Howdy, Reader!

Giddy up and buckle down because we are headed into a very horse-y summertime🤠 I've got such fun things to share with you as this new season kicks off and I can't wait to take you for a ride.

So many childhood core memories include sitting around the living room, dining table, or fire pit listening to my grandpa tell horse stories from his own childhood on the ranch. He was a real Arizona cowboy just like his dad was before him and that love for horses got passed right on down to my mom who shared it with me. Yup, I'm a horse girl through and through so the Western aesthetic that's trending these days is right up my pasture and I'm tickled paisley that my illustration workload has included such fun projects that fall right into this equine passion of mine...

Studio Tidings

WORK I am elated to share that one of my favorite projects to date is finally launching: a Cowgirl Collection for Gibbs Smith will be available to purchase on 6/23! ​ "From bold bookmarks and collectible buttons to playful stickers, totes, and giftable keepsakes, our Cowgirl Collection is filled with Western charm, adventurous spirit, and heartfelt style. Designed for readers, dreamers, and modern-day cowgirls, each piece brings a little wild heart energy to everyday life." Kicking my boots and tossing my hat as I share this fun collection🤠 Peruse it here! And don't forget to ask your favorite local gift stores to stock it so you can peruse in person✨ ​

PLAY In my grad program (how was that already 5 years ago??!), we were taught to explore illustration as a practice not just a career. A big part of that involved diving into a multitude of mediums and methods and it got me fascinated by wood working + illustration in 3 (or 4?) dimensions. Four years ago, just after I graduated, I drew this pug and sent out my design to be woodcut so I could paint it and turn it into a clock. It has been sitting, stopped in time, for years because I couldn't get the clock part to work but I *finally* dug into it again and am loving drawing along to the tick-tock of my pug clock🐶

LATELY May was a wild month and I have oodles of news. Here are some highlights: First, I've been accepted to the Milkwood Residency for Writers and Illustrators and I'll be spending the first half of this month in New York researching, painting, writing, and making picture books. Can't wait to share all my treasures from it all next month!👏 (Photo above is courtesy of Milkwood Farm) Second, new book announcement!! See below for more details😜

This horse girl is working on her *dream* project with Chronicle Books... Show Ponies and Other Velvet Wonders is an illustrated encyclopedia + compendium that celebrates equestrian life and explores the many wonderful ways that horses show up to the world✨🐴
I've been holding my horses on this news for a few months now and have had this idea cooking up in my creative pot for years so I'm beyond giddy to let these ponies run free with this announcement! More details and process insights to come over the coming months (and years 🙈) but for now, I'm buried deep in all my horse books-- researching, writing, and whinnying with glee🤗

Creative Inspiration

As I prepare for my artist residency at Milkwood, I'm thoughtful of how extraordinary of an opportunity this is going to be. What is an artist residency, you ask? Great question, Reader! In a nutshell, it's a dedicated space for uninterrupted creative work. Milkwood, in particular, is devoted to the children's book community and was co-founded by one of the kid-lit greats, Sophie Blackall.

During my time on the farm, I'll have access to an array of inspiring spots not only to make in, but to engage with and learn from the other residents. The question on my mind now is how can I make sure to get the most out of my brief time in this magical place? And I think the reflection questions I'm asking myself don't just apply to Milkwood, they apply to any sustained creative endeavor. I learn time and time again that the key to creativity is showing up to it and offering up heart, mind, and body to the making. So whether you're prepping for a creative trip or just an afternoon of creative play, let's dig into three questions together that can help us make the most of it✨

1. What is one area I want to develop in my creative practice?
2. What do I/will I have access to that can inform my creative play?
3. What are some themes that I want to explore?

Now, here are my answers turned into residency goals:

1. I want to develop my picture book painting style
   ​Goal: Fill an entire sketchbook in two weeks
2. Walking trails, antiquarian bookshops, a picture book library, wildflower meadows
   ​Goal: Go on at least one adventure everyday to a new place and make notes + drawings of the impressions I get along the way
3. Home, change, joy, togetherness
   ​Goal: Spend at least 15 minutes every day exploring one of these topics and create story questions to accompany them

Now you give it a try, Reader! I can't wait to see what this exercise gets stirring for you.

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Thank you always for reading, Reader. I am so so grateful to be in your inbox and singing in the summertime + all its creative whims together☀️

xo

Lex✨