Images drawn from life, made to be shared.
I create artwork for books, editorial projects, botanical and brand collaborations, along with selected licensing partnerships. My role is to translate ideas, tone, and subject into visual language that feels clear, grounded, and built to last.
I work primarily in oil and watercolor, from intimate panels to full-page editorial work.
Garden Call - T’s Radicchio, watercolor and ink on paper, 5”x7”, 2026
Until Then, oil on panel, 11”x14”, 2023 · Private commission
Self-published book cover and printed cards
Case Study: Until Then
The Brief: A gift from a wife to her husband for his 80th birthday. She was preparing a celebration to honor her partner of many decades, and she wanted an image to give him as a standalone painting that would also serve as the cover of a gifted self-published photo book.
My Approach: IAs we talked through the project, I asked the client to tell me about her husband and their life together, and she mentioned their ritual of weekly visits to Stinson Beach. I decided to use that landscape to capture the ritual without literal portraiture. I used the couple's actual chairs and umbrella as symbolic anchors, painted from life and from photo reference taken at the beach. The wider scene was kept open and suggestive, allowing the chairs to carry the weight of the story while the surrounding space stayed quiet enough to invite the viewer in..
The Result: The finished painting functions as cover art and as an heirloom object in its own right. It holds the family ritual in a single image that can be entered from many points, working as well on the wall as it does in the book.
And Then…,watercolor on paper, 11”x 17”, Private commission / Self-published book cover
Case Study: And Then…
Watercolor illustration and book design, 2022 · Private commission / Self-published, with funding from the Whitman Institute
The Brief: Jill Blair and Leslie Medine commissioned the book as a retirement gift to honor John Esterle, who led the Whitman Institute where he spent his career supporting small nonprofits. The brief was wide open. They wanted a book to mark the moment, but the story itself had not yet been written.
My Approach: I worked with Jill and Leslie to shape the concept and narrative they wrote. We landed on allegory. John appears as a shipbuilder on an island, making vessels for the people who come to him. The ships sail out into the world, and at the end the people return to thank him before he sets out across the water on his own next chapter. My role ran the full length of the project: concept development, editorial input, full-page watercolor illustrations, and book design and layout.
The Result: The book exists now as a finished object, holding a whole career in story form. We presented it to John at a gathering at Commonweal in Bolinas, California, alongside everyone who helped make it. I adapted the illustrations into a slideshow that we played during the presentation.
Botanical Work
I love painting from direct observation in gardens, farms, and the field. Recent work includes an ongoing botanical notecard series and what I call my “Garden Calls”, a practice of painting in friends' backyard gardens across Napa Valley and beyond.
Garden Call - T’s Radicchio, watercolor and ink on paper, 5”x7”
How I Work
My illustration work often begins in conversation and develops through a focused round of sketch feedback. I work from site research, photo reference and direct observation along with what I learn from really listening to the client.
For books and editorial projects, my role can run the full length: concept, editorial input, illustration, and design. Timeline and pricing depend on scope.
The full step-by-step process, from proposal through delivery, is on the Commissions page.
Not sure where to start? Tell me what you have in mind, even if it's just a feeling
Licensing
My botanical and nature-based illustrations are available for select licensing partnerships, seed companies, conservation organizations, garden-focused businesses, organic farms, restaurants and chefs, and other values-aligned brands. I'm especially drawn to food and agriculture projects, a cookbook among them, and I'm interested in high-value, aligned collaborations rather than volume work.
Pricing
My work is custom and priced by scope, complexity, and intended use. Original illustration and painting follow the same rates as my commission work, scaling with size and reproduction needs. Books, editorial, and licensing projects are quoted individually. I provide clear proposals so you know what's included before work begins.
Pricing reflects the scale and duration of the project, research and development time, materials and production requirements, and how the work will be used and reproduced
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