About Bella Blue Earth

Bella Blue Designs' online shop "Bella Blue Earth" is based in Maple Falls, Washington in the foothills of Mt. Baker surrounded by rivers where salmon spawn and bald eagles come spend the winter, where farms and barns seem to have personalities all their own, and flowers, birds and wildlife burst into inspiration here in our art studio. My name is Jocelyn Suzanne and nature's inspirations bring life to my illustrations, greeting cards and art prints. I've been a graphic designer and digital illustrator for over 25 years and am excited to be focusing on illustrations celebrating the beauty of the Pacific Northwest, particularly Whatcom County and the countryside surrounding Bellingham.

My journey into illustration began over twenty-five years ago primarily as a production artist. My first early computer art program "Paint" came packaged in an actual paint can! I was gifted a Wacom pen and tablet and although I was skeptical at first I gave it a try and I was hooked. I'm able to draw and create the smooth lines, bright colors and crisp designs I want to achieve. And, after so many years of production art wearing down my hands, I am able continue to illustrate pain free by using my comfy, pressure sensitive pen and tablet along with Adobe Illustrator.

Digital artwork may feel 'different' to folks than traditional fine art mediums. I hold myself to self-set standards when I illustrate, to keep the integrity and feel of my pen and ink drawings I used to create. I draw each leaf of a tree and ever berry without shortcuts, so each carry they own personality. I don't use pre-set patterns or tools that would make it feel, at least to me, that I'm 'cheating'. There are some digital features I avoid, and some I embrace! I keep in mind 'if I couldn't draw it with a real ink pen, then I don't fake it in my digital art. That keeps me constantly challenging myself to become a better illustrator, and it keeps my designs fresh. To read more about my journey into digital art you can read a long post here: https://www.bellabluedesigns.com/jocelyn-suzanne.html

My husband and I arrived in Washington state in late 2018 after many lovely years in Northern California abruptly ended when a forest fire whipped through our town, spitting us out like little pinecone seeds where we eventually landed fairly softly in Maple Falls. Eager to soak up the rain, we relaunched our small design business Bella Blue Designs with a renewed focus on art and illustration inspired by the natural wonders of the Cascades.

We created BellaBlueEarth as our online shopping site and began offering my artwork for sale on greeting cards, tee shirts and art prints, using print on demand for most projects to start. We now print our greeting cards in small batches of 75, our digital prints are done 20 at a time, tee shirts and framed archival glicee prints are printed on demand one at a time.

I am delighted and amazed by the plants and birds that are new to me since moving to Washington. The ever changing weather, the forest, the rivers and the salmon were calling to me and I began learning about the ecology of the area. Scenes like the swans in the muddy farm fields during winter and woodpeckers at my window have brought me so much joy. I hope you also find the joy in my artwork celebrating the beauty of earth.

As 2020 began many of our lives suddenly changed. I felt inspired to fill a need and help encourage friends and family to stay creative and positive during this time. I began to curate activities and games that can be enjoyed at home either alone or in our small isolation bubbles. With the pandemic, new challenges are everywhere. But we also have a rare gift of time and space. We can make the most of our evenings home by learning new crafts, journaling, or coloring to relax. Shopping for unique activities, fun new games and jigsaw puzzles is safe and easy with our new curated Fun and Games section. We've even added care packages so you can send a surprise to a friend to brighten their day!

Stay creative, be inspired and make some art

I am honored that my art has been used to support N-SEA, Nooksack Salmon Enhancement Association, Whatcom County's local organization helping salmon recovery. My illustrations can also be seen in many projects for Harbin Hot Springs, Northern California's cherished hot springs retreat center located in Lake County, CA.

Thank you for visiting and supporting our small business!