some great news!

Hey guys, I'm super excited to say that one of my recent pieces has been accepted in the 2012 Society of Illustrators student competition! You can check it out with your eyes HEEAh along with the rest of the fabulous pieces from supafabulous people from the College for Creative Studies.
AND
I won first place at the 2012 Hagopian Rug Student Design Competition! This year's theme was the revival of the City of Detroit. Unfortunately, I didn't get a picture of my design before I submitted it, so here is my color study and inspiration statement as consolation. If you do want to see the final refined design, make sure you check out the 5ftx7ft rug that will be hung at the student show in the spring!

My entry into the 2012 Hagopian Student Rug Design Competition was inspired, in part, by the cracks on the road outside of my Midtown dorm. Detroit put this country on wheels, and the wheels of those Detroit-born cars pounded away at the asphalt of our nation’s roads until fissures began to appear. The worn Detroit roadways are a symbol, and permanent reminder, of the rise and fall of history’s greatest automobile industry. My other point of inspiration comes from the urban agriculture movement. These community gardens, built on abandoned lots, help foster a sense of fraternity within Detroit neighborhoods, and has reinvigorated the spaces with leafy greens and brightly colored fruits and vegetables. One particular leaf, from the distinguishable red-veined green cabbage, held my attention. The wide green leaf almost looks as if it has the spirit of the Detroit’s revival pumping through its veins. My design seeks to join the two sources of inspiration, transforming the smooth vascular design of the cabbage leaf into the jagged formation of cracks that can be seen on any Detroit road, and thus bringing together a sense of the past with our movement into the future.