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Local Artist Creates Science-Inspired Posters

Enliven your rooms with these creations from Methow Valley artist Jessica Rose

1114feathers

This article originally appeared in the November 2014 issue of Seattle magazine.

For illustrator Jessica Rose, a 2013 move to the bucolic Methow Valley produced a highly productive form of cabin fever. “The beautiful wood lining in our cabin was so inspiring,” says the mother of two. “My aesthetic started to evolve to the rustic and the natural.” After years spent working in a purely digital medium for her Vol.25 art line, Rose is striking a beautiful balance between art and science, rusticity and refinement, with her new, science-inspired posters. Recalling antique scientific illustrations and educational charts, Vol.25 poster themes range from faceted minerals and gems to rugged antlers and delicate speckled feathers. The images are drawn digitally in Photoshop with a pen tablet, into which she incorporates her own watercolor textures. She then prints the work on canvas paper, which she finishes by hand with wood trim. “Sanding, cutting and staining each piece is very rewarding,” Rose says. “I love that no two posters are exactly alike.” $20–$70 for poster-size prints; available at West Elm (Seattle location only; South Lake Union, 2201 Westlake Ave, Suite 100; 206.467.5798; westelm.com) and vol25.etsy.com.

 

Can Alaska Kelp Help Washington Crops Beat the Heat?

Can Alaska Kelp Help Washington Crops Beat the Heat?

A Ketchikan company is working with WSU researchers to see whether its kelp-based biostimulant can help grapes and berries withstand environmental stress.

From the floatplane, reddish-brown kelp traces the edges of the small islands between Ketchikan and Prince of Wales Island like brushstrokes on the surface of the water. Up close, on a rare 70-degree July day in Alaska, the kelp is glossy and beautiful, though the wind coming off the water makes it nearly impossible to…

PlantCon Is Coming for Seattle’s Windowsills

PlantCon Is Coming for Seattle’s Windowsills

The nation’s largest gathering for houseplant lovers makes its Pacific Northwest debut this August with 200 booths, hands-on workshops, and a DJ.

My house is full of plants, enough that I’ve lost count. Houseplants have the same suspicious math as tattoos: One is rarely the final number. I propagate cuttings in jars of water, regularly rearrange corners of the house in pursuit of better light, and like to imagine the entire collection is improving the air. That…

Noir Lux Lights Up Fourth Avenue

Noir Lux Lights Up Fourth Avenue

The Seattle candle brand’s new two-level pop-up brings workshops and community gatherings downtown through September.

It’s often said that good things come in threes, and for Colina Bruce, founder of the lifestyle and home fragrance brand Noir Lux, that’s certainly proving true. With a flagship shop in Belltown and an outpost in Ballard, Bruce is rounding out a Noir Lux trio with the opening of the Noir Lux Collective on…

Better Together: This Take on Co-Housing Emphasizes Quality and Community

Better Together: This Take on Co-Housing Emphasizes Quality and Community

The Seattle project presents an out-of-the-box model, where investors are also residents, and the design focuses on longevity and tenant retention—not profit.

Growing up in rural Detroit, Chad Dale spent many after-school and weekend hours playing with neighborhood kids in an open lot near his house. It’s an experience he always hoped his children would have someday, but by the time he became a father in Seattle, land was at a premium: either already developed or prohibitively…