Places I/You/We Have Lived/Loved

Places I Have Lived

In September 2021, I decided to draw my childhood home on a whim (this illustration has since been revisited). What resulted was a digital illustration that had a dynamic woodcut-and-watercolor aesthetic that I quite enjoyed, so I decided to turn it into a series and draw every place that I'd ever lived in (including my college dorm, and a friend's live-in art studio that served as kind of a halfway-house of sorts). Unexpectedly, while I worked on each of these, I was able to get into the mindset of my own past selves. There were some homes that were difficult to illustrate because of negative feelings and memories attached to them, and some that I was able to give extra loving care and attention because of their associated nostalgia. This series will be in progress as long as I keep moving and until I unknowingly find the home where I will live for the rest of my life. I am certainly not the first person to illustrate houses, but these are uniquely mine.

A woodcut-aesthetic illustration of a gray house with a black roof and two-car garage. There is a faded blue textured swatch of color in the background.

A woodcut-aesthetic illustration of a light-brick dorm building reading "CUTLER". There is a teal textured swatch of color in the background.

A woodcut-aesthetic illustration of a narrow white two-story house with brick columns and both upper and lower balconies. There is a faded olive green textured swatch of color in the background.

A woodcut-aesthetic illustration of a yellowish narrow three-story house. There is a blue textured swatch of color in the background.

A woodcut-aesthetic illustration of a yellow WW2-era house. There is a red textured swatch of color in the background.

A woodcut-aesthetic illustration of a tan two-story house with a first floor porch and second floor balcony, both with green rails. There is a teal textured swatch of color in the background.

A woodcut-aesthetic illustration of a pale yellowish-tan two-story house with a first floor porch and green and dark red accents. There is a grayish-blue textured swatch of color in the background.

A woodcut-aesthetic illustration of a gray two-story warehouse with a bright blue roof and bright red garage door. There is a yellow textured swatch of color in the background.

A woodcut-aesthetic illustration of a brick and pale yellow two-story corner house with angled windows and brick columns. There is a large porch on one side and a small stoop on the other. There is a pinkish-peach textured swatch of color in the background.

A woodcut-aesthetic illustration of a pale yellowish-tan two-story house with a large first floor porch and a small balcony upstairs. The house has textured wood accents on the upper front section. There is a dusty rose textured swatch of color in the background.

A woodcut-aesthetic illustration of a faded green two-story house with a first floor porch and cream and dark red accents. There is a lavender textured swatch of color in the background.

Places You Have Lived

Once I began illustrating my own homes and posting them to social media, they attracted other people who had an interest in commissions. It turns out an illustration of a home is meaningful to a lot of people, and most of the commissions below were intended as gifts for others, rather than a memento for the person who placed the order themselves. Find out more here.

A woodcut-aesthetic illustration of a pale yellowish WW2-era house with lots of plants in the front garden. There is a gray textured swatch of color in the background.

A woodcut-aesthetic illustration of a light blue two-story house. There is a pale yellow textured swatch of color in the background.

A woodcut-aesthetic illustration of a gray ranch-style house. There is a golden textured swatch of color in the background.

A woodcut-aesthetic illustration of an olive green cabin in the woods with a red door. There are trees and a reddish textured swatch of color in the background.

A woodcut-aesthetic illustration of a beige two-story house with a gray-roofed outbuilding to the right side. There are two cats in front of the house and a light blue textured swatch of color in the background.

A woodcut-aesthetic illustration of a beige two-story house with a gray-roof and a front porch. There is an emerald green textured swatch of color in the background.

A woodcut-aesthetic illustration of a beige and brick two-story house with a gray-roof and a front porch with pillars. There is a fence on the side of the house and shrubs in front. There is a light blue textured swatch of color in the background.

A woodcut-aesthetic illustration of a white and brick one-story house with a gray roof and shrubs in front. There is a lime green textured swatch of color in the background.

Places We Have Loved

Once I ran out of my own homes to draw, I wanted to continue working in this style just for fun, so I began illustrating some of my favorite places in Grand Rapids. This idea was borne from a typo, because often when I would post my homes to Instagram, my phone would autocorrect "places I have lived" to "places I have loved." As a concept, Places We Have Loved may be iconic public places, other people's homes where I've spent meaningful time, or commissions by businesses. Find out more here.

A woodcut-aesthetic illustration of Sparrows Coffee, a small two-story building with light red siding and small green awnings on the upper floor and green wood and a large striped awning on the lower floor. There are decals on the front windows that say "Sparrows Coffee: Sip, Read, Shop, Belong." There is a faded pink textured swatch of color in the background.

A woodcut-aesthetic illustration of The Meanwhile Bar, a small brick-front dive bar with blue-gray siding on the side of the building. There are rounded glass-block windows framing the front door, a white neon sign above the door that says "The Meanwhile," and a pavilion around the corner. There is a bright red textured swatch of color in the background.

A woodcut-aesthetic illustration of Martha's Vineyard, an intricate storefront. The upper floor is bright red brick, the lower floor is all windows, and there are brick, stone, and painted wood details throughout. There is a muted green textured swatch of color in the background.

A woodcut-aesthetic illustration of Little Africa, a simple two-story brick building. There is a bay window in the upper floor and colorful geometric trim surrounds the lower floor windows. A sign above the windows reads "Little Africa Ethiopian Cuisine." There is a light blue textured swatch of color in the background.

A woodcut-aesthetic illustration of Wealthy Theatre, a two-story brick building with three rust-colored double doors. There is a large rust-colored sign above the front doors that reads "WEALTHY THEATRE" and three circular neon accents above the sign in concentric blue, red, and green. There is a yellow-orange textured swatch of color in the background.

A woodcut-aesthetic illustration of the Veen Observatory, a long white brick building with domes on both ends. There is glowing red light coming from openings in both domes, and telescopes are visible. There is a grayish textured swatch of color in the background.

A woodcut-aesthetic illustration of the Grand Rapids Public Museum, a complicated brick building with various features, including a carousel on the left and a domed section front and center. There is a light blue textured swatch of color in the background.

A woodcut-aesthetic illustration of Lantern, a large brick building with many windows and an old faded brick sign reading "Grand Central Engineering Co." A new sign on one of the lower windows reads "LANTERN" in gold lettering. There is an emerald green textured swatch of color in the background.

A woodcut-aesthetic illustration of Brick Road Pizza Co., a building with a pale brick section and a dark-paneled section, attached at the middle with two wooden doors. There is an orange textured swatch of color in the background.

A woodcut-aesthetic illustration of a cream-colored three-story Heritage Hill home in Grand Rapids, MI. There are bushes out front and a burgundy textured swatch of color in the background.

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Design

A darkened, desaturated illustration of a caricature portrait.

Portraits

A darkened, desaturated illustration of a spider plant.

Houseplants