Gwendolyn Babbitt
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Gwen & Her Walking Buddy "Comet"
I was raised in a very small town in Central Oregon, spending long hot summers
at the local swimming pool, riding horses and motorcycles with my dad and going
to church with my numerous cousins and two older sisters. Dad took us to all
kinds of wonderful and remote places, ghost towns, chasing cows in the
Strawberry Mountains, fishing and camping - I was a total tomboy. This early and
frequent exposure to wilderness carved into my heart a wonder and abiding
affection for nature that has continued throughout my life. My mom was a very
good cook, loved her home and garden and nurtured my love for reading and for
God - from home-made egg noodles, a window box spilling petunias to fairy tales
read in front of a crackling fire, I learned the joy that flows from a warm and
beautiful home. It is the fusion of these two passions, nature and home that serves
as the well-spring of inspiration for my work.
I currently reside in Vancouver, WA with my husband Jim of almost 28 years, and
have 2 children, Rebecca 26 and Justin 23. They both live close by, and are one
of the great joys of my life. We live on an acre with a neurotic golden retriever, a
demanding cat and lots of heirloom rose bushes interspersed with weeds. My
husband and I love to ride our motorcycle, sing and travel to Mexico, possibly but
not necessarily at the same time! I am an intrepid walker, which keeps me sane
and makes me nicer!
Artistic from the beginning, I remember my kindergarten teacher pointing out to
the class the unusual amount of detail that I included in my finger paintings...I was
surprised that none of my classmates put branches on their trees! I took every art
class available through high school, and had a very encouraging art teacher. I
studied art in college - painting and drawing, though my degree was in
psychology. I graduated from Seattle Pacific College and since graduation have
taken additional college level and professional art school courses in design,
graphic design, perspective and watercolor. I've studied under several nationally
noted watercolorists and have taught many watercolor workshops in various
locations and locally for Washington State Universities' community ed program.
I began designing greeting cards on a freelance basis in 1987, and have had
designs licensed for various products by Lindy Bowman, Renaissance Cards, C,R,
Gibson, Hallmark, The Medici Society, England, Bigelow Teas, Greeting Seeds,
Heart Prints, Apple Orchard Press, Cricket Lane Publications and others. My
designs have also appeared on gift bags, aprons, greeting cards, t-shirts, watches,
prints, a gift box, journals, notepads, recipe cards, and book marks.
A variety of my designs and illustrations have appeared in books and magazines
including Fine Gardening Magazine, Sunset Books, Thomas Nelson, Harvest
House Publications, J.R. Countryman, Multnomah Books and Questar, and my
work has been featured on the cover of Country Pleasures magazine several
times. I have had work published in Australia, Holland, Germany and England.
Colorful and detailed, my designs tend to be based on classic natural and
domestic motifs painted in a fresh, fun and romantic style with a vintage European
twist - I call it Cottage meets Paris. Combining my love for the beauty and
exquisite detail of the natural world with designing contemporary images for the
home, garden, stationery and gift market, is a joy, and I am constantly inspired -
the local farmers' market, my cat lazily curled up in the laundry basket, the
elegance of a vintage silver pitcher filled with my friend Chris' heirloom roses. My
travels to England - the gardens, cozy cottages, walking from village to village, the
lilting warble of the blackbird and poking through dusty antique shops also serve
as a major source of influence.
Beauty enriches life and gives hope, and our Creator has filled our world with
beauty. I count it a privilege to attempt to reflect and spill a little of that glory onto
paper with paint and brush, and hopefully have that image bring a spark of
gladness to someone's world.
at the local swimming pool, riding horses and motorcycles with my dad and going
to church with my numerous cousins and two older sisters. Dad took us to all
kinds of wonderful and remote places, ghost towns, chasing cows in the
Strawberry Mountains, fishing and camping - I was a total tomboy. This early and
frequent exposure to wilderness carved into my heart a wonder and abiding
affection for nature that has continued throughout my life. My mom was a very
good cook, loved her home and garden and nurtured my love for reading and for
God - from home-made egg noodles, a window box spilling petunias to fairy tales
read in front of a crackling fire, I learned the joy that flows from a warm and
beautiful home. It is the fusion of these two passions, nature and home that serves
as the well-spring of inspiration for my work.
I currently reside in Vancouver, WA with my husband Jim of almost 28 years, and
have 2 children, Rebecca 26 and Justin 23. They both live close by, and are one
of the great joys of my life. We live on an acre with a neurotic golden retriever, a
demanding cat and lots of heirloom rose bushes interspersed with weeds. My
husband and I love to ride our motorcycle, sing and travel to Mexico, possibly but
not necessarily at the same time! I am an intrepid walker, which keeps me sane
and makes me nicer!
Artistic from the beginning, I remember my kindergarten teacher pointing out to
the class the unusual amount of detail that I included in my finger paintings...I was
surprised that none of my classmates put branches on their trees! I took every art
class available through high school, and had a very encouraging art teacher. I
studied art in college - painting and drawing, though my degree was in
psychology. I graduated from Seattle Pacific College and since graduation have
taken additional college level and professional art school courses in design,
graphic design, perspective and watercolor. I've studied under several nationally
noted watercolorists and have taught many watercolor workshops in various
locations and locally for Washington State Universities' community ed program.
I began designing greeting cards on a freelance basis in 1987, and have had
designs licensed for various products by Lindy Bowman, Renaissance Cards, C,R,
Gibson, Hallmark, The Medici Society, England, Bigelow Teas, Greeting Seeds,
Heart Prints, Apple Orchard Press, Cricket Lane Publications and others. My
designs have also appeared on gift bags, aprons, greeting cards, t-shirts, watches,
prints, a gift box, journals, notepads, recipe cards, and book marks.
A variety of my designs and illustrations have appeared in books and magazines
including Fine Gardening Magazine, Sunset Books, Thomas Nelson, Harvest
House Publications, J.R. Countryman, Multnomah Books and Questar, and my
work has been featured on the cover of Country Pleasures magazine several
times. I have had work published in Australia, Holland, Germany and England.
Colorful and detailed, my designs tend to be based on classic natural and
domestic motifs painted in a fresh, fun and romantic style with a vintage European
twist - I call it Cottage meets Paris. Combining my love for the beauty and
exquisite detail of the natural world with designing contemporary images for the
home, garden, stationery and gift market, is a joy, and I am constantly inspired -
the local farmers' market, my cat lazily curled up in the laundry basket, the
elegance of a vintage silver pitcher filled with my friend Chris' heirloom roses. My
travels to England - the gardens, cozy cottages, walking from village to village, the
lilting warble of the blackbird and poking through dusty antique shops also serve
as a major source of influence.
Beauty enriches life and gives hope, and our Creator has filled our world with
beauty. I count it a privilege to attempt to reflect and spill a little of that glory onto
paper with paint and brush, and hopefully have that image bring a spark of
gladness to someone's world.