I recently finished working on a couple of very fun illustrations for the University of Minnesota’s latest campaign, which centered on a theme of light. For my part of the campaign, I illustrated two scenes that tied in with research done at the University. The scenes were then printed onto window clings and installed in glass walkways, giving the general effect of stained glass. It was a fun challenge to create something that had a little more of a “stained-glass-y” look than my usual work, which meant some heavier, more angular lines and more intense colors.

The first of these pieces has been installed at the Minneapolis airport concourse, and tells the story of how researches at the University developed a way to create fertilizer using wind turbines. The illustration features a farm scene with rolling hills (which is now familiar scenery to me here in England!), with a windmill showering the fields with its sciency goodness and making them lush and green. That’s not how the technology works in real life, but we get to be metaphoric in the illustrated world! Below are images of the art on its own, and how it looks installed at the airport (click on the images to see them larger). Huge thanks to Doreen Hoff and Janay Blazejewski at Olson in Minneapolis who were a true delight to work with! Someday soon I’ll share the other illustration and how it looks installed in downtown Minneapolis!