Y Illustrations, Rogers, AR (2026)

10/11/2026

I recently had the pleasure and honor to visit the famous American artist Georgia O’Keeffe’s home in Abiquiu, NM. Her taste, vision and style was truly timeless.

07/16/2026

👩🏻🎨𝗬𝗮𝗻𝗴'𝘀 𝗠𝗶𝗻𝗶 𝗔𝗿𝘁 𝗖𝗹𝗮𝘀𝘀:

The Northwest Arkansas community has immensely benefited from the entrepreneur boom in the past few decades, especially the Big Three headquarters (HQ): 𝗪𝗮𝗹𝗺𝗮𝗿𝘁, 𝗧𝘆𝘀𝗼𝗻 𝗙𝗼𝗼𝗱𝘀, 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗝.𝗕. 𝗛𝘂𝗻𝘁. These benefits include employment opportunities, supporting businesses and services, quality-of-life amenities, and the social-giving impact these founding families consistently and generously provide. Below are three of my drawings telling the story:

𝟭. 𝗪𝗮𝗹𝗺𝗮𝗿𝘁 𝗠𝘂𝘀𝗲𝘂𝗺 𝗼𝗻 𝗕𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗼𝗻𝘃𝗶𝗹𝗹𝗲 𝗦𝗾𝘂𝗮𝗿𝗲 – colored pencil with vibrant but soft colors, with red marker popping out the "5&10 Red." The Bentonville Square has become a vibrant destination, drawing cyclists, pedestrians, farmers market crowds, and evening strollers year-round, all thanks to the intentional placemaking efforts the city and the Walton family instilled.

𝟮. 𝗕𝗶𝗿𝗱𝗺𝗮𝗻 𝗦𝘁𝗮𝘁𝘂𝗲 𝗮𝘁 𝗧𝘆𝘀𝗼𝗻 𝗙𝗼𝗼𝗱𝘀 𝗛𝗲𝗮𝗱𝗾𝘂𝗮𝗿𝘁𝗲𝗿𝘀, a Native American-themed bronze sculpture created by artist Jack D. Woods in 1987, reflecting the rich Native American history of the region. This is a soft pastel drawing with 5+ shades of green, ranging from cool to warm tones, highlighting the lush yet tranquil atmosphere outside the Tyson museum and the original corporate building, just behind the statue.

𝟯. 𝗖𝗢𝗩𝗜𝗗 𝗣𝗣𝗘 𝗛𝗮𝗻𝗱𝗼𝘂𝘁 𝗖𝗹𝗶𝗻𝗶𝗰 𝗮𝘁 𝗝.𝗕. 𝗛𝘂𝗻𝘁 𝗛𝗲𝗮𝗱𝗾𝘂𝗮𝗿𝘁𝗲𝗿𝘀, the most interesting drawing among all three. The time of this clinic was March 2021, as we had just passed the coldest time of the year amid the pandemic. The bright yellow pencil shading in the foreground and background not only echoes the company's logo color, but also renders a sense of hope this act of community-giving provided. Although the pandemic is something we all wish to never happen again, the community unity should always be remembered and celebrated!

𝗜𝗻 𝘀𝘂𝗺𝗺𝗮𝗿𝘆, these three pieces were completed with dry media (colored pencil, pastel, regular pencil, and rolling black pen), which are great for graphic detail control, with no wait or setup needed (compared to watercolor or oil paint) — great for folks with limited time, like myself as a parent.

Besides art supplies and imagination, I used photos taken by cellphone and drone as references.

𝘞𝘩𝘺 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘮𝘪𝘯𝘪 𝘢𝘳𝘵 𝘤𝘭𝘢𝘴𝘴? Over the years, I always had folks ask me about art resources available to them (and their kids). I am happy to provide my take in this 10-second scroll form.

This series covers art techniques + storytelling + use of tech. See you at the next class. 👩🏻