Happiland Paintings

One of my favorite exercises to do in the studio is to design plants, trees and creatures for a new landscape. I call this landscape Happiland; it is a land I imagine, where the vegetation and the creatures all coexist in a very peaceful way. They need and appreciate each other and more than anything, they celebrate life together and share in the care of the land, air and sea around them. I love the abstract faces on the flowers and leaves that seem to wave back at you. Most of these new characters and icons find themselves in new textile designs and other new products. They creep into all of my doodles and sometimes they stare back at me. There’s one in particular that looks exactly like our little calico cat, Doris.