Nathan's wedding

My friend Nathan asked me to create some illustrations for his wedding invitations, and I came up with several ideas for the three different event cards. Each card had a slightly different level of formality, so I tried to accommodate that.I also drew a little vignette of their names for the cards, that could be used on various stationery. I was asked for 'rustic but stylish', as the wedding was in Yosemite National Park, so I thought about the time I'd been there, and concentrated on the sweeping views and sequoia trees. The first event was on the lawn at the Wawona hotel, where I drew the lovely floral arrangements in the glowing early evening light.The wedding ceremony took place on the lawn of the Ahwahnee hotel, with the glorious mountains as a backdrop, on a perfect summer day.As a wedding favour each guest was given a waterbottle with my illustration of Half Dome on, but as a special thank you, Nathan and Strawn gave me a set of glasses as well, and I couldn't resist taking this picture. Congratulations to the happy couple!

Yosemite

We went to Yosemite National Park at the weekend to attend a wedding, and I loved being surrounded by the trees in the wonderful clear air.We stayed at the historic Wawona hotel (now renamed the Big Trees Lodge), and completely relaxed.We went up to Glacier Point twice, the first time at midnight to watch the Perseid shower, and the second time during the day. The meteor shower was one of the most magical things I've ever seen: the night was totally dark and all the stars in the milky way were visible. And then the stars fell, some brightly, some quickly, and some leaving a trail of sparkles. During the day the view was spectacular, with blue mountains and valleys all around as far as the eye can see. Truly a marvel of the world...

Rio map

To celebrate the start of the 2016 Olympics, here's a map of Rio I did for Conde Nast Traveller a few years ago. Hope it goes super well!I did a few little Rio icons for the article too...

San Francisco snowdome

I've been working on a new etching this week for an exchange project between my print workshop and a gallery in Japan. The theme is 'my San Francisco' and I decided to go for the ultimate kitschy object, the snowdome. I still feel like a tourist here and I looked for all the things that really appealled to me when I first arrived. I feel like the Bay is San Francisco's heart, so I featured watery icons like the seal, the bridge, and the ferry building. And of course I couldn't leave out the fog, and the sutro tower, that you can see from everywhere...I did several different versions of the print, some with colour/gold/stars and am still deciding which to show. We'll have the exhibition in our gallery in September and also in Japan around the same time. More details to follow!

improv theatre

Last weekend we went to see The Iron Stage doing a Game of Thrones improv night in San Francisco, it was amazing! I did lots of sketches while I watched...I said hello to the cast afterwards and showed them my drawings and they posted them on their facebook page, hurrah!Next month, Star Trek improv!~

print exchange

I took part in a print exchange between my own print studio the Graphic Arts Workshop and the Print Club of Rochester which is now on show in the GAW gallery. There was no specific theme, so I decided to do a new playing card in my ongoing series.I sketched all sorts of wading birds and chose sandpipers doing a spot of fishing. The opening reception is this afternoon 3-5pm, please do pop in if you can!

Here's how they look on the walls...

not a lemon

I have a piece in a group show opening next week in San Francisco called Not a Lemon. It features the work of 50 Bay Area artists and there'll be paintings, prints, drawings and sculptures. I had my first real California moment when I made lemon curd from lemons from my very own little lemon tree growing on the balcony, so for this show I created a hand-lettered recipe. I printed a woodcut lemon branch and wrote the recipe in pen and ink. I made 3 different versions, to experiment with type style and spacing, and they'll all be available at the exhibition.The opening reception will be on thursday 7th July 6-9pm. I'll be there, it would be great to see you! Hope you can all make it to see the show while it's up.

Las Vegas

We went very old-school on a recent trip to Las Vegas, and tried to rediscover that classic vibe from the movies. We went to see the Showstoppers musical at the Wynn (where I sketched in the dark)......and sat drinking cocktails while an old-timey lounge singer crooned. We gorged ourselves on the traditional (but indeed excellent) hotel buffet...

and wandered in the weirdly beautiful outrageous shopping malls...

I really like Las Vegas, it's like discovering a mirage in the desert...

wedding certificate

I made my very good friend Katie Baldwin a wedding certificate for her wedding, so that all their guests could be witnesses, and sign it on their big day.I did the calligraphy in pen & ink and the leafy border in watercolour, with dusky pink berries and tulips. Here are some details from the border......and a photo of the happy couple. Congratulations Katie and Curt!

HOBBS High Street Kensington part 2

The new HOBBS store in High Street Kensington, London is open! And lots of my specially commissioned illustrations are framed and decorating the walls...I was asked to create illustrations for the stores, in a variety of styles, that reflected their values of quality and British heritage.I also made a special map of the surrounding area showing the wonderful buildings and streets you can explore near the new store. I highlighted some of the HOBBS iconic fashion items...

... and added in elements like local British flowers and animals.Foxgloves and sweetpeas, foxes and a stag...

... and of course a countryside feature, the pheasant!I also did some hand-lettered quotes, some etchings, and included some pages from my sketchbooks.I hope you'll be able to visit and let me know what you think. Happy shopping!

Thanks to Nick Jesse for the store photos.

HOBBS High Street Kensington

I recently did some artwork for HOBBS fashion stores in London. I produced over 20 illustrations for use inside their stores, and also one very special one for the promotion of their newest store in High Street Kensington, inside the iconic Barkers building. Here's the promo they made for instagram: [video width="640" height="640" m4v="http://www.marikojesse.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2016/06/IMG_2885.m4v"][/video]

The illustration also went out on invites for VIPS and local customers......and I heard that a good time was had by all. Next post will have photos of the store!

Huntington Library teapot

I designed a lovely garden toile for the Huntington Library and Gardens in Pasadena a while ago, and it's been used on a gorgeous parasol (see my previous post) but now it's also available on a teaset.The printing is beautiful and the fine bone china is delightfully delicate on both the teapot and the two teacups that come with it. The design is based on their famous Japanese garden, the rose walk, and the fantastic California succulent and cactii gardens. If you haven't been there, I really recommend it! You can buy the teaset on their online store here.

colouring book

I recently illustrated my first colouring book pages. It was only four pages in a book that had many, but it was surprisingly complicated!There's so much detail involved, and all the lines need to match up nicely, and it should be interesting enough that you really look forward to colouring it in. Here's the flower shop as I drew it...This vase and bouquet is my favourite detail from one of the other pages...You can buy the book on amazon. Don't forget to show me your coloured pages when you're done ~ I'd love to see how they look.

Tiffany mug on instagram

I was thinking about my Tiffany & Co. mug the other day, and checked on instagram if anyone had posted any pictures of their mugs, and found some amazing images. I especially love this one...Thank you amberallurecupcakes ! And here's a selection of some others, a big thanks to everyone who posted them. So glad you're enjoying your mugs...I love instagram so much!

kapok 10 year anniversary

kapok, the hipster boutique lifestyle store in Hong Kong had their ten year anniversary this weekend, and they've been building up to it with a variety of events. I designed and illustrated a map for their #kapok10 anniversary launch, and they've used elements from it throughout their stores, website and social media.I've never created a map from scratch before, by which I mean that it's an imaginary place, not a real one. I was asked to create a country that embodied everything kapok stood for: creativity, fun, fashion and a truly international flavour. I could start anywhere! And of course a new country needs a crest: kapokland's features the pink dolphin of HK and their new motto: 'future classics' Here's the full map, showing an archipelago of different exotic fantasy islands, covering all seasons at once, with both tropical and arctic lands.The reverse side of the map also featured a close-up of the main town in kapokland: Kapokville. The town had shops and museums, but also global embassies, a castle and even pedalos!This is how it was used on the kapok website...They even had a stand at a local design market with fun illustrated props for customers to interact with......and also used some of the animals as a banner on facebook...I especially liked how they used details from the map on the store windows...and inside...Congratulations kapok! Here's to the next 10 years of fabulous!

East Coast trip

I've just come home from a wonderful visit in New York and Washington DC. I love NY, and it felt wonderful to meet friends and wander in all my special spots... I showed my portfolio, ate fun dinners, and saw some inspiring exhibitions in both cities.

I was super excited to see the Lincoln Memorial on the National Mall, the White House, the Museum of American History and the Capitol.I was especially moved by the Jefferson memorial, as he's my favourite US President of all!

tmtplaza beauty promotion

I recently designed an exclusive butterfly and peony pattern for a jewellery box for tmtplaza in Hong Kong, for their spring beauty promotion.I was asked to create something feminine and elegant, to match with this season's beauty products and cosmetics.The illustration started out as pencil sketches of peonies in pale colours, with detailed monochrome butterflies and shadows.This then gradually turned into a more colourful solid background with smaller butterflies......and I then developed the butterflies into more colourful versions, with stronger patterns and outlines. I chose a limited colour palette of pinks and greens to give the feminine feeling a contemporary twist.I tried more detailed peonies, in richer colours......but in the end it went with the paler, more loosely-drawn flowers and more fully detailed butterflies. If you spend over HK$1,500 at the mall, from 23 April, you can get my box as a VIP gift, while stocks last! Hurry!

RAYKO photography exhibition

I have a photograph in the annual juried plastic camera show at RAYKO in San Francisco, and I popped in to see it last week. So exciting! I'm always taking photos on my holga/Lomo/Olympus Pen and don't show them enough. It's inspiring to see so many people making beautiful images on their plastic, almost toy, cameras.I recommend checking it out! The exhibition is up for one more week, until April 29th. Rayko, 428 Third Street, SF, CA 94107

interview

I did an interview with playtimes magazine when I was in HK, mainly to promote the Max and Mei books I illustrated. It's funny to read what I said, in another person's words: They collected together some of my images for the interview, and I love seeing how other people put them together, it always surprises me.You can read the whole interview at the Playtimes link above, and see the Max and Mei books here.

Vienna trip

I spent a few days in Vienna recently, and finally managed to eat at the famous Cafe Central with its glorious arched ceilings.I mixed it up a bit, and then went for cake at Simoni's, a very modern cafe, and just as delicious.The big revelation for me was the visit to the Kunsthistoriches Museum. I couldn't believe how many truly amazingly beautiful works of art there were.My favourites were this portrait of a lady by Rubens...and this absolute gem by Vermeer. It gave me such a lovely warm feeling.Vienna is such a beautiful city, even the hotdog stands are like works of art. This photograph is my tribute to Hopper, and features Durer's Hare on the roof.