I like making things.

As a kid, I spent my time running a highly successful mud-pie bakery and building Barbie houses out of sticks and rocks (I never could get my hands on that Dream House). I spent most of my childhood daydreaming—daydreaming while roaming the woods on the farm where I grew up, while milking goats and chasing barn cats, and in school. (I did not daydream while racing my Big Wheel; I took that very seriously.) I was always thinking about making something—anything.

As a adult, I have applied my love of making to many things. A degree in Graphic Design from Maine College of Art, working as a freelance graphic designer, selling various iterations of my drawings through different wholesale and retail venues, and owning and operating a boutique gallery for several years.

The last 16 years have been a magical time spent raising children, renovating houses, and stealing moments to experiment artistically. As my kids approach their teens, I find myself returning to creating in a focused way and with a renewed sense of purpose.

I have left vibrant color behind to focus solely on my persistent love of clean design and cherished themes. At the heart of my practice remain perennial motifs centered around family, belonging, encouragement, gratitude. Although I often turn to humor, frequently of the dark variety, to cope with the craziness of adulting in today’s world.

The simplicity of my work lends itself well to digital creation, but in an increasingly digital world, I feel it is important to share work that has been touched by a human hand—work that possesses movements and quirks unique only to me. And although I do work digitally, I prefer to feel my pencil and brush move across paper. Finding the perfect viscosity of the paint and watching it flow onto a surface is part of what excites me about creating and further connects me to my work. ~Deirdre