Taliesin House Illustration

Taliesin was Frank Lloyd Wright's Wisconsin home. It sits into the hill and has a glorious view over the valley. The catwalk out from the living room is a spectacular feature. I've been on the tour three times and learn or see something new each visit. Last time, I had to photograph it from the tour bus window for my reference and complete details with additional photo reference from the Taliesin Preservation staff.

You can see the glare from the tour bus window in my photo. The tour doesn't include walking down in front of the building so this was my only opportunity to take pictures and get the angle I wanted. I tamed the wild bushes in front to groups of shrubs and played up some of the day lilies and flowering shrubs in bloom. Other photos offered details of the shadow areas and finally feedback from the staff at Taliesin Bookstore helped shape the illustration.

This was the pencil I sent before adding color to the final art. I kept similar palettes between Taliesin and the Courtyard art so they would group together as a pair. It was a thrilling challenge to work on! Final cards and prints will be available at the Taliesin Visitor Center this Spring and also online. I will sell signed prints of Taliesin and the Courtyard in my Etsy shop and will donate 25% back to Taliesin Preservation so they can maintain these historic landmarks for future generations.

Taliesin Courtyard Illustration

I had another great opportunity to work with the Taliesin Foundation in Spring Green, Wisconsin on a new art piece. The Bookstore Manager asked me to create an illustration of the Taliesin Courtyard for the Gift Shop. So last June, my husband and I signed up for a tour and I took several photos at different spots to get inspiration for the art.

It was a mid June day, so not a lot of flowers were in bloom.It was in between the Spring and summer stock. I do have a general knowledge of midwest perennials, so I could tell by the leaves what would be blooming later in summer. Later on when I started the illustration, I added several I saw in other photos online, including the purple Clematis on the trellis.

 I think Frank Lloyd Wright's trellis design are distinctive of his style and worth featuring in the art.

 The sculptures placed around the courtyard were also on my list to include.

 This was the Courtyard view from his bedroom window. I liked the reflecting pool a lot.

 I loved the graceful line work in this sculpture near the end of our tour.

Here's what my pencil drawing looked like before I scanned it into the computer. 

The final illustration! It will be sold at the Taliesin Bookstore as both prints and cards. I will be selling fine art versions in my Etsy Shop and donating 25% of the proceeds to Taliesin Preservation for continuing upkeep of this historic Frank Lloyd Wright space.

Celebrating Frank Lloyd Wright

Hillside Assembly Hall built in 1903

Last year marked Frank Lloyd Wright's 150th birthday and FLWright locations around the country celebrated with special events to mark his birthday. It was special for me because I worked with the Taliesin Bookstore coordinator in Spring Green, Wisconsin to create four illustrations of landmarks found at his Wisconsin home. They include the Hillside Assembly Hall, Midway Barn, Romeo & Juliet Windmill and the Visitor Center.

Midway Barn

I used a combination of photos I took during tours of these places and photos provided by the gift shop to create my drawings. The Bookstore coordinator and members of a board helped by reviewing my art to make sure it translated properly. Then I had them printed into note cards and unsigned prints for their gift shop. Taliesin sells the note cards here and the art prints here. These will be sold exclusively thru them.

Romeo & Juliet windmill

I will continue to offer signed prints of each of these thru my Etsy shop and art shows. I will be donating 25% of the proceeds to Taliesin Preservation so they can continue their work saving these great structures.

Visitor Center which celebrates its 50th birthday in 2017

The gift shop manager wants me to work on two more images. This time it is the main house and the courtyard.I traveled back down to photograph it while the flowers were in bloom and am working on the drawings this month. Watch for their release in Spring.

It's been an honor and a dream come true for me to work on these illustrations with the Taliesin team.