I was finishing college when I first got to use an Apple computer and "Fractal Design Painter". It was around 1992, and the early digital art program came in a paint can. I was also given a used Wacom pen and tablet from a friend of my mom who realized I had an interest in computers and art. Even though I was skeptical at first, I was told digital art would be the 'future'. I loved taking my art into the vector realm to achieve such smooth lines, bright colors and crisp designs I find so satisfying but. I didn't take it too seriously for many years.
Earlier, I had taken a few design classes in high school in the 80s and summer courses at the Art Center School of Design. Neither had computers. By 1993 I had no degree or professional design education but I had 5 years of college social studies classes, a little baby and enough computer art skills to get a job creating ads on the swing shift at a daily newspaper. I loved the printing press and enjoyed working on the computer.
I moved to the Bay Area and got a small contract illustrating for a video game project using a program called DPaint. (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Deluxe_Paint). I soon got a job screen printing and was introduced to Adobe products. It was 1996 and I used Illustrator and Photoshop daily at a fast-paced screen printing shop in downtown San Jose. The Adobe building was down the road and we were printing shirts for every up and coming Silicon Valley company and bay area event that was happening. I loved it. Working with licensed images like Hang Ten and Peanuts, sports teams, production companies and everything in between, I redrafted old artwork by hand and on the computer and created new artwork on demand for businesses. I learned fast production art skills and even used the dark room now and then.
Those skills helped as I moved on to work at a variety of ad agencies as a production artist and designer, drawing in whatever free time I could find! I learned all I know from the people I worked with.
Once my daughter had grown up my husband and now business partner relocated to a quiet rural town. I worked in a variety of roles at the popular hot springs retreat center and eventually became the publications manager for the hot springs. I was thrilled to be back doing what I loved.
Tragically, in 2015 the Valley Fire burned over Cobb Mountain where home was and down into the valley. Our home and Harbin Hot Springs were gone as were so many homes and businesses. We happened to be away that day doing errands. I had an appointment and had my iMac in Santa Rosa at the Apple store for a scheduled repair. Although my hard drive backups burned in the fire at home that day, my computer and two decades of digital and scanned artwork were safely in the Apple repair store with us miles away.
(You can see some of my "saved" art here...)
Valley Fire of 2015 burne 1800 homes and over 70,000 acres in just two days.
Harbin Hot Springs before the fire.
Self Portrait. Black ink pen & Prismacolor pencils. One of my hand drawn pieces that burned in the fire.
"Treegirl" ink pen - 1995 - original lost in the fire.
Bella Blue in the Pacific Northwest
In the years since the fire, I have attended the Climate Reality Leadership Training to educate myself and help spread awareness about climate change. We moved to Washington State and have found healing and relief from the trauma of the fire through the beauty of the lush forests and raging river near our new home. I continue to work as a contractor for Harbin Hot Springs from afar, creating publication materials during their ongoing rebuilding process.
Inspiration flows. I volunteer to help protect and restore local salmon habitat by offering artwork and serving on the board of the Nooksack Salmon Enhancement Association. I hope to use our experience of the fire as motivation to excite others to appreciate and cherish the beauty of the natural world around us and to celebrate it through art.
"Cobb Mountain" 2016. Black ink pen drawing scanned to, and colored in Photoshop.
... now
The skills from two decades of digital art has certainly worn out my hands. But it has also offered me a way to illustrate the scenery around me with my pressure sensitive Wacom tablet that allows me to draw for hours - pain free - by using such a light touch.
I hold myself to standards I have "self-imposed" as I embrace drawing with my digital pencil. I draw the same as I did with an ink pen. I use no "tricks" or shortcuts. I do not "copy and paste". I draw each leaf, every flower, each section of a mandala carefully withe each detail to keep the integrity of the natural flow that comes from hand drawn art. Although I print them most often on greeting cards as a way to offer the art affordably, many of the designs are quite detailed and are intended to be printed large as wall murals... someday.
Thank you for visiting!
Please get in touch if you have any questions or would like to discuss your custom design project.
Jocelyn
