Plein Air Sketching at a Dairy Farm
I spent time Plein air sketching at a dairy farm. It's the first one this year and more to come! Sign up for more at the spread table.
Latest
Our Farm in May
Good morning from The Meadow! We’ve been planting, welcoming new chickens and ducks, watching the animals enjoy the warm weather, and getting ready for plein air season in this very busy, very alive spring.
A Simple Dream in May: May Horses by Jan Wahl and Blair Lent
A quiet reflection on May Horses, childhood daydreaming, magical realism, and blue and orange horses. Sign up to The Spread Table to read more about how wonder can enter ordinary life without explaining itself.
Negative Space Guides (Shape & Space #2)
Empty space is rarely empty in picture books. It can guide the eye, slow the page down, make a character feel small or safe, and give emotion room to deepen. In this Shape & Space post on The Spread Table, I’m looking at how negative space quietly shapes the way a story feels.
The Blue Period: Notes on a Winter Sketchbook
In this sketchbook video, I’m sharing pages from my winter sketchbook and talking through color as emotion, creative block, and the way the season shaped the work.
A Slice of Illustration: The World of Edmund Dulac
The pilot episode of A Slice of Illustration begins with Edmund Dulac and the value of looking closely at illustrators of the past. Sign up for free to watch and listen to the episode.
Pictures Can Think: On The Hunter and the Animals by Tomie dePaola
Lately I’ve been obsessed with wordless storytelling, and The Hunter and the Animals is one of the books that keeps opening up for me. This post is a close look at how Tomie dePaola uses image, sequence, and empathy to carry an entire story without text. Sign up to read more on The Spread Table.
Shape Language: Soft vs Sharp (Shape & Space #1)
Soft shapes slow a reader down. Sharp shapes create tension. In picture books, shapes begin telling the emotional story long before the text arrives. A reflection on visual pacing and shape language in illustration. Sign up to read more at the Spread Table.
The Making of The Red Envelope
The Red Envelope is both a tradition and a design exercise. In this video, I share how I made it and the materials that brought it to life. Become a member to watch for free.
Working Small, Thinking Large
Winter sharpens attention. Working small does not feel like making less. It feels like making room. Room for ideas to stay provisional, for repetition to do its work, and for thinking to take shape before it has to decide. Sign up for free to read more at The Studio Window. :)
Border Play #3 (Finale): The Frame That Changes with the Story
Borders don’t always stay still. In this final Border Play essay, I look at frames that shift with the story, using Where the Wild Things Are and What Is a River? to explore how changing edges carry emotion, time, and transformation. Read more at The Spread Table.
New Year, New Sketchbook Routine
A new year, a new sketchbook routine. I’m sharing how I’m approaching daily drawing this year, what I’m focusing on, and what I’m learning along the way.
Long Essay
Portfolio Reset: Clearing Space for the Work Ahead
I’m taking stock at the end of the year. Letting go of work that’s finished its job, carrying forward what still feels alive, and noticing what’s missing. This isn’t about reinventing anything. It’s about alignment, direction, and making space for what comes next.
From The Open Library
The Christmas Shelf 2025
A video on what's on my Christmas shelf
Studio Practice
A Small Press for Small Joys
I’ve been making greeting cards for a long time, quietly and imperfectly. This post is about returning to that work with care: Folkwell Press, small experiments, and why making things gently, without a grand plan, feels right to me right now.
Picture Book
Border Play #2: When the Frame is a Cage
If you make picture books, borders are never neutral. Sometimes they guide; sometimes they trap on purpose. In this essay, I break down what happens when the frame becomes a cage. Subscribe to The Spread Table to read more.
Thinking Picture Book
The Fold (Gutter) Between Pages
Every picture book hinges on a fold, the space where pacing, balance, and emotion live. An essay on how design and story meet in the quiet middle.
From the Field
First Frost in the Garden, First Pause in the Studio
When frost touches the garden, the work in my studio changes too. Subscribe for free to read more.
Sketchbook
My Autumn Sketching Kit + Sketchbook Process
Changing my palette to Fall (Video) Subscribe to read and watch at The Spread Table to receive new essays, insights and PB notes.
Picture Book
Silent Storytelling: How Silence Lives on the Picture Book Page
A long-form essay on silence, space, and storytelling in picture books — from the PB studio and the field. Subscribe to read more at The Spread Table to receive new essays and PB notes.
Field Notes
Drama in the Garden
I tripped over dahlias that had toppled into the path this morning. In the studio, I pare things down. But the garden keeps teaching me ... Subscribe to read more for free at The Studio Window tier to receive new essays and field notes.
Sketchbook
September Sketchbook: Evening Page & The Flock
Hi all, I’m writing this from the garden. I’ve been finding a rhythm here - three posts a month and it’s been amazing to notice ... Subscribe to read more at The Spread Table tier to receive new essays and PB notes.
Picture Book
Border Play #1: When the Frame Holds the Story
Some mornings, the drawing feels like it could spill right off the page. The lines wander, the characters stretch, and the scene hums with motion.... Subscribe to read more at The Spread Table tier to receive new essays and PB notes.
Summer at The Meadow
We moved to The Meadow in June. The boxes are still stacked in corners, the walls half-painted, the floors waiting for their turn. Every day, we step over tools, buckets, and dust, learning the rhythms of a house that is still introducing itself. It’s a work in progress — and so are we.