October 31, 2011

after a year or so of tending to two blogs, i've decided to move over permanently to my tumblr blog. i hope that you'll follow me there (meeralee.tumblr.com) to see more work, news, and updates.

i also have a facebook page if you'd like to keep up with me there!

yours,
m

SUGAR BLUES


a poster i just finished designing for the Institute for Integrative Nutrition! it was really fun to create a pattern of sugary goods. i think i could draw cupcakes all day.

if you are local, please attend the discussion taking place on November 12th! the speaker, Alicia Somma, is a fantastic health coach who will be giving a talk on sugar and how it affects us. can’t hurt to learn more about your body, can it?

October 24, 2011

claude tattoo!



this is andrew, who got the mantra and arrows from my illustration of claude tattooed on his arm! i think it came out beautifully, don't you?

October 19, 2011

je m'apelle claude


 all good things are wild and free.
-henry david thoreau

i recently drew claude, the king of beasts, to remind myself how important it is to be two things: wild and free. wild because happiness comes from the most unexpected of places. in moments where i am imprisoned (by thought, responsibility, or obligation), i imagine that the earth rests on an elephant. ..and then i feel a little less burdened, a little more free.

i planned for this illustration to go on a t-shirt, so i started with graphite on drawing paper and then colored it digitally for a cleaner look.


important things to note: jeff mangum shirt worn above is stupidly comfortable, my arms are out at an extremely odd angle. prints of claude are available in my etsy shop, and larger prints/shirts/iPhone skins are in my society6 shop

things i have been doing: watching the early sky lighten every morning, jumping in leaves, taking walks, going on motorcycle rides (scary/amazing), and testing every pumpkin brew i can get my hands on.

 

i hope all of you are enjoying autumn as much as i am.
yours,
m

October 12, 2011

SAIL ON


sail on, silver girl
sail on by
your time has come to shine
-p. simon

sometimes you have to keep on keepin' on, yeah? new 8"x10" prints are available in my etsy shop. if you'd rather pull this ship over your head and feel the special seas swell up inside you, t-shirts and hoodies are in my society6 shop.

seas, ships, and other "s" things,
m

October 9, 2011

live and let die.


here is a new illustration inspired by McCartney + Wings! 
prints are available through Society6

-m

October 4, 2011

i wish i could save her in some sort of time machine.

last night i saw jeff mangum perform an acoustic set at Paramount Theatre. i am someone who has spent a large part of my life loving neutral milk hotel, and loving a life that has been influenced by wonderfully creative, seductively interesting pieces of music, writing, and art.

i've internalized the sound of jeff's thoughts and feelings the same way i consume poems by pablo neruda and the prettiness that stems from able hands. the entire set was extremely evocative and honest,  and made me wish i could use my voice as an instrument that nudges people the way jeff's voice tugs at me every time i turn around.

awhile back i started my King of Carrot Flowers series, and i am thinking about starting it back up again. two in the series so far, for anyone who isn't already privy:


and here is some audio from the show last night. there is no video, so close your eyes and listen.




yours,
m

September 22, 2011

eatsleepdraw.com!

awhile back, i designed a women's t-shirt for EatSleepDraw.com -- i'm pretty excited to finally share it with you! here is my original illustration:





check out the shirt at mysoti.com, where it is available for purchase, and thank you to lee for supporting my vision!

leaves,
m

September 20, 2011

sushi, sailboats, and tea time

i spent the past week making something that i hadn't in a very long time -- sushi tea cups! while i was tinkering about coloring edamame and sushi rolls, i was inspired by the e. e. cummings print hanging above my desk and made a sailboat tea set as well.

sushi teacups!
sailboats!
i chose to float my boats on these oversized ceramic teacups because, well, they're oversized. which means more tea. and soup. and ice cream! this set is now available in my etsy shop, so head on over here to see them in your kitchen.

also: thank you to Meg & Tuesday over at studio sweet studio for featuring my work on their blog this week!


it was wonderful to share my work with a blog i enjoy reading so much.  check it out here for some words on what moves me and a peek at my studio.

soon,
m

September 8, 2011

animals, botanicals, patterns

in my last post i mentioned venturing outside the realm of prints and creating hand-sewn journals. i've also made some note cards:

set of three animal prints
set of three botanical illustrations
set of three chevron-patterned thank-you cards

all three sets are available in my etsy and cargoh shops. in other news, i have an ongoing series of interviews over at Ruby Canvas - parts I, II, and III are currently up -- take a peek if you'd like. thank you also to Pingg and Art Sponge for their recent features on my work!

also, here is an interesting article (written by John Cary for Fast Company) i read this morning about the misconception surrounding pro bono design work. if you're any sort of artist, designer, or a generally-literate human, it's worth reading. many of us tend to make decisions based on a black + white scale of wrong versus right, and this piece is a good example of why changing that will only benefit us more. 

ALSO, i am determined to lay down the watercolors for a little while and pick up some oils. it's been a very long time since i painted in oils and acrylics, so i'm both apprehensive and excited about doing so. photos soon!

<3,
m

September 5, 2011

such a pretty place for pretty little thoughts

a bit of exciting news: select items of mine are now being sold at Design Box, an adorable home goods/interior design boutique in miami, florida. the store's owner, herbie parets, has a particular eye for deliciously vintage typewriters and oversized keys, and i'm pretty elated about having my items displayed among the other treasures. if you live in miami or the surrounding areas, definitely pay Design Box a visit and mention me!

here are two of my newest items that you can pick up at Design Box or in my Etsy shop.


each journal is hand-stitched and composed of recycled indian hand-made paper and thirty blank, acid-free pages. if you have any thoughts, send them my way.

p.s. so happy autumn is coming!

yours,
m

August 24, 2011

finding magic in the smallest of places

last week i went treasure hunting in New Hope, a small town in PA filled with secrets and bikers. my favorite part about the town is that it is mostly covered in foliage: ivy snakes around homes and sheds, bushes are wildly overgrown, tree roots battle concrete for a place to find peace. everything is feral. my dream is to live in a renovated barn but i'm willing to settle for a home that looks like it grew from the earth.


my killing: one small amethyst ball-and-claw bitters glass bottle (to fill with small stories); 1951 edition of Homer's Iliad; two brass keys; one pewter key.

my makes:


he knew the things that were and the things that would be 
and the things that had been before. -Homer, Iliad

<3
m

August 5, 2011

for whatever we lose. ..

i'm inspired largely by the written word, and have, as of late, been creating some hand-lettered illustrations with my favorites. this one was influenced by the following e. e. cummings poem: 

maggie and milly and molly and may
went down to the beach (to play one day)

and maggie discovered a shell that sang

so sweetly she couldn’t remember her troubles, and

milly befriended a stranded star

whose rays five languid fingers were;

and molly was chased by a horrible thing

which raced sideways while blowing bubbles: and

may came home with a smooth round stone

as small as a world and as large as alone.

for whatever we lose(like a you or a me)

it’s always ourselves we find in the sea
- e. e. cummings
 

8"x10" prints are available in my etsy and cargoh shops! as always, message me if you'd like a print in an alternate size- i'll pull strings to make you smile.

<3,
m

July 30, 2011

how lucky to be so unusually free

meet timofey, a sometimes-too-pensive wolf influenced by both the Nabokovian character and the flesh spirit.

an A4 version of this print is now available in my etsy shop!  i've also been lucky enough to be accepted into the cargoh community, which is a curated marketplace.

you can visit my shop here and read a little feature on me here. if you're also on cargoh, shoot me a message and let me know. :]

<3,
m

July 28, 2011

slow like summer + honey

a few months ago, i designed the packaging for Raw Local Honey, an organic honey harvest venture led by PJ Martin in Springfield, NJ. PJ harvests his honey seasonally, and pours nothing but raw, uninterrupted, fragrant honey into each jar. since different plants & flowers thrive in different seasons, each season produces a batch wonderfully distinct in smell & flavor.


best of all--unlike most larger brands you find shelved in your market, the flowers that these bees collect their pollen from are pesticide and fertilizer free. which means you will be, too.

<3,
m

July 4, 2011

plums and weddings

i finally have some photographs of the invitations i designed for my good friends lauren & dave, who got married last september. the envelopes are handmade (officially addicted) from plum card stock and lined with a floral pattern. 


i'm really beginning to enjoy designing invitation suites and cards- if you'd like me to work on a design for you, shoot me an email: meera.lee.patel[@]gmail.com.

i also (finally) have my portfolio site up and running: www.meeralee.com. i'm updating here and there, but it's finally beginning to come together. hope your fourth of july is filled with pastry & fireworks.

boats,
m

June 29, 2011

i want to go back across that sea

a few music illustrations that are now up on TheWaster.com:


2011 Bonnaroo Festival / read the article here.




Luke Rathborne / Exploring the Dog Years.

June 19, 2011

ARE YOU A GOOD DAD?

for father's day, i made my dad a flowchart to help him determine what kind of dad he is:

you can view a larger version of the flowchart here on my flickr. happy father's day to all of the papas out there! :]

m
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