Mona Thompson and Talena Ray, owners of Providence Design, will host an anniversary party celebrating six years in business on October 24. The event is 5-8 p.m. and will feature live music and refreshments. “We’ve really enjoyed growing the business over the past six years and our relationships with our customers and clients,” Talena says. Join the party at Providence’s showroom, 2314 Cantrell Road. providenceltddesign.com
Sally Nixon On Her ‘Seek-and-Find Book for Grown-ups’
The Little Rock illustrator on her new book, her black thumb, and her love of wood paneling
Sally Nixon’s detail-rich illustrations pack a lot of visual punch: Whether she’s drawing the corner of a couch or a packed public space, every aspect of the scene is filled with painstakingly intricate patterns and textures. That’s why it’s no surprise Nixon’s latest project, Houseplants and Hot Sauce: A Seek-and-Find Book for Grown-ups, was named in a lineup of Architectural Digest’s best coffee table books this fall. Her work has also been featured on Cosmopolitan, Mashable, Bustle, and Lenny Letter, as well as Volume 1 of Good Night Stories for Rebel Girls.
Houseplants and Hot Sauce plays on Nixon’s intricate drawing style to hide everyday objects in plain sight, à la Where’s Waldo or I Spy, if Waldo was looking for six glasses of red wine. You can find the book wherever books are sold, or join her for a book signing at Domestic Domestic on October 19.
Sally Nixon’s seek-and-find book for grown-ups, House Plants and Hot Sauce. Image via amazon.com
Q: The home is the setting of so many of your illustrations, both before this book and within its pages. What makes this setting appealing to you?
A: I draw a lot of home scenes because I want the viewer to be able to relate to the characters I illustrate. One way I communicate the personality and interests of the people I create is to draw their environments.
Image via sallynixon.com
Q: What have been your biggest influences in developing your style over the years?
A: The rooms and houses I draw are heavily influenced by the homes I grew up in and the women who decorated them. My grandmother’s style is very classic and beautiful. Most of the earlier homes and rooms I drew were based off her home. My mom’s style when I was growing up was more eclectic and 90s (which I love). The homes and rooms I draw now are influenced by my mom’s 90s style.
Image via sallynixon.com
Q: The homes in your illustrations have a lot of patterns and texture on the walls, rugs, and furniture. What’s your own home style like?
A: My home style is like most twenty-something renters: lots of hand-me-down pieces mixed with IKEA furniture and boring gray walls. If I didn’t rent, I’d have a house full of wallpapered walls and fun colors. I also love wood paneling.
Image via sallynixon.com
Q: Do you have any houseplants yourself?
A: I’m actually really bad at taking care of plants. They all die so I just stick to drawing them! I love the way monsteras look, though. If I was a better plant mom, I’d get one of those.
Image via amazon.com
Q: How did you come up with the idea for a seek-and-find book?
A: My illustration style is very detail oriented and I love hiding little Easter eggs for the viewer in all of my drawings. When I was coming up with ideas for my publisher, a seek-and-find book seemed like a natural choice. Also, coloring and activity books for adults have become super popular and I thought a seek-and-find would be a fun addition to the mix.
Follow Sally Nixon on Instagram at instagram.com/sallustration.
