Freelance illustrator Candice Davis of Honolulu, Hawaii has a purpose that drives her work. Her artist statement says: “The intent of my illustration is to clarify and add depth to concepts for children and adults. Art communicates what words often times fail to do.Illustration is provocative and easily accessible to large audiences. Today’s world has many narratives. Each has as much value and meaning as one is willing to receive.” Her favourite authors, which she lists as Steinbeck, Camus, Hesse and Tom Robbins spin narratives about the ordinary everyday things in life in ways that reach everyone, pointing out how we can be touched by seemingly uninteresting events. “A picture says a thousand words” isn’t just a cliché to her, it’s the goal of her work to communicate the stories of others poetically.
A story that I’ve been following is the mysterious disappearance of a significant portion of wild and domestic honeybees worldwide, now known as “Colony collapse disorder“, so I found it especially poignant that some of her most beautiful designs, first posted in July of 2010, are bee-themed paisleys and florals. Acknowledging long-standing textile design traditions without being restricted to them, her graphic, lush black and white patterns speak volumes, both in relevance and style, and stimulate the imagination with sinuous lines that flow like narratives. She’s produced patterns for ties, scarves, upholstery, and dishes… and I want them all!
