Process
Behind the Scenes
I am a designer who asks questions about the interior environments where we live and work. My mission is to create sustainable designs that add nature to the stories we tell in our living and working spaces as an act of self-care.
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As I reflect on the power of design to transform sterile, numbing environments into lush spaces to focus, innovate and refresh, I’ve found nature to be the best teacher.
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My process combines observations of outdoor color, visual rhythm, and space with inks I make from materials I forage on walks and the tactile experience of working with wood.
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Through lush, wild, and earthy surface designs and woodcuts, I create work that I want to see in the world through
As I compile the motifs I gather into finished patterns, I’m thinking about the energy in nature and ways I can visually echo the ebb and flow of that rhythm.
(a) vibrant color palettes inspired by life in the Southeastern landscape,
(b) telling stories that keep us curiously exploring the outdoors, and
(c) using natural drawing materials and wood carving techniques that allow for imperfection in a handmade process
Inside the Studio
How does my work come to life?
Research
Building a collection of surface designs begins with investigating natural places where I feel connected. Overall, I think of my work as exploring personal ecologies: the ways the environments I visit impact me, and the reciprocation of the mark I see us leave as humans.
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Whether it is using local food or visiting the riverbank, forest, or another location as my subject, I collect information about my personal experiences before I expand outward to current research. Taking notes on how all of my senses are activated in the place, I: record sounds, take future reference photos, draw on site, write lists of colors I see, and observe how that space makes me feel and the relationships unfolding around me.
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Later, when I am in the studio, these notes become an essential reference as I begin translating the narrative.
Natural Inks & Pens
Last fall I was wondering what my work would look like if I used natural drawing materials as I explored the outdoors. After discovering Nick Neddo’s book The Organic Artist, I carved a set of pens from sticks I collected on walks in the woods. Fast forward a few months and I began to get the hang of it. As it turns out, I love the unpredictability of occasional ink splatters and the thick and thin lines that come out of working with a dip pen. It was the push I needed to loosen up my line work.
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The inks I draw with are made using natural materials from my kitchen or surroundings, such as avocado, turmeric, acorns, black walnuts, copper, and pokeberries.
Printed Woodblock Motifs
Using wood blocks in my studio for carved motifs is another way I experience biophilia. Not only is wood engaging to look at and smell, but carving allows imperfections and unexpected small details I can’t plan.
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The element of surprise helps interrupt my tendency to be overly methodical and try to have everything perfectly planned ahead of time.
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Actively choosing a process that challenges me to work within its constraints helps me to bridge the gap between the work I naturally make in my drawing style and the work that I want to see as a designer.
Digital Curation
After drawing and printing my motifs, I compile them in Illustrator to curate the final patterns. Referring back to my original research notes, I name each design and color I use to relate to the overall narrative of that place.
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Each collection features a combination of ink drawings, printed motifs, and found textures to create my signature style.
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Once I finish the initial colorway, I include a second colorway as an additional way to think about the designs.
Final Product
Seeing my designs printed on wallpaper or fabric and sending them out to add personal style, refreshing energy, or a hands-on challenge to your day is one of the most rewarding parts of my work.
