"Maddy, will you come draw on the walls of our daughter's nursery?"

Why yes, I’d love to!

This spring, I was asked to do some of my wall drawing, but this time for a nursery! My first wall drawing experience was completely unplanned, the result of pandemic boredom and my unwillingness to completely remove the wallpaper bits from the walls in my home office. In that project, I did a little bit over the course of months and slowly developed a sense for what I was doing. With this project, I would only have a few evenings. Could I do it again?

It turns out, I can! I planned a bit more than I had last time, but still left a lot open to improvisation and experimentation. We decided on a color palette ahead of time, based on what is available in the larger sized Posca markers that I like to use and what would look nice on yellow walls. Once I arrived onsite, we had to establish what would go on the mural. I knew I wanted to draw a duck, a sheep, and some turtles. She asked for a hedgehog. So, that’s where I started. I sketched out a basic landscape with duck, sheep, turtles, and hedgehog, and then took to the walls.

After the first day, we knew it needed more. She requested a moose. I learned how to draw a moose, and it went up on the wall. I finished it up with some buzzing bees. Throughout the process, we critiqued and edited together, making it a more collaborative process than my first mural.

This project came after a fallow creative period for me, so it was particularly affirming to be able to stand in front of it and say “look what I made!” And when, during the baby shower, some kids appeared and started playing with stuffed animals against the drawings, I was especially glad to have created a space for that kind of imaginative play.

When Are They Coming Back?

I feel most creative when making things in physical handmade books. Accidental things can happen and when I know I don’t have to make something sleek and perfect, it seems to turn out more fun. So when these words popped into my head, I decided to go back to the book format, which I hadn’t been doing as much lately.

I seem to be having the “When are they coming back?” conversation over and over and over again lately in every social context, so I had to poke fun at it a bit. I hate and I love this conversation at the same time.

A few years ago I made a Minnesota-shaped book about how everyone seems to move away from Minnesota, so this is the sequel!

Minneapolis Institute of Art Virtual Family Day

Last summer, I told a friend I just wanted to design activities for kids. (I was clearly inspired by all the art and doodle activities that artists and illustrators like Mo Willems and Wendy McNaughton developed in response to the pandemic.) Somehow, I spoke that into existence. This winter, with impeccable art direction by Mia’s Natalia Choi, I designed an at-home art activity for Mia’s April Virtual Family Day: Coloring My Feelings.

Families could pick up a tote bag of simple supples from the steps of the Minneapolis Institute of Art. I loved seeing the different renditions of my little feelings blobs!

We also created a recording of myself reading The Book of Anger in my recently muraled studio space. The entire experience was just grand!

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At home gallery show

It’s COVID times, you just finished a series of collages that you want to share as a full unit, and you have a few white walls. What do you do? Put on your own at home, asynchronous, a little silly gallery show!

Well, that’s what I did, at least. Check out the Blob Party, where I introduced the collages I have been working on since Spring 2020.

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The Blob Party is a great event for introverts! ;)


Naming Art and Electing Leaders

I made a very large, very colorful collage recently. I decided I wanted to name it. But I could NOT come up with a name, as hard as I tried. So, I stopped trying for a bit.

This week as the election happened, the results started coming in, I got more and more optimistic about a return to leaders we can be proud of….my brain also started circling in on a name.

Today, when the results were called, I finally had it:

Kamala wins (and Joe, too)!

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This election doesn’t solve all our problems, but it sure is good news. Four years ago, when my international friends checked in, feeling compelled to share their disappointment with their personal connection to the US, I felt shameful. Today, they checked in again with congratulations and while I can’t quite express pride in the situation, I certainly feel hope.

Finding Joy in Mourning RBG

Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg was an inspiring woman in so many ways. As a female lawyer, it’s hard not to look up to her and aspire to be like her in some way. But the most surprising way she has been inspiring to me is the way she’s popped up into my art. Her possible death has been a concern for me since November 8, 2016. A huge concern. As I said in this zine in early 2019, it was such a concerning thought that I couldn’t even think about it or the likely the ramifications of such an event.

 
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And then it happened. And somehow, despite the urge to wallow in despair at the predictable consequences of her death, I started joyfully making things:

First it was the impromptu collar made the morning after I heard the news. Made with scraps of colored paper, and documented to the tune of the Marriage of Figaro.

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And finally, I responded to a friend’s request to draw her by cutting, pasting, and playing. It turned into a wonky portrait that I adore to pieces and a lawn sign.

May her legacy be honored and may she keep inspiring us all to create and act in positive ways.

Stay Tuned for Blob Collages!

I just finished a collection of blob collages. I started these in early lockdown days, almost as a meditative practice. My goal was to complete thirty of them and here they are, in a glorious pile! If you want one, stay tuned!

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American Illustration 39

Two of my illustrations from by little “Book of Anger” were chosen to be part of the online archive of American Illustration 39! They are available here with the other winning illustrations of 2019.

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Quarantine Powers Comic on Graphic Medicine Site

The graphic medicine site is a collection of all things related to comics and medicine. Dr. Ian Williams coined the term, which he defines as “use of comics in medical education and patient care.” Needless to say, I’m a fan.

The site is full of information and comics or visuals related to the world of medicine. Lately, they’ve added a new section, “Covid-19 Comics,” which links to all kinds of comics that people have made in response to the Covid-19 pandemic. Check it out!

Although the site is most focused on the world of medicine, they now have a teensy bit of law-related content because they’ve included my Quarantine Powers explainer comic in their list of educational Covid-19 comics!

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Thanks, Graphic Medicine!

Minnesota Daily Coverage

I recently had the opportunity to chat with Minnesota Daily reporter Ksenia Gorinshteyn about my illustrations and how I came to drawing legal concepts. What fun to see the lovely story in print!

You can find the full article online here.

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