Mountain Sympathy

 For: Sioux
Occasion: In Sympathy

Sweet Sioux's dad died, so to share my condolences I painted a blue watercolor of mountains beyond mountains. I'm so sad for Sioux and her whole family and hope they can find some peace during this awful time. 

Cat Birthday

 For: Theresa
Occasion: her birthday

Theresa's cat Luna/Papa is among the snuggliest kitties I've ever encountered. To celebrate my dear Theresa's birthday, I did a watercolor of a silver cat among some flowers and wearing a party hat. I love Theresa more than I can say and hope this next year is an amazing one for her -- I can't wait to see her soon!

Camping Birthday

 For: Uncle Jim
Occasion: his birthday

I wanted to capture some nature vibes for Uncle Jim's card this year, so featured a western landscape à la Wyoming, Colorado, or Utah with all the best browns! I love that the tent is illuminated by a lantern and everything just looks awesome. Uncle Jim is basically the bee's knees and I hope he has an amazing year!

Monster Birthday

 For: Tom
Occasion: his birthday

Tom gets the goofiest cards from me every year, and I think this year I've really outdone myself! I have started putting googly eyes on just about everything, and it had never occurred to me to put them on a card! I love how this turned out and I adore Tom so and miss him so and can't wait for a classic Tom and Debra phone call soon!

Birthday Flowers

 For: Lidia
Occasion: her birthday

For Lidia's birthday, I wished I could reach across the country and give her a big bouquet of flowers. This illustration is a pretty good replacement for that hope! I love the outstretched arm and the colors of the flowers. Lidia is such a dream and I hope her day is amazing!

Shoe Birthday

 For: Daissy
Occasion: her birthday

For Daissy's birthday card this year, I drew her some beautiful purple heels with flowers inside! The shading was a lot of fun to play with and I love the little tag with the heart. I hope Daissy has the very best birthday, gets to do something super fun, and has an amazing year!

Game Plan Birthday

 For: Johnson
Occasion: his birthday

For Johnson's birthday card, I drew a football game plan (I think) and paired it with the birthday message "May all your birthday plans come true!" Once upon another birthday card, I did a glitter and football mashup, so I had to add in some gold sparkles for this one too. It's been so fun reconnecting with Johnson recently and I hope he has the best year yet!

Colorful Tree Birthday

 For: Marie
Occasion: her birthday

Marie loves bright colors as much or more than I do! To celebrate her birthday, I drew her the most rainbow-y card that has ever been in front of a series of pink mountains. I adore Marie so much and cannot wait until our next hang with the lovely little family!

Name Birthday

 For: Krystina
Occasion: her birthday

To celebrate Krystina's big day, I made a really stylized funky font to spell out her name! It's not the easiest to read, but it was fun to draw. Paired with some stars and red-outlining, we've got a nod to the spooky season without it being overwhelming! I so appreciate Krystina's energy in this world and hope she has an amazing year!

Aspen Birthday

 For: Conor
Occasion: his birthday

One of my favorite parts of living in Colorado is the fall aspens! For Conor's birthday card this year, I created a multimedia painting of a tree from below with such interesting perspective and texture for the leaves -- I hope Conor is able to see some of The Fall Color (TM) this year with the fam!

DARE Birthday

 For: Dare
Occasion: his birthday

I've been thinking about using the DARE (Drug Abuse Resistance Education) for Dare's birthday card for a few years, and I finally went for it. Don't think too hard about any subtext! It's just fun! I am super pleased with how the big scary font turned out. I hope Dare does have a great birthday!

Lightning Bug Birthday

 For: Aunt Sherry
Occasion: her birthday

I've been thinking a lot about lightning bugs lately (as a fun feature of my childhood), so for Aunt Sherry's birthday card, I did this sweet watercolor of the luminescent friends in a jar! I love how sweet and soft this design turned out. I hope Aunt Sherry has an amazing birthday and is looking forward to the next year!