Plains Project

Inspiration

I wander around everyday with my little pup. In the winter it includes a lot of time looking at the ground at is is VERY icy. One wrong step and you end up on your bottom. In several spots I thought the ground looked like little maps. Where the wind had blown the snow to reveal the icy layer and little lakes where cows had made imprints. The true journey is a mix of both worlds swinging from joy and wonder to uncertainty.

Inspiration

I am lucky to have handmade quilts from my mom to help keep warm from winter. With my mom’s help I just finished my first quilt. There is something really lovely about piecing everything together. Inspired by classic quilt pattern blocks I incorporated snapshots of ice, snow and textures I found on my walks with my dog. My goal is to update them seasonally to create a quilt for the year.

Inspiration

Everyday I take my dog Olive for a walk and recently started to take pictures of the clouds. A plus of living on the Plains are the wide open skies. When you take notice of the clouds, you realize how cool they are— wispy, fat and fluffy, gloomy. The colors are also amazing, bright oranges and purples at sunset, lush blue skies during the day. As a designer I love creating patterns and layering textures. I recently watched an episode of Bob Ross’s The Joy of Painting and have been picking out the happiest little cloud when I walk.

happy little clouds

Dakota sunset

cloud wisps

Inspiration

I grew up on a farm near a town with the population of 300 (limited cell phone service, pizza delivery not an option rural), left to go to college and then moved to a city of millions of people. I could always tell I was getting closer to where I grew up as you would meet fewer and fewer cars. The driver of the vehicles you would meet on the road wave to you. I always liked this. I classify as a “The Double Whammy” waver, I have no reason to vocally say hello, but I do. My mom does “The Nod”, I try to explain that when driving down a road no one can see your head nod 🙂

country road where waving happens

Inspiration

I planted a garden and decided fresh lettuce would be a wonderful addition! It ended up being a free bunny lettuce buffet. I thought it would be funny to brand my little lettuce patch. I tried a few natural deterrents to keep the local rabbits away, but a fence was needed so I decided to let them freely munch.

I created rubber stamps to incorporate into my design. There is an awesome hydroponic lettuce grower close by, so sorry rabbits, this was a one year only free buffet.

My little handmade stamps.

Inspiration

I started the spring by planting seeds that would grow into cut flowers. It has been a very long time since I planted something into the ground. Sunflowers, zinnias, cosmos and a few perennials bloomed as food for the bees. As the growing season is ending and frost will be settling in, I made my last cut flower bouquet. Part of this project was to create and not overthink the process, easier said then done! I have never considered myself to be an illustrator so it was fun to play around and be inspired by nature.

cosmos

zinnia, radish flower, basil

last bouquet of the season

Inspiration

These eyes rarely see a sunrise (I am not what one would call a morning person), but I bet they are just as lovely as the sunsetting. The skies right before dusk have been filled with orange, pink, blue and purple contrasted by lush green grass and trees. As it is flat on the plains with open views of the horizon, the sun and clouds like to show off what they can create. I have been playing around with flat colors and simple textures. In the country you can also hear the little crickets starting to chirp. I love it!

Inspiration

I grew up in rural area near a town of around 300 people. It was a big deal to eat out as it was a treat and didn’t happen often. There was a supper club that we would always to go for special occasions. It has been closed for several years and I drive by the building frequently. I thought it would be fun to brand it as if it were still open. I used the mural from the building as inspiration, you can still see the silhouettes of geese migrating north for the summer. I also remember the restaurant serving frog legs, I wasn’t brave enough to try them 😬

The front entrance. I still love the sign.

Mural on the north end of the building.

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Inspiration

I haven’t picked up a paint brush since college, eek! On a whim I recently purchased gouache, an opaque watercolor paint. I have sunflowers in my garden and I am always mesmerized by the perfectly straight rows of crops you can see zipping by in a car, the view of fields from above when flying and the textures of plants when you look closely. In abstract way I wanted to experiment with the different colors and patterns. Looking forward to further developing my skills 🙂

Sunflower in my garden

Northern North Dakota wheat field

Inspiration

Fun fact, North and South Dakota are the leaders in USA honey production! North Dakota wins the top spot. Bees travel around 2.5 miles from the hive. This year I started a vegetable and cut flower garden and loved seeing the bees buzz around. I was also inspired by the colorful beehive boxes placed along the gravel roads. A favorite of mine is the raw honey gathered and bottled by Quail Honey in Brandt, South Dakota.

The local beehives