On Patterns

One of my favorite things to design are patterns. I find patterns both entertaining to design and creatively challenging. Repeat patterns are the most difficult, having to match seams so that the pattern will repeat infinitely. I create all my patterns in Adobe Illustrator CS.

Here are a few of my most treasured patterns that I have created.

Chrysler Building - Art Deco Pattern featuring images of the Chrysler Building

This is my favorite pattern that I've ever created. It was for a project that was never produced.

Christmas Wonderland - Carta Bella Paper

This is my second favorite pattern that I have created. It looks as though it's a woodcut image.

The Great Outdoors- Carta Bella Paper

I created this Art Deco inspired design of retro fireflies for the line The Great Outdoors.

Country Kitchen  - Carta Bella Paper

I love this pattern. It reminds me of times spent in my Aunt Cleo's country kitchen when I was a child.

Daisies - Carta Bela Paper

I love the simplicity and retro feel of this pattern.

Cowboy Country - Carta Bella Paper

When I received this project I was energized by my memories of the wallpaper that my parents had put up in my bedroom as a child.

Baggage - Carta Bella Paper

I'm a huge cruise enthusiast and it was so much fun researching all of the ephemera that I used to inspire the design of this paper.

Are We There Yet? - Carta Bella  Paper

I felt like I was quilting when I created this pattern. I borrowed images from other designs that I had created for this line and used them in a checkered pattern.

Cartopia - Carta Bella Paper 

It was fun to work mainly with fonts and icons to create this fun pattern.

The next four patterns are from

Space Academy - Carta Bella Paper 

Here are several patterns that I designed for Metropolitan Girl - Carta Bella Paper

It's a retro-inspired fashion line for women of all ages.

Here are a few patterns that I created for Basic Grey. They are more contemporary in design than I normally do.

And lastly, some Christmas patterns  that I had a lot of fun creating for Carta Bella Paper.

Road Trip - Apple Picking

Sometimes I've gotta get away from the studio and explore my beautiful state of Minnesota. I live in an amazing state with so many fun day trips to enjoy.

Last Saturday family was visiting from Texas and we decided to go out an apple orchard down south. I love going outing rural Minnesota. So many opportunities to take pictures of rural landscapes and vintage farms that I can use as reference material for future illustration projects.








We started the trip with a visit to Minnesota's largest candy store down south in Jordan, MN. What a great place to start. I couldn't believe how many vintage candy brands that they carried. And they also stocked the largest selection of soda pop in the Mid-West and also the largest inventory of puzzles.

Then it was on to an apple farm to enjoy cold cider and apple pie.....

Cowboy Country

My current line for Carta Bella is one of my favorite lines that I've produced. It's called Cowboy Country and focus on vintage cowboy and Native American ephemera.

My grandad was a real cowboy. He was born in Oklahoma in 1900 and herded cattle from our family's farm outside of Normal, Oklahoma out west to Corona, California. When I was a kid I'd sit with him and he'd tell me stories of growing up in Oklahoma and working on a cattle farm. He was my hero and his stories still resonate with me. My grandad taught me about the love of the land, the love and respect of Native American culture and art, and being kind and courteous. He always wore a cowboy hat and a western shirt with bolo tie up until he passed away. I will always remember him that way.

My mom was born in 1920 in Hollywood, California. From 1925-1930 my grandfather owned an asphalt and oil company that was contracted to pave the roads throughout Arizona, Nevada and New Mexico. During the summer my grandmother and my mom would take the train out to where my grandfather was based and they'd stay with him until the school year was to begin.

As a little girl my mom loved to go visit and sit with the Native American people as they did their daily work. She would watch the women weave beautiful rugs and the men silversmith turquoise jewelry. They would talk to her of their legends and shared stories and ceremonies. When she left the reservations, many times, she would receive a beaded headband or a turquoise bracelet as a gift from the friends that she made. Before my mom died she took all of her Native American jewelry, pottery and photographs and donated them to the museum at the Pecos National Historic Park.

As a child I'd go visit the places where my mom lived during those summers. She had such love for Native American people and the culture. Her face would light up and she'd become very animated when we'd visit the hogans and places that she loved as a child.

I hope that I caught that magic in my new line. It's filled with memories passed down from my mom and grandfather, and a few of my own.

I hope you enjoy!

Buffalos- My boss is an avid collector of Cowboy Artwork and loves Buffalos, so this one's of him!

Cowboys and Native Americans-This was based on the wallpaper that was in my bedroom while I was growing up in Los Angeles.