EverPresent Unfolding Design

EverPresent UnfoldinG

WHAT IS EVERPRESENT UNFOLDING DESIGN?

EverPresent Unfolding Design is a creative consulting business and brand I'm developing during my residency here at ModNomad Studio. It encompasses an array of my artistic endeavors including illustration, painting, silk-screen printing, a line of "wearable art" clothing and web design.

The name "EverPresent Unfolding Design", to me, is a motto for accepting and acknowledging the beautiful design of which stories and lives are unfolding. In my case, at 21 years old, when I first decided to create a brand based on my work, I was overwhelmed by all of the things I could do and all that it would take to do it. The fact that I was planning on creating this brand solely on my own work called for a lot of preparation, trial and error, production, thinking through ideas, and much more that comes with starting your own business or taking any kind of risk that is based in believing in yourself.

I reasoned that as long as I just keep making designs (where 1 out of 10 are worthy) and keep my eyes open for the right opportunities and connections that could turn in collaborations, eventually, I'll get there. Little by little: life is an ever-present unfolding design.

Illustration

The concept of EverPresent Unfolding Design also underlies much of my design process. My projects are rooted in hand-drawn illustration. Designs evolve from sketch, to illustration, to silk-screen, then to a larger, more-complex design by collaging multiple illustrations together. Below is an example:

Other illustrations are featured in a variety of media, such as on websites, giclees, tattoos/body art, oil and water-color paintings, wood blocks and posters thus far.

I also like to draw mandalas which are concentric designs, that start in the middle of the page and unfold. As you can see, I make a lot of geometric designs. So I always carry around my ruler, compass, and protractor in my back pack wherever I go. :)

Silk-Screen PrintinG

As an artist-in-residence at ModNomad Studio, I have been provided with a large enough room to be able to build a silk-screen printing studio in! Here is where I have been working on developing a clothing line designed for cognitive mementos and inspiration.

The synthesis of art and activism--and the incredible collection of books!--here at ModNomad offers an exploration of our cultural and political history which has influenced my work.

Surrounding these words, are pictures of a recent design with the Liberty Bell and ginkgo branches.

The Liberty Bell’s timeless message: “Proclaim Liberty throughout all the land unto all the inhabitants thereof.” is an encouraging message that is said to have also inspired the abolitionists, the pioneering suffragette women and Civil Rights leaders.

I chose to combine that symbol and message with Ginkgo Bilboa leaves, as the ginkgo is one of the world's oldest tree species, dating back 270 million years. It originated in Asia but has been growing here in the United States since around the time of our nation's founding. People drink tinctures from the leaves to enhance memory and increase blood flow in the brain.

This synthesis of the Liberty Bell and ginkgo leaves, for me, serve as a cognitive memento, a reminder that it is our duty as United States citizens to be informed and active in protecting our democracy. Whatever your particular political beliefs are, it is important that we remember to participate in peaceful and creative ways.

WEARABLE ART

I'm currently building up inventory for an online shop called EverPresentUnfolding on Etsy that carries my growing collection of "wearable art."

These offerings each begin with a hand-drawn illustration, which I then silk-screen onto the fabric, creating a one-of-kind item. Each item comes with a tag describing the symbolism included in the design.

All clothing is machine-wash safe with cold water and hang to dry.

WEBSITE DESIGN

I am grateful to have this skill that seems to be helpful to many people, and I am continuing my studies in web design at the Academy of Art University in San Francisco. My practice in this area is primarily built around artists, activists and small businesses and organizations working toward our society's common good. My goal is to be efficient and cost-effective for clients by quickly setting up well-designed sites based on the Wix or SquareSpace platforms, and to provide tutelage so that, going forward, clients can easily keep their sites updated themselves.

Here are a few of my clients' sites:

ModNomad Studio, of course, brought me in as an artist-in-residence. Here, I could subsidize much of my rent for designing their website. This website features various works of mine including the watercolor presented above on the Residencies page.

In late 2016, 2 former congressional staffers wrote and released a 27-page document in which they explain the best practices in how to make congress listen. Over 5,000 local indivisible groups have formed since then, gathering communities for patriotic duties. Indivisible Sausalito is one of them.

A couple of other websites that I have been working on are for Cafe Madrid, a Spanish restaurant in Salt Lake City, Utah and Espenet Furniture, a renowned carpenter based in Bolinas, California.

KEEP IN TOUCH

If you would like to contact me to discuss collaboration or services in illustration, graphic design, website design or photography feel free to email me at everpresentunfolding@gmail.com . I would be more than happy to hear what you have to say.

I also encourage you to follow me on Instagram and Facebook as I post about projects that I am working on everyday. :)