Illustrator
Here is a batch of recent portraits I did for various clients:
New Jersey Monthly
Great British Baking Show winners
Commercial Observer
Commercial Observer
Commercial Observer
Commercial Observer
Commercial Observer
Comercial Observer
It’s been awhile since I’ve painted on a large scale, so for this piece I opted to go bigger to get all the detail in (16×20″). Inked first then painted in watercolour and gouache.
Lately I’ve been contemplating how humans are so busy being humans, that we forget that we are not the only inhabitants of this place. We forget that we share it with other living beings, and that we should act as their protectors and stewards of their habitat, not as their exploiters. The Great Lockdown has shown that reduced human activity has been a gift to wildlife; locally, from less turtle deaths on the road due to reduce car traffic…to internationally, with orcas being able to communicate properly due to less boat traffic.
Hence this painting, entitled La Madone des bois. It’s inspired by a 15th century Madonna sculpture I saw in Florence last year.
I’ve added a few Victorian Ladies to my project. It’s a fun mixture of portraiture and costume design for me.
One of the projects I’ve wanted to tackle for a long time has been to do a series of illustrations for Charlotte Brönte’s Jane Eyre. I recently re-read it and was amazed at how good it was. It’s a Victorian page-turner! I’m a big fan of the Victorian gothic imagery and the romantic melodrama. Having recently returned from a trip to England, I was also inspired by the moors, the tors and the hedgerows. Here are the illustrations:
I picked up an all-consuming, expensive habit in the past year: historical costuming. I joined The (Im)Propriety Society, a group of historical sewing enthusiasts with an Ottawa-area chapter and we get together in our historical get-up and nerd out on sewing. This past long weekend we had an outing at the Brockville Tall Ships festival where we went for a sailing cruise on the Empire Sandy and posed for a million photos (that’s because everyone looked fabulous). I debuted my 1894 yachting outfit, which I slaved away on for approximately 2 months in the evenings and weekends. I am very pleased with how it turned out. I’m especially proud of achieving the right historical shape and how the skirt drapes so well (thank you flatlining and hair canvas facings). And the gold accents don’t hurt either.
For the dressmakers out there, here are the specs:
Shirtwaist – cotton voile with a swiss dot, finished with bone buttons (and a mother of pearl at the collar), pattern is Truly Victorian Shirtwaist (TV494)
Vest – quilting cotton, flatlined with white cotton and a white cotton lining, bound in white twill tape. Buttons are vintage brass and the anchor embroidery is my own design (based on historical examples) and done in gold thread on my embroidery machine. Pattern is Truly Victorian Ripple Jacket (minus the sleeves) (TV496)
Skirt – quilting cotton flatlined with cotton sheeting and faced with hair canvas, bound with twill tape (which frayed like mad during the day). I designed the pockets based on the same source Bernadette Banner did in her video. Pattern is Butterick 6537.
And of course everything is worn over the proper underpinings (chemise, drawers, corset, corset cover, petticoat). My boots were Oakhill Farm granny boots and the hat is an original Edwardian straw boater from circa 1910.
