Artist Rosemary Jones’ daughter’s eagerness to connect with friends during the pandemic inspired her to create coloring pages and greeting cards.
Jones, 41, who works out of her home studio in Everett, specializes in hand lettering, greeting cards, posters and tattoo design. Most of her art incorporates her two loves: lettering and illustration.
“My daughter’s a big inspiration for me, and I find myself drawing things I hope she would find cute or endearing,” Jones wrote in an email to The Daily Herald. “I’ve loved lettering since I was a kid, and love working that into pieces. I’m often drawn to quirky little creatures or monsters with little personalities.”
Her 9-year-old daughter has a renewed zeal for the postal service during the quarantine. Since Hadassah can’t see her friends at school, they’ve been mailing their artwork back and forth to each other. Not only does it keep the kids from feeling bored, it’s been a fun way for them to stay connected.
Jones made a set of four pandemic greeting cards for those of us who are stuck at home. She made them in black and white, so you can color them. They say “I Miss You,” “Hugs from Afar,” “Thank You for Being A Superhero (By Staying Home)” and “Zoom Soon?”
In addition to the greeting cards you can color, she’s been making coloring pages.
One of them is a series of monster alphabet coloring pages based on the 1948 song “’A’ You’re Adorable (The Alphabet Song).” She’s made monsters A through J so far. They’re free to print from her website.
She also made a coloring page for the Schack Art Center in Everett in honor of the high school graduating class of 2020. The page, which you can download from www.schack.org/teen-night for free, features flowers growing over the number 2020.
“In a lot of ways, this is an incredibly hard year for folks, and discouraging for students graduating,” Jones wrote. “But sometimes beautiful things can grow from tragedy and disappointment.”
That 2020 coloring page inspired Jones to make another one in the same design that’s not so family-friendly. Titled “Stay the (Expletive) at Home,” the page is meant to motivate and remind the colorist to do the right thing during the pandemic and stay put.
“I think folks are looking for something to do, whether that be meditative coloring as an adult, or having cards you and your kids can color together to send to folks you’re missing,” Jones wrote. “My daughter’s teacher messaged me and told me she’d received a few of my coloring cards from other classmates.”
Jones has been doodling in sketchpads since childhood, but today draws more and more of her art on an iPad.
A self-taught artist, she scours the internet for painting and drawing tips and techniques. She also takes Skillshare art classes online.
“I’m often interested in learning new techniques, so I’ll dive into one style of drawing and make a series of something I’ve drawn to so I can practice that technique over and over and incorporate it into my own style,” Jones wrote.
She transformed a spare room in her home into an art studio when she decided art wasn’t just her hobby, it was a business.
“I’ve been a stay-at-home mom since my daughter was born in 2010, and I turned to art when she would nap,” Jones said. “I’d post photos of my work on social media, and a business just gradually grew out of it. It started with tattoo requests or card design requests, and has slowly evolved as my capacity has allowed.
”I really love commissions because it allows me to work while my daughter does schoolwork.”
She recently made a coloring book for Historic Everett. “Coloring History” is filled with illustrations of notable architecture, such as Everett High School and the Rucker Mansion. Each page features an illustration and a short description of the building’s historical significance to the city.
Right now she’s in the middle of making postcards for all 19 Everett neighborhoods for Live In Everett. She has 11 cards done so far, each of them in mid-century modern style and featuring a neighborhood landmark, including the Delta, Silver Lake, Glacier View, Westmont and Bayside neighborhoods.
“It’s been really fun to connect with folks living in each place and glean what they love about their neighborhood and incorporate that into each piece,” she wrote.
Since she’s been staying home throughout the pandemic, Jones finds herself drawing even more in her sketchbook.
“It’s very therapeutic for me, whether it’s following along in a Skillshare class or doodling things in my own head,” she wrote.
In addition to commissions by Schack Art Center, Live in Everett and Historic Everett, Jones has done work for medical staff at Providence Regional Medical Center in Everett.
Robyn Lang, who works at Providence, asked Jones to design a lunch bag to give to her team of 130 nurses for Nurses Appreciation Week — which has been extended to Nurses Appreciation Month this year because of COVID-19. The bags say “Perianesthesia Nurses are the Best Nurses.” Some of the lettering is made to look like a heartbeat.
For herself, the assistant nurse manager asked for a poster that she can put in her office. It shows a tough-looking female ringmaster standing in front of her circus tents. It reads “Ringmaster of the (Expletive) Show.” Work has been extra stressful during the pandemic, but Lang manages to have a sense of humor about it.
“It embodies the last six to eight weeks when all of this COVID stuff started,” Lang said. “I love it. It speaks to my heart and what I have been feeling.”
Visit www.theartofrosemary.com to see more of Rosemary Jones’ artwork.
Sara Bruestle: 425-339-3046; sbruestle@heraldnet.com; @sarabruestle.
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