ali with an 'i'

Surf Paintings

2011-12-08T14:16:00.000-08:00

Here are a few photos of my most recent work! In these two pieces, I tried to convey the feeling I experience before and after surfing.

From Sand to Sea

20" x 30"

watercolor

From Sea to Sand

12" x 16"

watercolor

SURFRIDER Show Sneak Peek!

2011-11-21T20:27:00.000-08:00

I am pleased to announce that I will be displaying my work at the Defending Lake Erie show presented by Breakneck Gallery and Surfrider Foundation, Nov. 26th- Dec. 9th. The gallery will be featuring artwork produced by surfers in an effort to bring awareness to the importance of protecting and maintaining our beaches.

Here is a sneak peek at a section of one of my watercolor paintings.

The show will also be featuring a screening of the documentary Out of Place, winner of New York Surf film festival's viewers' choice award, directed by my friend and all around good guy, Scott Ditzenberger.

Please join us at the opening this Saturday, November 26th 6-10 PM!

(1702 Madison Ave., Lakewood, OH 44107)

Sugar Pie Honey Bunch

2011-11-21T20:03:00.000-08:00

Here is a fun card I illustrated for cardstore.com, that just launched this past week! Make sure to pick one up for your nearest and dearest.

Nose Walking Sasquatch

2011-10-25T19:33:00.000-07:00

Here is a piece I created for a Sasquatch-themed show. It's called "Secret Spot".

Little Surfer Girl

2011-08-31T13:36:00.000-07:00

I'm going home to Sarasota for the week! I hope to be carrying one of these and wearing one of those.

Spring/Summer cards for Target

2011-08-30T14:51:00.000-07:00

Here are some of my favorite cards I illustrated for Target's 2011 Spring/Summer line, including Wedding, Mother's Day, Friendship, Easter, and Father's Day.

Happy Hearts Day

2011-02-14T15:44:00.000-08:00

Here are some Valentine's cards I made for American Greetings.
*Please click to enlarge.

We miss you Corey

2011-01-07T21:10:00.000-08:00

Corey Parker (1976-2010)

I wanted to take a moment to honor my dear friend Corey Parker, who sadly passed away December 30th, 2010. Corey was a talented artist and an amazing person. I feel incredibly lucky to have known him and to be his friend. He was always there to share a laugh or provide a friendly word of encouragement. I'll never forget the time when we went snowboarding and he convinced me to ride the chair-lift for the very first time. I was terrified, but somehow Corey had me laughing the whole ride up and managed to help me off the lift without falling. I will always remember Corey. His optimism, quick wit, and contagious smile will be dearly missed.
Wishing you peace and love.

Corey and I at Spaces Gallery.

Rooting for the Cavs.

Progress 2, Corey Parker 2010

Pug, Corey Parker

For more about Corey and his art, please visit:

Corey Parker Remembered

Corey Parker's Blog

Boxed Stationery

2010-12-18T22:26:00.000-08:00

I've always loved stationery and am excited to share these boxed sets I illustrated and designed for American Greetings, available at Target.

New Cards

2010-12-18T14:09:00.000-08:00

Here are some cards I illustrated for American Greetings, available in select Target stores.

Goodbye Fall!

2010-12-12T21:16:00.000-08:00

We certainly enjoyed your stay!

Below is a collection of photos I shot in my Lakewood, Ohio neighborhood.

Record Breakers

2010-12-12T20:52:00.000-08:00

I participated in a group show this summer called Record Breaker's (a sequel to Straight from the Crate).

My piece, Lily Prefers Classic Reggae, is a portrait of my beloved dog Lily listening to my Dad's old Reggae music. It was created with acrylic, cut paper, and a record.

Sneak Peek

2010-05-26T16:39:00.001-07:00

Here's a little montage of artwork I have created over the past few months. The more representational illustrations I painted in gouache/watercolor and the others I created digitally. Hope you enjoy!

*Please click image to enlarge.

My card on Modern Family!!!

2010-05-26T16:37:00.000-07:00

So, I was lying on the couch watching a rerun of Modern Family (quite possibly the greatest sitcom on television), and thought I spotted something familiar. Could that be one of my cards?! With a quick jump on Hulu and a little apple-shift-4, low and behold...

(Eeek! Eeek! Calling the parents!)

* Please click image to enlarge.

Playing with a Block Print look

2010-05-26T16:36:00.001-07:00

These two pieces are an experimental style, continued from a few posts below. As mentioned previously, I wanted to experiment with using irregular shapes to achieve a fun, collage-like feel. I kept an analogous color palette to maintain the Valentine's Day theme.

Experimenting with Patterns

2010-05-26T16:31:00.000-07:00

Here are some patterns I made with ink and scanned textures.

Mother's Day cards

2010-05-07T13:26:00.000-07:00

Here are some cards I painted for Mother's Day 2010.

Happy Halloween!

2009-10-30T11:35:00.000-07:00

Here are some Fall items I made for Target. Hope everyone has a fun & spooky Halloween weekend!

Temporary Tattoos!

Fall card

Beach day

2009-10-09T07:25:00.000-07:00

Here is a personal card I made for a friend and fellow Cleveland surfer's birthday. As of lately, I have been looking at a lot of contemporary folk art ,which seems to have inspired this little piece. I wanted to play around with flattening the perspective and icons into a pattern-like composition of verticals and horizontals. I would like to try this technique again, but venture out of my comfort zone with looser, more irregular shapes.

Straight from the Crate Show

2009-07-02T13:53:00.000-07:00

I participated in a group show at Shoparooni called Straight from the Crate. The affiliated artists were asked to create imagery using old vinyl records and album covers as a common substrate.

Here is my submission, a series painted in acrylic titled Femme Fatale.

Color Studies:

Here are my color studies, I made prior to beginning. I was pretty stoked about the lime one, yet as you can see, changed my mind during the painting process. Inspired by the tonal grey base coat, I decided to go with a limited color palette (incorporating the grey and adding the cranberry with a pop of pink). I felt this suited the title/subject matter. The grey representing the subtle darkness of the vixen and the candy pink being symbolic of her alluring qualities. Ohhh snap! I just went all fine-artsy on you with my color studies...Oh my, oh my, oh my!

Info on the Show from Keith Corcoran:

Using old vinyl records originally destined for the trash as their canvas, the participating artists have created a diverse collection of traditional and contemporary art. This show runs from June 26 through July 26 at the very hip Shoparooni Gallery Annex in Cleveland's Waterloo Arts District and features artists from Cleveland, LA, NY, Arizona and Australia.

In an effort to take some of the mystery out of art buying, this show, unlike others, will be "cash-and-carry," meaning if you see something you like, you can take your new-favorite-artwork home with you that night, straight off the wall! "The overall goal of the show," says curator Keith Corcoran, "is to put high-quality one-of-a-kind artwork in the hands of the average citizen at a price that won't break the bank." Artists include... Alison Kurzeja, Aaron Wildasin, Anthony Davila, Bill Kerner, Cheryl Andrey, Claire Mojher, Chris Hsu, Carlos Villagra, Daniel Edlen, Dave Savage, Derek Welch, Derek Yoder, Eliza Devogel, Erik Flesher, Emily Gross, Giao Buu, Jaden Devogel, James Groman, Jeffrey Conrad, John DeLucca, Julia Kuo, Keith Allen, Keith Corcoran, Kevin Carr, Kelle Schwab, Kelley Corcoran, Masa Homma, Nomar Perez, Numskull, Renee Froerer, Robbie Busch, Shaun Edwards, Steve Ehret, and more!

For more information contact: SHOPAROONI, 15813 Waterloo Road,Cleveland OH, 44110 216.383.3633 www.shoparooni.com

Deck Wreckers

2009-06-25T19:49:00.000-07:00

My A Good Hair Day board art was featured in the Deck Wreckers Group Show at (Art)ificial Gallery. Please check out the photos from the opening event below.

Close up of my piece.

Painted Ladies Show

2009-06-25T17:24:00.000-07:00

I was very fortunate to be given the opportunity to display work with one of my best friends and colleague, Coleen Kolarik in the Creative Gallery at the American Greetings World Headquarters. We chose the female form as our subject, and experimented with a variety of different mediums. Please click on press release article below.

Show Poster

Coleen and I collaborated on the show poster in an effort to combine our two separate styles. After a couple late nights, over due library books, and thumb nail sketches, this was our end result. I think I enjoyed creating this image with her the most out of the whole show experience.

Here is my work for the Show. I experimented with juxtaposing an expressive line with more representational portraits. I started the first painting with a very naive marking to accompany the rendered face and then progressed to a more graceful brush stroke with the following piece.

Spring

Oil & paint pen on masonite

18"x 12"

Rockabilly Blossom

acrylic, oil & ink on canvas board

10" x 8"

Shoesies

acrylic, cut paper & ink on canvas board

5" x 5"

Soulmate(s)

acrylic, cut paper & ink on canvas board

8" x 8"

Prada Fruitada

acrylic, cut paper & ink on canvas board

8" x 8"

Way A lot of Cards

2009-06-25T17:12:00.000-07:00

Here are some of my published illustrations on cards from the past few months.

Birthday Gumball machine card for Target.

Father's day card for Core Product.

Mother's Day card for Target.

Mother's Day card (Grandma) for Target.

Mother's Day music card,

plays You are so Beautiful.

Painted in gouache.

Mother's Day Music card.

plays Aretha Franklin's Respect.

Mother's Day card for Core product.

Painted in watercolor

Mother's Day card for Core product

These two were fun to create. I scanned in my drawings and added some

block print texture to the background.

Mother's Day card for Core product

Easter card for Walmart.

Easter Card for Walmart.

Painted in gouache

Bridal Shower Card for Target.

Sympathy card for Target.

Mom's birthday card for Target.

Happy Valentine's Day 2009

2009-02-10T15:03:00.001-08:00

Here are some of my illustrations on cards for v-day.

Skateboard deck design show: 'All Hands On Decks'

2009-01-20T17:15:00.000-08:00

I am super stoked to be participating in a skate deck show! All Hands On Decks is being held at the AG gallery from January 19th- 30th and is featuring over 40 different artists. Please stop by if you have the opportunity, there is a great group of eclectic boards on display.

Here is my submission for the show. I revisited a design I had made prior to this experience, by making some digital adjustments to the figure and layout. I originally began with an ink line drawing and then blocked in the color with oil. I then scanned this and did some final painting touch ups in photoshop along with the decorative flourishes. I hope you enjoy it!

From left to right: Me, Emily Gross, Claire Mojher, & Julia Kuo.

A few new cards

2009-01-18T06:48:00.000-08:00

Hello blogger friends! I apologize for not posting anything in a reasonable amount of time. Now that it's negative ten degrees outside though, I can assure you I will be home in front of the computer more often. :) Here are some of my newer cards that came out this Christmas season. I'm also in a group skate deck show that opens tomorrow (January 19th). More to come on that very soon! In the mean time please check out some of our progress here.

Target Christmas cards

2008-09-23T12:46:00.001-07:00

I did these in gouache for part of Target's '07 Christmas line. It was fun to play with the whimsical styling of the figures.

Christmas card set

2008-09-23T12:41:00.000-07:00

These were the very first two projects I worked on at AG.

My first published cards!

2008-09-22T19:51:00.000-07:00

This was a fun piece to create. I experimented with tissue paper and acrylic glazing.

This Communion card was created using an acrylic dry brush technique.

These icons were created with just pencil and photoshop.

The bunnies were also painted in gouache. I tried to maintain a fresh, yet vintage look.

Here are some of my very first cards! I created them within my first couple months of starting at American Greetings in June of 2007. The elongated figures were painted in gouache.

Beach Girl Promotional

2008-09-17T19:32:00.005-07:00

This is another piece I experimented with the combination of digital and traditional media.

Marie Antoinette

2008-09-17T19:32:00.004-07:00

This is an editorial portrait of Kirsten Dunst starring as Marie Antoinette, oil on illustration board.

Skateboard Deck

2008-09-17T19:32:00.003-07:00

This is a skateboard deck design inspired by Mucha, I had made for a friend. I experimented with combining traditional and digital medias.

Self Portrait 2006

2008-09-17T19:32:00.002-07:00

This is a self portrait created with oil and color erase pencils.

Go Fish

2008-09-17T19:32:00.001-07:00

This was a quick design for a playing card using photoshop.

Senior Show

2008-09-17T19:32:00.000-07:00

These are the four paintings I created for my college senior show back in the spring of 2007. I chose four books to illustrate, being: To Kill a Mockingbird, The Awakening, Written on the Body, and Straight Talking. Although some are contemporary and others classic, each book contains universal themes predicated on the human experience, which are rich in both imagery and substance.

Because, these books are written by women and about women, each story served as a vehicle in which I could demonstrate my soft and feminine style. Inspired by the content, I focused in on capturing emotion through the expression of color and design.