Crimson Love

I have been drawing a lot of poppies lately and I'm not entirely sure why. 

I know the bright red makes me happy every time I look at it. I know the way the thin stem moves elegantly is poetry in itself. And I know that when I surround myself with them I can transport myself into a poppy forest with big giant poppies all dancing to the wind and me caught into one of those euphoric moments where everything is perfect, harmonious and beautiful. No better place than this.

Now if only one could hold on to this beautifully balanced moment for forever. 

No better place than this, available for purchase here

Poppy Love, available for purchase here.

Summer Poppies, available for purchase here.

Posing Poppies, available for purchase here

Poppy fileld, available for purchase here.

The Garden State

I love summer time. And this summer, so much has happened already. The most important being our move to New Jersey. Tarun and I are pro's at moving, fixing up and decorating new homes! We have been together nearly 5 years and have moved 4 times. What a journey! 

We’re absolutely in love with the new place. It’s much much bigger and we now have plenty of room to grow. The living & dining area has these amazing vaulted ceilings that makes the room feel huge! Every morning I wake up with sunlight streaming through the windows, drenching everything in a magical golden-white wash. After a hectic month of purging, packing, moving, cleaning and unpacking this is exactly what I need right now!

And of course, the studio space is dreamy and filled with sunlight too. Bunny Bee and I have a lot of room for work and play. Once the dust settles I will have time to take and post pictures. 

In the mean time here is some fresh foliage and a smattering of tiny flowers with a sweet message - drawn under the influence of crisp summer air and bountiful sunshine. Dream Big :)

Dream Big, available for purchase here. 

Have a blessed day everyone!

Baby Robin

Last Friday, Tarun found a Baby Robin hopping beneath the pine tree in our yard. She must have fallen from her nest and was too young to fly. He quickly fashioned a nest from a shoe box, and with the bird inside, secured it between two branches. We figured it would save her from prying cats (we have a lot of pet cats in our community) while her mom comes back to take care of her. Several hours passed but the mom did not show up and then it started pouring heavily. We could not let the baby bird die on our watch so we brought her in and placed her on a warm spot under a lamp.

She perked up a little once she was warm and comfortable and soon started hopping around the room. We fed her a little crushed and soaked cereal. Online forums recommended cat kibbles for baby birds so we made a trip to the pet store. Unfortunately, we could not bring ourselves to buy meat products, even to feed our little guest (Tarun and I are almost vegan). So it was back to the crushed and soaked cereal.

Next morning we made a few calls and found the White Flicker Wild Bird Rehabilitation Clinic in Ambler, PA. They take care of wild birds. We spoke to a really nice lady, took her address (1460 Dillon Rd, Ambler, PA 19002) and drove 30 mins to the center to drop our little charge off.We were really impressed with the love and care the staff and volunteers showed these little creatures. From feeding them every 15 mins and keeping them warm and clean to moving them to age appropriate cages so that they can learn to fly, hunt for food and eventually be released into the wild. Kudos to these people with golden hearts. We know our little robin is in the best hands possible.

Here are a few pictures of our time together.

Next morning - warm, comfortable and hopping around the room.

Bunny Bee checking her out.

So tiny!

So long!

Me at SURTEX this year - booth 464!

There are just 3 days left until the SURTEX show opens at the Javits Centre in New York. 

I'll be in booth 464, represented by Montage Licensing who will be showcasing my designs and collections for licensing.

This is the second year my art has been exhibited at SURTEX, but the first year I actually made the commitment to walk the show and see what the fuss is all about. I'm SO excited about this show this year! NYC here I come!

PS. For those of you who aren't in the business - SURTEX is a big deal in the art licensing world. 

Illustration Friday - Jump

I did this illustration quiet a while back and it fits perfectly with this weeks topic - Jump - over at Illustration Friday. 

Fish jumping through a hoop 

Just Smile

Recently I have been wondering about the occasional curve balls universe throws at us and how we respond to them. It's difficult to really breeze through a crisis. I feel lucky to have people in my life who have set a fabulous example by actually using a crisis for their evolution and growth.

Knowing these courageous people gives me hope. A hope that some of their fairy dust will find a way to me. And the next time the universe seems to conspire I will be able to take a deep breath, smile, and open my mind to new possibilities.

How would you handle life's curve ball next time? How about with Just Smiles!

Just Smile, available for purchase here.

The Pink Rooster

Morning everyone! The weather here in Philly has been incredible lately. I'm talking low 80's, delicious warm breeze, sunny skies and tiny shorts. You can imagine the upbeat mood I've been in lately.

April is also the month to get my home organized, purge closets and de-clutter my work desk. After spring cleaning my iMac and discovering a few forgotten works that I created a while back, I’m now ready to share them here.

To brighten up this Tuesday, here is an illustration of The Pink Rooster. With a bird as beautiful as this one, I have kept the surroundings simple with just a few leaves. The green plays against the rooster's red and delicately emphasizes the flamboyance of this creature.

Wish you all a great week, see you next time !

The pink Rooster, available for purchase here. 

Euphonium

Time to share another illustration! 

A few weeks ago a received a note from a lovely lady whose husband is a Euphonium player for the United States Navy Band. In the message she mentioned how they can never find cute modern art for Euphoniums and wanted to know if I would create something for her.  I was more than happy to fulfill her request!

I thoroughly enjoyed creating this piece, filling it with bright colors and imagining the music filled home the print is going to. 

I hope you all are having a great beginning of Spring! 

Euphonium, available for purchase here. 

Acorn Family

It has been so long! How have you all been?

I have so much work to share from the past month! I have been working on some nursery prints and a LOT of patterns and flower clusters. In an attempt to explore pattern design, I recently bought an e-book 'Repeat After Me by Pattern People'. I'm working my way through the book and it has been great so far. But I think it would be more fun to have someone to bounce off ideas with!  I'm looking for  a buddy to go through the book together. If you are interested shoot me an email.

Back to new illustration, this acorn family is my take at Kawaii. A little while back I saw - how to make kawaii drawings tutorial on Craftgawker and these little acorn people were perfect to try kawaii on. I love how cute it turned out and it has become a new favorite with my Brick and Mortar clients too!

Acorn Family, available for purchase here.

Wild Summer

I have been working on a new series of flower illustrations, more of a 'messy' bunch (and unlike my other very-put-together works).

The inspiration came from a lost dream. Last mid-summer we bought a packet of mixed wild flower seeds with beautiful pictures on it, and planted them in rows of colorful planters on our window sill outside. We waited and waited and waited for them to grow, carefully watering and all, but by the end of the season all we got were some sprigs of wild something - no flowers.

So I drew this colorful bunch looking wistfully at the now empty planters stacked outside my window.

Wild Summer, available for purchase here.

Mommy's Favorite

Hello 2012!

Did everyone have a good 2011? We sure did... my heartfelt gratitude to all friends, supporters and customers who made last year the best so far!

Lets begin this year with an illustration very close to my heart. Our favorite little Bunny Bee (pictures here and here) is a huge source of joy in our lives. To mark the year we shared with her, I created this poster for her wall, called 'Mommy's Favorite'. I can hardly wait for this poster to come back from the print shop!

You all have another wonderful year. May all your wishes and dreams come true!

Mommy's Favorite, available for purchase here.