Women Who inspire Me: Mary Engelbreit

The first card I remember purchasing.

 Today is my first installment of "Women Who Inspire Me." Mary Engelbreit has been a part of my life since the early 80's. She is my favorite artist and illustrator. I think I first discovered ME in a Hallmark store in Kennewick and the Ocotopus Garden, an eclectic card shop in Richland. 

Mary's greeting cards are bright, colorful, whimsical, and she almost always uses a quote. She also loves polka-dots! She wanted to be an artist since she was a child and was so excited when she learned people were artists for a living. Her first goal was to illustrate children's books, but the agents that looked at her work encouraged her to do greeting cards. The rest is history.

My all-time favorite

She has created cards, calendars, t-shirts, wall hangings, stationary, fabric, books, and for eleven years did a magazine. I loved her Home Companion magazine. She did fulfill her dream and has illustrated a whole collection of children's books. 

Her magazine always had beautiful covers.

I am always interested in a artist's process. This is how she creates a piece of art:

"I’ve often been asked how I actually create my illustrations, so let me explain. I complete each drawing on a single piece of paper, first in pencil, then in pen and ink. I then color in with marker and shade with colored pencil. Each drawing takes me about two to three days to complete, sometimes a little longer for calendar or book images."

I love her illustrations about gardening. They speak to me!

Now, along with her cards and other products I can follow her on social media. I can comment on her Instagram account and tell her personally how much I love her art every day. Every year I have her wall calendar above my desk, I have her cards tucked away to send out to friends and family ( ( I was so excited to discover Current carries her products). My all-time favorite product of ME's is her daily desk calendar with a quote and illustration for each day of the year.

Who inspired her? Jessie Wilcox Smith and Johnny Gruell ( the creator of Raggedy Ann and Andy). but her biggest inspiration was  Joan Walsh Anglund. She inspires me because she had a dream, stuck with it, and has spent her adult life doing what she loves. She draws every day. 

a page from the desk calendar