Poster by Caroline Dunn.
I grew up in the UK and was fortunate to go to Art school in London where I studied painting, sculpture, etching, and illustration. I moved to New York in my twenties where I worked in graphic design but soon grew tired of ad agency work. With two children to support I switched career paths and became a counselor, working in the criminal justice system for twenty years which resulted in much longing to be an artist again! With hard work and juggling of my life, I went back to Art school in my 40s and got a Masters degree in Illustration in NY. This really helped me discover what inspired me. The medieval era, illuminated manuscripts, William Blake, detailed decorative ancient illustration and architecture. All of the things I had been surrounded by where I grew up in England was what I found myself rediscovering. I started a small freelance illustration business called “Welldunn Illustrations” and attended Art shows and Renaissance Festivals. In 2003 I moved to Oregon to be a full time artist and to get away from the Lake Ontario snow! I became a Eugene Saturday Market artist and attended Art shows all over the area and had a space at the Fifth Street market artists’ co-op. I was thrilled to be chosen as the Oregon Country Fair artist to do the poster design in 2004. I picked a Jester theme as they are itinerant performers who entertain common folk at fairs and markets during medieval and Renaissance time and the OCF started as a Renaissance Festival all those years ago. It was an awesome experience to be such an important part of the fair, and, in turn, showed me how my art could be put on t-shirts; something I had not considered before. I still feel grateful for that opportunity as since then I have been making a living as an artist by hand illustrating my designs and printing them on clothing.