23 May

New Children’s Book coming in Fall 2021

New Children’s Book coming in Fall 2021

Cover reveal! Just finished illustrating children’s book #7 (The Celebration Place) coming in Fall 2021. The story is inspired by Dr. Martin Luther King Jr and his message of equality, portraying the church as a celebration place for all. Published by InterVarsity Press and written by Dorena Williamson. Available to preorder on Amazon, to be […]

27 August

City Paper Cover

City Paper Cover

I recently illustrated the cover for Charleston City Paper, which also turned out to be the Fall Arts Issue. It was a theater-inspired piece with a quick turnaround. So I grabbed my Wacom tablet for this one (full disclosure, I still try to make it feel like my oil technique!) and kept the sketch on […]

16 August

Traffic Box Art

Traffic Box Art

Made my public art debut last week! I was delighted to participate in a movement to beautify the traffic signal boxes along Highway 17. Commissioned by the Town of Mt Pleasant, I created an illustration portraying the theme of sweetgrass basket-making. It was a fun challenge, since the image needed to wraparound the design of the 6ft […]

9 June

Porgy poster-signing

Porgy poster-signing

I spent the afternoon signing Porgy playbill posters as part of Community Day at the Gibbes Museum of Art. In addition to escaping the steamy hot temps, it was a treat spending time in the Museum and chatting with visitors that had just walked through the Porgy exhibition. Of course, my favorite celebrity appearance is the talented […]

20 May

Porgy and Bess

Porgy and Bess

Charleston has Porgy fever, with all of the attention on the Spoleto Festival’s highly anticipated performance. So it was fun to jump on the Porgy bandwagon, especially since I grew up listening to the beautiful music of Gershwin’s timeless opera. The lyrics have stayed with me since those cassette tape days, so it was easy to channel […]

12 April

New Book Published!

New Book Published!

Just got a copy of my recent children’s book project, A Change of Heart by Nimbus Publishing. This is my fourth children’s book, and I absolutely loved working with this Canadian publisher. It was an extra special project because of my own northern ties (proudly 25% Canadian!), not to mention my Southern connection to the story. The true-story […]

8 July

Culinary History of Charleston

Culinary History of Charleston

Charleston City Paper’s annual DISH magazine is rich with foodie tips and tales. I was commissioned to create an illustration about the history of black eateries in Charleston. The article, entitled “Fish Tales,” talks about the influence of fish sandwich cabarets on Charleston’s culinary history.

13 April

Illustration Friday

Illustration Friday

Happy to be featured in the recent edition of the online creative portal Illustration Friday! I’ve long been a fan of this site (which includes a recent write-up about my illustrator hubby, Timothy Banks). We recently connected with blog writer Angie Brown, a fellow Charleston artist. Always great to make these local connections, and an extra […]

11 April

Houghton College Fine Arts Seminar

I was flattered to be invited as a guest speaker at the Houghton College Fine Arts Seminar in upstate New York. Students, where faculty and community members attended the presentation about my illustration career. It was such a warm reception and boost to my creative ego! The Houghton art faculty were so influential in my own […]

5 January

Charleston Scene: Artist of the Week

Charleston Scene: Artist of the Week

My series of small oil portraits (“Tiny Illustrations”) were created for a collaborative art show in Charleston, SC. The work was also featured in an article in the Charleston Post and Courier, as follows: The Post and Courier “Artist of the week: Erin Bennett Banks” January 5, 2012 written by Vikki Matsis Inspired by the […]