Friday, May 6, 2011

Gator by the Bay {illustration}

 
This fun illustration was done for the Night & Day section cover on Gator by the Bay - a Zydeco, Blues and crawfish festival going on this weekend in San Diego. I saw a lot of accordions in the photos of the past years festivals. What happens when you cross an alligator with an accordion? Well, I think I answered that question. Have a great weekend!

Flowers for Mother's Day {illustration}


So, this illustration wasn't actually done for Mother's Day - it ran last month on April 2nd. But I thought it was perfectly pretty to put up here in honor of Mother's Day. The featured plant is a Phlomis or Jerusalem Sage. I've never seen one in person, but the pictures I worked from were just beautiful. Nan Sterman writes the Water Wise features for the Home and Garden section of the Union-Tribune. She often supplies me with her own stunning photos to use as reference - thanks, Nan! See her blog Plant Soup for some great info on changing your gardens to be more "water-wise."

My husband and I have been doing just that. It's been a slow process, but we have added a dessert garden to our front yard and are adding a huge bed of succulents to the back yard as well. Ninety-five percent of our potted plants are succulents now too. I love how easy they are to keep alive and propagate into new plants as well.

And that brings me back around to Mother's Day. Children aren't as easy to raise as succulents, but the joy they bring is something I never could quite imagine until I experienced it myself. If I brought my own mother half of what I feel for my own son, I know she was the happiest mother on earth. I certainly know I was the happiest daughter while I had her around. Happy Mother's Day.