Airports tend to be cold, impersonal spaces where once you go inside and through security, you can’t go outside again. The design of the new terminal at Barkley Regional Airport is warmer than most, with natural wood tones and large windows. Combine that with my larger-than-life artwork which was designed to transport travelers from inside the the airport to the fields and gardens of the region; it’s a warm welcoming environment that brings the outside in. The flora and fauna are all found in and around Paducah and the piece was titled after Angles, the Paducah home of former Vice President Alben Barkley. The gate area has large windows on either side looking out into the fields where you might see some of these plants and animals. As you walk in through security or out through the hallway defined by my glass wall, you will literally be walking alongside the work as if you were walking through the garden. Learn more about the project on the Barkley Regional Airport...
On January 1, 2017 I started drawing in a Moleskine Japanese accordion fold sketchbook with the intention of drawing in it every day for the entire year. When I filled one sketchbook I continued the drawing into the next one and so far I have one drawing that is over 600 inches long by 5.5 inches high. I managed to keep up the habit almost every single day of 2017. I missed a few, but made up for it with some crazy long days of drawing. In 2019 I entered the series of sketchbooks into the Yeiser Art Center Annual Members Exhibition and won Best of...
I was approached by Director of the McCracken County Library to design a logo for their new bookmobile. She came to me with the following brief: “We’re calling the bookmobile the Brary Bus, because Brary Bear is our storytime mascot. I’ve attached a photo of our Brary Bike – the logo was inspired by a design from a 6th grader. I had this concept of the logo involving a bear driving a bookmobile, holding a book out the window or something. The image of Brary for the bookmobile doesn’t need to be an exact match to the bear on the bike, but it shouldn’t be a complete departure either. We need a logo that we can use on future promotional materials, and we will need a vehicle wrap designed as well.” My approved design is shown above and they were very happy with it. I believe it kept just enough of the intent of the original bear while satisfying the new concept. I used the shape of the actual van and kept similar colors and shapes from the bike design. Sadly, I didn’t get the opportunity to design the vehicle wrap, but I’m quite pleased with the logo...
I was approached by the Katie Axt, Director of Main Street and Principal Planner for the City of Paducah, to design and license some of my flower and insect drawings to be used for her Broadway Mural Project. The concept was to fill vacant buildings on Broadway in downtown Paducah with pollinators to attract attention to buildings that are available for sale or lease, to beautify downtown Paducah, and to illustrate Main Street’s motto, “Local Grows Here.” Read what the Paducah Sun had to say about the...
Starting in 2019 and finally completed in early 2022, I created drawing all of the US state flowers and insects, creating highly detailed digital drawings. These drawings are all available as prints on paper or canvas, and on many of the products you can see in the shop. If you are interested in a print, please get in touch and we can make it happen! These designs are all also available for...
When I was in grad school at the Savannah College of Art & Design in the 1990s, I studied fiber arts and did quite a bit of surface design. Mostly block and screen printing, but I learned how to design repeat patterns – using drawings, photocopies, scissors and tape. I only did a couple, and although I worked for an apparel company after grad school, I never really did any more repeat patterns. In the late 90s I did a few very simple repeat patterns as backgrounds for web pages, when that was the hottest trend, but nothing very complex. In 2018, as part of the 100 Day Project, I decided to design a pattern a day. I took a few courses on Skillshare to learn the basics of how to create patterns in Illustrator. So starting in April of 2018, I made a pattern a day. Here is a selection of those patterns. Next up, working on creating...
