❀Initially I made the Wildflowers website (https://wildflowers.garden/) for fun during the holidays in 2016. I liked drawing with markers and often made energetic floral sketches. They were so lively and vibrant, and I became curious if I could achieve the same feeling on the screen.

First, I scanned the illustrations and traced them. When I moved them online, I separated each flower type to a separate layer, and added in a simple paralax effect where the gardens moved with your cursor (my business partner, Dylan Fisher, did the coding). I paired each illustration with a quote about gardening, which can be interpreted both literally and metaphorically, feeling something like an oracle.

This project was made entirely for pleasure. It had no specific purpose, other than perhaps, to explore the limitations and opportunities of digital illustration, in a casual way. What makes something feel gestural and lively? And can that get translated outside of an analog experience?

Over the years, this project has been circulated widely across are.na. Once, a designer from Australia messaged me while on a trip to New York City — she loved the project and wanted to meet. I was incredibly flattered, and we ended up grabbing a drink at Cha Cha Matcha. At least twice, the project has led to illustration and design commissions, including one, nine years later, during Venus retrograde.

Spring is frequently described a new beginning. I have several personal milestones and memories associated with the season that make it feel less vibrant. In honor of the Spring equinox, I'm re-releasing the Wildflowers illustrations; a way of sort of reclaiming the season as something personal and fun. And I'd like to share it with you, too. ✿