We are happy to be members of the Rebel Artists of Whatcom County where you will often find us vending.
We've moved! After seven beautiful years in Maple Falls, Washington, we've returned to Northern California a decade after our home burned in the Valley Fire. We look forward to continuing to provide beautiful, eco friendly bamboo greeting cards from our new location in Sebastopol, California.
In addition to bamboo greeting cards we offer custom creative design services. Please contact us to discuss you project. Thank you for supporting our small business.
In addition to bamboo greeting cards we offer custom creative design services. Please contact us to discuss you project. Thank you for supporting our small business.
~ Jocelyn Suzanne and John Hoey
About the Artist
Jocelyn Suzanne Hoey
I first had the opportunity to use an Apple computer and "Fractal Design Painter” around 1992. The digital art program came in an actual paint can. I was given a used Wacom pen and tablet from a friend who knew I had an interest in computer art. I was skeptical at first, but I fell in love with vector art and its smooth lines, bright colors and crisp edges.
I took a few design classes in high school in the 80s and summer courses at the Art Center School of Design. Neither had computers yet. By 1993 I had just enough computer art skills to get a job creating ads on the swing shift at a daily newspaper using Multi Ad Creator. I loved the printing press and found the production tasks incredibly satisfying.
When I moved to the Bay Area I landed a small contract project illustrating for a video game using a program called DPaint. (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Deluxe_Paint).
I took a few design classes in high school in the 80s and summer courses at the Art Center School of Design. Neither had computers yet. By 1993 I had just enough computer art skills to get a job creating ads on the swing shift at a daily newspaper using Multi Ad Creator. I loved the printing press and found the production tasks incredibly satisfying.
When I moved to the Bay Area I landed a small contract project illustrating for a video game using a program called DPaint. (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Deluxe_Paint).
Pretty quickly I found a full time art gig and was introduced to Adobe products. It was 1996 and I was using Illustrator and Photoshop full time at a fast-paced screen printing shop in downtown San Jose. We were printing designs for every up and coming Silicon Valley company and Bay Area event that was happening. I redrafted old artwork by hand and on the computer, working with licensed images like Hang Ten and Peanuts, sports teams, concert touring companies and everything in between. I also created new artwork - on demand - for businesses, even using the dark room, now and then, still in transition from traditional film to digital files.
Those skills allowed me to move on to work at a variety of ad agencies as a production artist and designer over the next decade, focusing very little on my own art, but drawing with ink pen as my favorite medium, in whatever free time I could find. On the side I would take freelance projects bringing me additional income and amazing opportunities I’d have never imagined.
Eventually, my hands grew tired and I had to take a break. My husband (and amazing business partner) relocated to a quiet rural town and I began working in a variety of roles at a popular hot springs retreat center, and over the years, became the publications manager for the retreat. The pace allowed me to create while allowing my hands to continue to heal.
Tragically, in 2015 the Valley Fire burned over the mountain where we lived, and continued down through the valley. In an afternoon, our home and the retreat center were gone, as were so many homes and businesses. We were away doing errands that day. I had an appointment with my iMac for a scheduled upgrade issue at the Apple store. So while my hard drive backups burned in the fire at our home, my computer and two decades of digital and scanned artwork were safely with us in the Apple repair store, miles away from the fire.
Tragically, in 2015 the Valley Fire burned over the mountain where we lived, and continued down through the valley. In an afternoon, our home and the retreat center were gone, as were so many homes and businesses. We were away doing errands that day. I had an appointment with my iMac for a scheduled upgrade issue at the Apple store. So while my hard drive backups burned in the fire at our home, my computer and two decades of digital and scanned artwork were safely with us in the Apple repair store, miles away from the fire.
Valley Fire of 2015 burne 1800 homes and over 70,000 acres in just two days.
Harbin Hot Springs before the fire.
Self Portrait. Black ink pen & Prismacolor pencils. A hand drawn piece that burned in the fire.
"Treegirl" ink pen - 1995 the original burned.
In the years after the fire I attended the Climate Reality Leadership Training to educate myself and help spread awareness about climate change. We spent seven years living in Washington state and found relief from the trauma in the beauty of the lush forests and raging river.
Inspiration flows. In Washington, I volunteered to help protect and restore local salmon and I continued to work remotely for the hot springs, writing, designing and creating publication materials during their ongoing rebuilding process.
Those seven years in a remote cabin in Washington allowed me, for the first time in my life, to devote my attention to my own artwork, at long last refining many years of work skills into my own artistic visions. Inspired by the epic landscape of the Cascades, I drew every chance I had and began selling my designs on greeting cards. Through the love I put into my work, I hope to inspire humans to appreciate and cherish the beauty of the natural world around us ~ and to celebrate it through art.
Inspiration flows. In Washington, I volunteered to help protect and restore local salmon and I continued to work remotely for the hot springs, writing, designing and creating publication materials during their ongoing rebuilding process.
Those seven years in a remote cabin in Washington allowed me, for the first time in my life, to devote my attention to my own artwork, at long last refining many years of work skills into my own artistic visions. Inspired by the epic landscape of the Cascades, I drew every chance I had and began selling my designs on greeting cards. Through the love I put into my work, I hope to inspire humans to appreciate and cherish the beauty of the natural world around us ~ and to celebrate it through art.
"Cobb Mountain" 2016. Black ink pen drawing scanned to, and colored in Photoshop.
The skills from three decades of digital art has, no doubt, taken a toll on my hands. I illustrate using a pressure sensitive Wacom tablet which allows me to draw for hours - pain free - by using a very light touch, which I can not do with an ink pen anymore.
I draw each leaf, every flower, each section of a mandala carefully to keep the integrity of the natural flow that comes from hand drawn art. I print and offer my designs on greeting cards as a way to offer art affordably. Some of the designs like "Envision" are very detailed and are intended to be printed large as wall murals. Most of my designs are available for purchase on materials of your choice.
I draw each leaf, every flower, each section of a mandala carefully to keep the integrity of the natural flow that comes from hand drawn art. I print and offer my designs on greeting cards as a way to offer art affordably. Some of the designs like "Envision" are very detailed and are intended to be printed large as wall murals. Most of my designs are available for purchase on materials of your choice.
Thank you for visiting!
Please get in touch if you have any questions or would like to discuss your custom design project.
Jocelyn
Please get in touch if you have any questions or would like to discuss your custom design project.
Jocelyn
