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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
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.
City Paper Literary Issue
Just a few days away from Baby #3’s grand arrival, and I picked up a copy of Charleston City Paper’s Literary Issue. My husband Timothy Banks and I were both commissioned to create illustrations for short stories. “The Education of April Sue Spivey” is a fictional short story about two sisters heading off to different schools.(Also be sure to […]
The Nutcracker that Wasn’t
Although it didn’t make the final cut (sigh), here is a spec illustration piece that I created for Millbrook Press, a division of Lerner Publishing House. The painting, in oils, is a scene from the Nutcracker ballet as it was first introduced to an early Americana audience.
Art Mag Cover
Thrilled to have my Charleston Lady illustration featured on the cover of Art Mag! My painting was one of nine images chosen to represent “Why I Love Charleston” in the summer issue. An excerpt from my artist statement: “Charleston awakens my inner artist. I love being surrounded by narrative. Cobblestone streets, hidden gardens, quirky rainbow-colored […]