I teamed up Nike Los Angeles to create artwork for their inclusive half marathon, LA 13.1.
I created artwork for the finisher hoodies that would have been given to the runners as they completed the race, as well as a poster that would be given out at stores.
Unfortunately, due to COVID-19, the half marathon had to be canceled. Even with it’s cancellation, people around LA still ran the half marathon at a safe distance, proving that we as a community can still thrive during these difficult times.
Illustration for Slate
Article - What do we mean when we say the internet is reading our minds?
BY Merritt Tierce
Illustrations for Eataly’s Los Angeles Westfield Century City kiosk.
Women featured: Ariana Grande, Gal Gadot, Danai Gurira, Gigi Hadid, Nathalie Emmanuel, Yelda Ali, Reese Scott, Shannon Kim Wagner, Jenny Gaither & Katrin Davidsdottir.
Design, art direction & typography by me.
Cover illustration and interiors for the book, Rebels, Robbers & Radicals: The Story of the Bill of Rights by Terri Kanfield under the publisher Abrams Books.
The first ten amendments of the U.S. Constitution—known as the Bill of Rights—include the guarantee that no person may be deprived of life, liberty, or property without due process of law. Yet this soaring vision of human rights was written by enslavers who deprived others of these rights. The struggle to resolve this paradox continues to the present day.
Purchase here.
The Modelo Custom Shop travels across the country to celebrate the local artists in key markets who embody the fighting spirit, and I was asked to create the artwork for my city of LA. Custom patches and heat press vinyl shirts were made on site and given to loyal Modelo customers all around LA.
Branding & illustration for Budonoki LA, a West Coast Izakaya restaurant in Virgil Village.
Illustration for the article on LA Times Behold: ‘Mental healing in Black L.A. starts with professional help that looks like us’
I was lucky enough to show 28 original pieces at my first ever solo show at Junior High LA, a local Los Angeles gallery. Pieces included a variety of mediums: large scale painting, digital prints, poems and painted ceramics.
Late Bloomer Thesis:
What does it mean to be on time for the big milestones or moments in your life?
For as long as I can remember, I’ve always had an aching feeling that I’m doing something wrong: that I’m behind schedule, that everyone around me is moving at an instinctive pace that I can’t seem to uncover. As if they know the secret to success in their work, friendships and relationships, and I just haven’t been let in on it.
This feeling of not being on the right track has always weighed on me, especially in recent years as I’ve seen so many of my peers move towards a future that I’ve always wanted (and was conditioned to want) but can’t quite picture myself achieving. Living in a world where access and exposure to updates upon updates from friends, family, and even strangers on the internet has only heightened this acute sense of lateness.
Late Bloomer is an artistic expression that delves deeper into this feeling of lateness:
What does it mean to be where you’re supposed to be?
Where do you have to be in life to finally feel full and whole and content?
Who decides if you’re behind?
How do you know when you’re “there”?
This body of work explores the conflictions of wanting to stay true to myself and respect my journey, while also fighting against the feeling of being hopelessly behind and inadequate. It is a visual confrontation of my own perceived shortcomings and the social norms that built them.
Recursive, hyperactive, cumulative, hopscotched, and interlinked—these were the hallmarks of the early internet, and of autistic logic.
BY PATRICK MARLBOROUGH
Reas HERE
Spring of Life was a multimedia gallery show at Theodore Payne Foundation in LA
Artist statement:
Spring of Life is a visual exploration of how we as humans learn to coexist and adapt to our ever-changing natural surroundings. As the drought continues to shape our landscape and lives, I wanted this collection of work to show both the interaction of us within our newly shaped natural world, as well as a celebration of the plants that can thrive in this dry environment. Muted colors and earthy textures represent our dry, warm landscape, and how those things can be beautiful. Little moments and “framed” details show glimpses of hope within our landscape of LA. These moments are made to echo driving around the city and seeing patches of beautiful color or a native garden within the sea of green/decaying lawns. The human element in the work reflects our impact on our surroundings and how we can choose to either destruct or facilitate growth. I want people to see themselves in the work as catalysts of change, that every little sustainable move can help our environment thrive.
I got to the chance to work with Lucy & Yak on a pair of limited edition dungarees for their Vulvarees collection. This collection is part of a greater narrative brought by L&Y, to amplify the conversation around vulva stigma and period positivity. They will also be making donations to ‘Hey Girls’, a social enterprise on a mission to eradicate UK period poverty, improve access to quality products & increase education around period health.
See more on their site here!
Artwork for various events and specials at the renowned The Charter Oak in Napa, California.
In partnership with The Trevor Project , Dr. Martens used their platform to highlight DIY Docs created by artists and allies of the LGBTQ+ community.
See more at https://www.drmartens.com/us/en/diy-docs-kelly-malka
Le Wand's 2022 Special Edition Feel My Power Wand seeks to become a symbol of stepping into power as feminine beings and feeling confident and strong as leaders, role models, and symbols of strength. I got to create an extra special, limited edition of its OG rechargeable wand massager wrapped in empowering custom illustrations.
Learn more here!
For newcomers from Ukraine, having the support of a sponsor as they transition into life in the U.S. has a tremendous impact. I made this illustration for the Be A Welcomer campaign.
Learn more at ukraine.welcome.us
Litquake is San Francisco's literary festival with featuring speakers, writing classes and workshops.
I created the artwork for the 2020 event taking place online.
I got to create the artwork for Theodore Payne’s 2023 Native Plant Garden Tour.
Since 2003, more than 700 public and private landscapes have participated in the Native Plant Garden Tour. Ranging from coastal container gardens to modernist foothill estates to experimental urban homesteads, each unique design offers beauty and critical habitat for wildlife in one of the world’s biodiversity hotspots. The gardens on this tour contain at least 50 percent native plants.
I was asked to be part of a new recurring series featuring local artists from all over Los Angeles creating one-of-a-kind works of art exclusively for Grand Central Market. These hand-crafted designs will live in capsule collections of custom apparel, accessories, and prints sold in limited quantities for our beloved Los Angeles community.
Multiple illustrations for the LA Times 2020 Gift guide - 43 ways to make this year the best holiday season ever — even if money is tight
Check it out the piece online here!
Millions of people around the world are using windows to share messages of support during the COVID-19 pandemic. So HP united over 35 world-famous artists to create a gallery of printable posters to help fill every single window with hope.
The #windowsofhope collection includes over 40 original posters created specifically for this unprecedented time, from artists all over the world.
All the posters are free to download, so people can print from the safety of their homes. Check out the full gallery at hp.com/WindowsOfHope.
Sticker designs for Curative, handed out to patients after getting their Covid-19 vaccines.
I was asked by Adobe to create personal and impactful artwork for their new channel, @adobegencreate as an Ambassador.
