inspiration personified : tommy lambeth

This morning, while seeking inspiration for a current project, I came across this photo of Tommy Lambeth, a professor in the Department of Interior Architecture at UNCG. What a perfect source of inspiration! Tommy has been instrumental in shaping so many young designers, instilling values of authenticity, stewardship, innovation and community. Tommy leads by example in all he does, and as such, has been an incredible role model for both Suzanne and me. We feel fortunate to have learned from such an outstanding teacher.
 

sketching john edwards' jury selection

Greensboro is in the national spotlight this week as jury selection begins for the trial of former presidential candidate John Edwards. I took the ten minute trip from my studio to the courtroom this morning to observe and sketch this stage of the judicial process.

a picnic in the park

Addie turned 30 this past month. To celebrate, Addie's boyfriend Matt surprised her with a picnic party in the park! We had the honor of helping Matt prep for the big day with this drawing for the invitations.

This sketch was so much fun. What a great exercise to dream up a perfect day spent in the park.

sketchworthy service : everyone at mythos grill

Recently Edgar and I were discussing the fact that it had been a while since we'd posted about sketchworthy service. After giving it a bit of thought [it didn't take much] we realized it had been approximately nine months since our last post and, coincidentally, nine months since the babies were born. No wonder we hadn't posted about outstanding service...we've hardly left the house!

Going out with twin babies isn't the easiest. [I still haven't figured out the best way to fit two newborns in a shopping cart.] But, when I do get the opportunity, I appreciate good service all the more.

This is exactly the reason we enjoy going to Mythos Grill or 'to The Greeks' as Edgar tends to exclaim as we get in the car. [Yes, exclaim!] While the gyros, souvlaki, and baklava are top notch, it's the staff that keeps us going back. Every person...EVERY PERSON we've come in contact with at Mythos has been accommodating, courteous and super nice. Special kudos go to the owners, Eddie and Miranda Balla, and the young bus boy who wears skinny jeans at the Battleground location :D Jobs well done!

About this series : Having both spent our fair share of time employed in customer service, we really value meeting people working with the public who seem to genuinely care about their jobs and the people they come in contact with. We find that it's these individuals, not necessarily their products, that make us repeat customers. Occasionally we highlight these fine folks as we encounter them, believing excellent work should be noted, valued and appreciated.

drawing from life

We feel very fortunate to have our story and sketches featured in today's Go Triad.

Thank you Jennifer Bringle for taking the time to get to know us and describing our sketchbook's purpose so well!

If you found your way here through the News & Record/Go Triad, thank you for stopping by! We hope you enjoy what you find and will continue to drop in.

opening up at just be

Many, many thanks to all those who supported Just Be and Cabrera Creative by attending our workshop this past weekend. I can't describe how thrilling it is to meet with others whose passions match our own.

We would also like to send out a special thank you to Lauren Kelley Mack. Lauren was a student in the first studio I ever taught and has gone on to pursue a variety of design avenues with her talents in the years since: not the least of which is photography. Lauren was kind enough to capture the workshop for us with her camera. I've included a few of the images here, but hope you'll visit Lauren's blog to see more. And while you're there, stay a while: SO much inspiration in one place!

a southern treat

We're very pleased to have our work featured in two North Carolina-centered magazines this month: O.Henry, a beautiful publication new to Greensboro, and Pinestraw, its older, but equally lovely, sister in Southern Pines.

This assignment was especially fun for me as its not everyday I get to draw some of my favorite 'good-bad foods' (as Edgar describes them) for a client! So glad my years of research eating biscuits and wings is finally paying off.

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On another note, if you're in the area and looking for something to do tonight, we hope you'll join us downtown at Just Be for First Friday. We are so happy to be February's featured artists and will be drawing on location tonight!

illustrated journaling workshop in greensboro

We are SO excited about leading the first workshop of the year at Just Be and we'd love for you to join us if you're in the area!

a happy recap

Sharing the work we do doesn't always come easy.

I remember being very reluctant to start this blog a little over five years ago as I didn't know how I'd handle the criticism that was certain to come with going public. The internet can be a very mean place after all. This fear, however, was erased within my first week's worth of posts as I was introduced to an incredibly warm community of people who not only didn't tear me to shreds, but offered their unrelenting support.

But, while it's one thing to hang out behind a computer screen, it's another to stand by and attempt to sell your work in person. For many years this is something Edgar and I have both wanted to do, but ahhh, the pain to sit quietly and watch others mull over your work's [or in a sense, your] worth.

For this reason, this weekend's double dose of craft fairs ---The Greensboro First Friday Indie Market on Friday, and The Big Crafty in Asheville on Sunday--was a big hurdle for us. We tried to go into it with 'no expectations' but inside hoped we'd receive a fraction of the support that we've had the great fortune to meet online. Looking back over the past three days, we are once again in awe of the supportive community that surrounds us and humbled by the way in which our illustrations have been received. Trust me when I say that no kind word goes unheard, no smile overlooked.

I'm sure I speak for others out there when I say it is wonderful to have people connect with the thing you love to do most. For us it's not about the money, but the feeling that we are doing what we should be. Your gracious response to that which we put forward confirms this...and its a very good feeling.

Thank you so very much.

in other christmas news

We're pleased to share that our work was awarded 1st place in the Downtown Greensboro holiday magazine cover competition. It is certainly nice to be recognized for doing something we love in a town we've grown very fond of.

If you're unfamiliar with Greensboro, the red awning across the street in this illustration belongs to what used to be Woolworth five-and-dime [currently the International Civil Rights Museum]. It was in this building that in 1960 four young black men, who refused to budge from a whites-only lunch counter, launched the civil rights sit-in movement, dramatically changing the course of history for the better.

sketchworthy service: jeremy @ new garden nursery

For quite some time I've wanted to purchase a couple of Dwarf English Boxwoods for our yard. A few weeks ago I visited New Garden Landscaping and Nursery and, much to my surprise, all the shrubs were half-off...bingo! [I was probably the only person looking for plants in the middle of winter, but that's besides the point.]

As I searched the nursery in the bitter cold, Jeremy Warren stopped what he was working on and asked if I needed any help finding anything. I asked his advice on how to take care of my new shrubs and could tell he took pleasure talking about the plants. And, because he noticed how much I liked my little shrubs, he took time to show me another stash of english boxwoods under a tarp and picked the ones he thought looked good.

This all sounds like a pretty good customer service, but Jeremy went above and beyond. When he asked “Is there anything else I can help you with?” he showed true sincerity. Not only was he glad to help me, he wanted to make sure I had all the information I needed before heading home.

Jeremy made me feel welcome…as if I was in my own yard. What a cool guy!

Learn more about this series here.

groundhog's day and the shadow of doubt

According to this morning's News & Record, our local groundhog, Woody, a resident of the Natural Science Center, saw his shadow yesterday...thus casting doubt on the predictions of his more famous cousin Punxsutawney Phil in Pennsylvania.

So, with winter storms reeking havoc on half the country, who do you believe...our local, down-to-earth marmot, Woody, or the more popular prophet, Phil?

sketchworthy service : darragh @ sherwin-williams

Having both spent our fair share of time employed in customer service, we really value meeting people working with the public who seem to genuinely care about their jobs and the people they come in contact with. We find that it's these individuals, not necessarily their products, that make us repeat customers. Starting today, we would like to introduce a new feature on this blog, occasionally highlighting these fine folks as we encounter them. Afterall, we feel that excellent work should be noted, valued and appreciated.

First up, Darragh, a salesman at the Sherwin-Williams on High Point Road in Greensboro. Last weekend we were in the store purchasing paint for the babies' room and he was so helpful. Not only did he help us make a budget-friendly selection, he expressed interest in our project and the pregnancy. It's such a nice feeling when someone is there to help, not just sell.

Want to take part in these posts of sketchworthy service? Feel free to use the comment section to note who you've encountered that deserves recognition, as well as where they work. Perhaps through the wonder of the world wide web, this public acknowledgement will get back to that person!

from key's barber shop to emma key's flat top grill

As Suzanne and I searched for a place to eat Friday evening, we were happy to discover that Key's Barber Shop on Walker Ave. has been transformed into Emma Key's Flat Top Grill... as well as the fact that the 1957 building's character has been both preserved and celebrated in this tasteful renovation.

Not to mention that the tuna melt and grilled cheese were on point!

bruegger's babies

We eat breakfast at the Bruegger's near our house so frequently [almost everyday during my 1st trimester when nothing else tasted right] that we've joked we're going to need to name our babies after our friends that work there: Travis and Blake.

Well this afternoon we go in for an ultrasound to find out if our two are Travis and Blake; Travisette and Blakeini; a combination of the two...or just bagels!

Wanna place a bet? If there are indeed bagels...what kind would they be?!?

bringin' home the produce

This morning I went to the Greensboro Farmers' Curb Market, hoping to catch some of the homegrown flavor in my sketchbook.

It's nice to go on Wednesday mornings, rather than Saturdays, as it is much less busy and there are plenty of open stands on which to prop a sketchbook, conversations to take part in and observe, and a healthy dose of unhurried Southern hospitality.


Case in point, Lewis of Rudd Farm was kind enough to send me home with a cantaloupe and tomatoes after allowing me to stand by and sketch him greeting customers for twenty or so minutes.

This is so much fun!!!

early to rise

It's 8:45 in the morning, and I've already been to a bakery and drawn a page full of cupcakes. The good news is that I didn't EAT the page full of cupcakes. Though, I can't lie, I was tempted.

These beautiful gems are the product of Delicious, a bakery near my house that is well on it's way to becoming my favorite remote office. They have the most incredible selection of treats and, oddly enough, their fountain drinks taste like coffee...which I like! Perhaps it's an added dose of caffeine.

So, which of these cupcakes do you want for dessert?

one sketch at a time

Wednesday evening I had the great fortune of having dinner with Diana, author of one of my very favorite blogs, Please Sir. In addition to speaking 'blog' for a good hour or so, we discussed our aspirations for the future and brainstormed ways to work toward these goals. Such an inspiring conversation! I look forward to sharing the fruits of these ideas with you soon!

a tale of two la bambas

I'm really enjoying sketching local 'hot-spots' these days. It's nice slooooowing down to take a closer look at the places I pass by most days with hardly a thought: including this 'La Bamba'. While these everyday places may not reveal the picturesque charm of a Thomas Kinkade painting, I certainly appreciate the character they offer. They feel authentic and that's exactly what I'm in the pursuit of: both in drawings and life.

"Music is your own experience, your thoughts, your wisdom. If you don't live it, it won't come out your horn." -Charlie Parker

the places my mind wanders

Ask anyone who has studied art or design in Greensboro in the last 15 or so years where most of their money went as a student and I guarantee they will say Addam's. This unassuming building is the mecca to which young artists and designers flock to on a near daily basis.

I started keeping tally of all the things I'd purchased at Addam's, along with a few other things, as I sketched this afternoon.

**Shawn is my friend from childhood. He had an wrestling themed 6th birthday party, complete with a Hulk Hogan cake, that has left me with an indelible birth date memory. Happy Birthday Shawn!