Prepping for Summer
My 2023 market year has already been very fulfilling and I am thrilled for the rest of the year ahead.
A few highlights of the last 6 months!
I started April off with a wonderful evening of live painting at Gingerline next to the City Market in downtown Charleston.
Sippin’ on cocktails
Enjoying the weather :)
I spent the rest of April with my in-laws, taking in the beauty of Charleston and plantations such as Boone Hall. I’ve gathered a lot of inspiration from my two weeks of relaxation!
I’ve created amazing beach towels and weekender bags to match, and got some lovely modeled photos on my short trip to Lake George, NY celebrating my friend for her bachelorette.
Beach Towels $45
Weekender Bags $70
I have MORE exciting news!
You can now find my prints at Two Cumberland on King Street in downtown Charleston! I’m so honored to be a part of this beautiful boutique and hope to continue this blossoming relationship for many years to come. I’ve also secured a spot at a new store opening up on Meeting Street called Southern Ruetz! It is currently under renovation but it’s going to be an amazing store - a hat bar downstairs, and a maker mall upstairs!
My next set of news is even more stellar. I will be collaborating with my aunt, Dyan Alain, and there will be more merchandise such as beach totes, makeup bags, wallets, and more! Since the passing of my grandmother in 2021, who dabbled in sewing, Dyan has taken on the new challenge of sewing all kinds of beautiful things after inheriting my grandmother’s enormous stock of fabric. After a stroke in 2020, Dyan has found new peace in creating things with fabric and is itching to stay busy, and I am happy to throw some business her way! We have a lot of fun patterns created and she is so excited to get started.
June has been a busy month, starting with my ultimate favorite at Hotel Bennett for Spoleto 2023. Once again, I participated in this year’s Don’t Ruin-Art Champagne bottle painting, and I had a lovely time sipping on rose and painting some oysters onto a bottle. It’s such a treat to see new faces and customers in such a unique setting.
And of course, I ended the month with Feminist Magic Pride Market where I had record breaking sales! It was hot as heck, and I was dripping throughout the entire market, but I got to do a quick wardrobe change with FK Vintage, eat fabulous food by Chow Bella, and meet so many friendly people enjoying the day. What a way to start the summer :)
Say hello to fall
It’s finally here! With the weather shifting, I’m whipping out the sweaters and pumpkin spiced lattes like the Basic Becky that I am. No shame.
September has been a race against time for me as I finished up projects and booked markets for the fall. First, I want to thank Danielle with the Feminist Magic Market for choosing me to paint their new pantry, Little House of Plenty, located in Park Circle. I will admit, I was shocked that she chose me. I found the submissions on Instagram and decided to doodle a fun sketch one morning. I thought of what would be best to include on the pantry, and I of course needed to add the Feminist Magic fancy hand, and added various books written by inspirational women throughout history including Jane Austen and Joan Didion.
I’ve decided to say that this past Tuesday, Mercury was in retrograde because the traffic this week in Charleston has been insanity. So I chugged through the hours of traffic to make it to Itinerate Literate Books to finish the pantry and I patted myself on the back for being able to finish it before the big market on the 24th.
I’ve also recently partnered up with Maddie from Low Country Flannels to create an illustration design for future stickers she’d like to include in her merch! If you haven’t checked out her flannels, you need to!
The Feminist Magic Market yesterday was an amazing experience and I got to meet so many lovely people! If I met you yesterday, thank you for the support and if you have any questions, feel free to email me!
Dropping November 1st will be holiday ornaments and holiday cards to kick off the season! Stay tuned!
Early summer highlights
I’m very excited to share the events I’ve participated in over the last couple of months! Earlier this month, I was invited to a live-painting event at the Hotel Bennett downtown for the Spoleto Festival here in Charleston called “Don’t Ruin-Art”. I had a blast with three other artists as I created a design for a Champaign bottle!
I have been working hard at various markets around town and with more to come in July and August!
Keep an eye out:
Pickers Hullabaloo on July 23rd at Firefly Distillery
FEMME Fest at the Music Farm on August 13th
Don’t forget to mark your calendars for July 16th at Julia Deckman Studio for my solo show “The Susie Complex”! I will have original framed work as well as prints available for purchase!
Welcome!
I think it’s about time I introduce myself. My name is Jess, and I’m from a very small New England coastal town. I currently live and work in Charleston, South Carolina, and I couldn’t be happier to live in a beautiful city with such an amazing art community to boot!
I’m a digital illustrator and acrylic painter specializing in bright colors - I’m a lover of pink and turquoise! I challenge myself daily by pushing the boundaries of color - how weird can I make this while simultaneously making it beautiful?
I currently work for Julia Deckman Studio on James Island where I’ve officially crowned myself Julia’s market girl. We have collaborated together to attend various markets around the city such as Charleston Night Bazaar, Poho Night Market, Thrifters and Drifters, and many more! Keep an eye out for our market lineups for the summer as we will be saying hello from every corner of Charleston between now and August!
Right now, I’m working on a series of paintings for my solo show on July 16th at Julia Deckman Studio called The Susie Complex. Each painting is of an object or place that sparks a joyful memory of the strong headed women in my family starting with my great-grandmother Gurda. I’m excited to share this journey with all of you, and what each painting represents in my bucket of memories. Mark your calendars for this show and I hope to see you there.
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