into the colder month is something I dread. Little reminders- like the sunflower field at the end of each summer gives me something to look forward to and make the transition into the colder weather a little easier.