The Wood and Water collection was created at the tail end of winter, as I wandered through crunchy fields trying to find something — anything — pretty to look at. I wanted to bring life and beauty to the seasons with no color, those that come in between the dead silence of being snowed in and the first sight of blossoms. Shapes and patterns, dark and light, ebb and flow.

What do I see here in Late Winter? A late snowstorm, fractured ice, dead leaves, crusts of snowbanks with fencelines poking through.

Early Spring brings a brighter day. Drips of water, puddles forming, modest bits of color poking through the paleness. Popple trees sporting bright leaves brought on by rain and rainbows.

During these merging seasons the wood and the water remain; strong, structured, swirls of movement and standing tall.

Jolly Happy Snow was instigated by a design challenge, and finished by creating a complete traditional winter collection.

I was born and raised in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula, in a town that receives 208 inches of snowfall in an average winter. I know snow. I made snowmen, cut paper snowflakes, and watched individual snowflakes flutter and swirl through the air.

Winter still includes family traditions of gift-making, gift-wrapping and gift-giving. And wearing multiple flannel layers to keep warm.

Jolly Happy Snow wraps all of these winter memories in a flurry of snowflakes, pine branches, and winter plaid.

Doodle on the Wall is a collection created from the memories of drawing when I was supposed to be doing something else…listening in class, talking on the phone, letting my mind untangle feelings and emotions.

Doodles can range from simple dots and lines to intricate patterns, swirls and feelings set to a rhythm. They can be a distraction, a way to get out of my own head. Sometimes they trigger memories or explore places unknown.

Some doodles are calm, some frantic. Looking back at my sketchbook makes me wonder: Where is this one going? What’s the story here? Why did this mark wind up on the page?

Every child doodles on the wall at some point. Here’s what my inner child inside wants on my walls.