Color Theory Watercolor

When our kids were small I didn’t have time to sketch when we were traveling, but I could take notes of the colors I saw in a small notebook –everything from laundry lines, to bird plumage, to colors on a wall — and then I would lay down studies after they were in bed. This was the most effective visual journal I could muster and it turned into a valuable tool to increase my color literacy. We all register the impact of landscape in many different ways and mine begins with color. I finally realized these notations, these studies, are maps of a sort.

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Regular studio happenings, new pattern designs and gardening at 8K.

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Jun 8

<img src="https://isacatto.com/wp-content/plugins/instagram-feed-pro/img/placeholder.png" alt="Today is World Ocean's Day, so we decided to feature a few more mangrove photos from our recent trip to Chira Island in Costa Rica along with our mangrove scarf, which plants a mangrove with every sale. These women are a marvel and have planted 12,000 mangroves to date, which is very, very hard work. We were proud to stand and plant with them. If you are a small business and want to learn more about how to partner with non-profits and give back, just DM me. Want to learn what more you can do for our oceans? Go to stories! Conservation International's Emily Pidgeon on Chira and mangroves: "There is a group of the most inspiring women on Chira Island on the Pacific coast of Costa Rica. Any moment I think that life is hard, I reflect on what those women have achieved. They have overcome poverty and opposition from their families, community and beyond to bring income, education and security to their families. They built a fiberglass boat from scratch because there was no way of getting people from the island to the mainland if there was an emergency. It was these women who realized that their fish populations were depleted and that they needed to restore their mangroves. Conservation International's team in Costa Rica has been supporting them for over a decade now, but it is the strength and determination of the women themselves that has given their communities a brighter future. If you wonder why I do this, it's for the women on Chira and the many others like them we work with around the world. Meeting these communities and seeing firsthand how vulnerable they are to the impacts of climate change is a life-changing experience every time, even after more than a decade working on these issues. Using science to make a difference to these people gives me joy and maintains my hope for the future." To read more, go to link in bio.">

Today is World Ocean's Day, so we decided to feature a few more mangrove photos from our recent trip to Chira Island in Costa Rica along with our mangrove scarf, which plants a mangrove with every sale. These women are a marvel and have planted 12,000 mangroves to date, which is very, very hard work. We were proud to stand and plant with them. If you are a small business and want to learn more about how to partner with non-profits and give back, just DM me.
Want to learn what more you can do for our oceans? Go to stories!
Conservation International's Emily Pidgeon on Chira and mangroves: "There is a group of the most inspiring women on Chira Island on the Pacific coast of Costa Rica. Any moment I think that life is hard, I reflect on what those women have achieved. They have overcome poverty and opposition from their families, community and beyond to bring income, education and security to their families. They built a fiberglass boat from scratch because there was no way of getting people from the island to the mainland if there was an emergency. It was these women who realized that their fish populations were depleted and that they needed to restore their mangroves. Conservation International's team in Costa Rica has been supporting them for over a decade now, but it is the strength and determination of the women themselves that has given their communities a brighter future. If you wonder why I do this, it's for the women on Chira and the many others like them we work with around the world. Meeting these communities and seeing firsthand how vulnerable they are to the impacts of climate change is a life-changing experience every time, even after more than a decade working on these issues. Using science to make a difference to these people gives me joy and maintains my hope for the future." To read more, go to link in bio.

Jun 2

<img src="https://isacatto.com/wp-content/plugins/instagram-feed-pro/img/placeholder.png" alt="Our new Gunnison sage-grouse prints just landed in the shop and are worth grousing about. These magnificent birds are in a precarious place with a shrinking habitat due to oil and gas development and wildfires. Learn more about them @birdnoteradio https://www.birdnote.org/listen/birdnote-presents/grouse Don’t forget to browse our full print collection — an affordable way to reinvent your space. Tap video for details or go to link in bio.">

Our new Gunnison sage-grouse prints just landed in the shop and are worth grousing about. These magnificent birds are in a precarious place with a shrinking habitat due to oil and gas development and wildfires. Learn more about them @birdnoteradio https://www.birdnote.org/listen/birdnote-presents/grouse
Don’t forget to browse our full print collection — an affordable way to reinvent your space. Tap video for details or go to link in bio.

May 29

<img src="https://isacatto.com/wp-content/plugins/instagram-feed-pro/img/placeholder.png" alt="Tapir tracks on the beach in the Osa. We got home late last night, drained from the long trip—a boat ride through the rain, a shuttle van through flooded rivers, a plane, then another back to Denver, and then the final one home —but energized by getting out of our comfort zones. Our week was a perfect balance of work and play and constant wonder. The pandemic has hit Costa Rica hard, especially if you step off the beaten paths where traditional tourist income evaporated. You wouldn’t know this by the lovely welcome we got in all comers or by the unwavering celebration of this country’s dedicated conservation ethos. There is a lot to be said for being forced to disconnect, and it made me realize how distracted and distractable I’ve become. My notebook got trashed by torrential rain (always carry a ziplock) -- but the inspiration is far from lost. We will be back!🦜🦜🦜 Swipe to explore. Thank you, @gustavoabarcaguerrero and @conservacionintlcr, for sharing your endless knowledge and love of place, and for hosting us so well! And thanks to Fi, Ted, Joel and Maria for keeping us in laughter and good spirits! Some photos are via @ted_maertens!">

Tapir tracks on the beach in the Osa. We got home late last night, drained from the long trip—a boat ride through the rain, a shuttle van through flooded rivers, a plane, then another back to Denver, and then the final one home —but energized by getting out of our comfort zones. Our week was a perfect balance of work and play and constant wonder. The pandemic has hit Costa Rica hard, especially if you step off the beaten paths where traditional tourist income evaporated. You wouldn’t know this by the lovely welcome we got in all comers or by the unwavering celebration of this country’s dedicated conservation ethos. There is a lot to be said for being forced to disconnect, and it made me realize how distracted and distractable I’ve become.
My notebook got trashed by torrential rain (always carry a ziplock) -- but the inspiration is far from lost. We will be back!🦜🦜🦜
Swipe to explore. Thank you, @gustavoabarcaguerrero and @conservacionintlcr, for sharing your endless knowledge and love of place, and for hosting us so well! And thanks to Fi, Ted, Joel and Maria for keeping us in laughter and good spirits! Some photos are via @ted_maertens!

May 25

<img src="https://isacatto.com/wp-content/plugins/instagram-feed-pro/img/placeholder.png" alt="Fiona examining her mangrove sapling. Many of you know that we partner with a women’s cooperative via Conservation International to plant a mangrove with every silk scarf we sell. The pandemic delayed our plans to visit Chira Island in Costa Rica, but we finally made it, and it was simply magical. These ladies restored the health of their fishing community one mangrove at a time and planted over 12,000 in the process. It’s hard work to plant a mangrove sapling, let alone thousands, but they knew what was at stake and take great pride in their nursery and their mission. I hope other communities will catch on. Why are mangroves important and cool as hell? Mangroves maintain biodiversity by acting as nursemaids to hundreds of species while taking the lead in carbon sequestration behind coral reefs. Unfortunately, developers and overfishing have obliterated mangrove forests, and we need them. It was an honor to meet this community and worth the travel. These women and their families are an inspiration and reinforced, for me, the power of moving in small, measured methods towards change. Advocacy and change need grassroots efforts AND philanthropic currency. To learn more, go to the link in bio and swipe for more photos.">

Fiona examining her mangrove sapling. Many of you know that we partner with a women’s cooperative via Conservation International to plant a mangrove with every silk scarf we sell. The pandemic delayed our plans to visit Chira Island in Costa Rica, but we finally made it, and it was simply magical. These ladies restored the health of their fishing community one mangrove at a time and planted over 12,000 in the process. It’s hard work to plant a mangrove sapling, let alone thousands, but they knew what was at stake and take great pride in their nursery and their mission. I hope other communities will catch on. Why are mangroves important and cool as hell? Mangroves maintain biodiversity by acting as nursemaids to hundreds of species while taking the lead in carbon sequestration behind coral reefs. Unfortunately, developers and overfishing have obliterated mangrove forests, and we need them. It was an honor to meet this community and worth the travel. These women and their families are an inspiration and reinforced, for me, the power of moving in small, measured methods towards change. Advocacy and change need grassroots efforts AND philanthropic currency. To learn more, go to the link in bio and swipe for more photos.

May 23

<img src="https://isacatto.com/wp-content/plugins/instagram-feed-pro/img/placeholder.png" alt="The sweet and shy tapir. We are in Costa Rica headed to Chira Island to better understand our mangrove partnership, and to meet the amazing women who plant mangroves to repair a damaged ecosystem while helping to mitigate climate change via carbon sequestration, one baby mangrove tree at a time.">

The sweet and shy tapir. We are in Costa Rica headed to Chira Island to better understand our mangrove partnership, and to meet the amazing women who plant mangroves to repair a damaged ecosystem while helping to mitigate climate change via carbon sequestration, one baby mangrove tree at a time.

May 20

<img src="https://isacatto.com/wp-content/plugins/instagram-feed-pro/img/placeholder.png" alt="I hustled past another birthday this month, and it feels good to be here. As we re-adjust to a more vaccinated country, people wonder what to keep and what to toss after our year-plus of isolation, and I am no exception. I want less hustle and more intersection in disparate parts of my life. Most artists I know rove from one creative pursuit to another but get snared by a world that likes labels and compartments. My range includes gardening, writing, design, and art. Each one feeds the other, layer after layer — like this scarf, inspired by hummingbirds in the @mojogardens. I wrote about the odd boundaries we impose on ourselves and others and gardening as an art form. Read the blog at the link in bio.">

I hustled past another birthday this month, and it feels good to be here. As we re-adjust to a more vaccinated country, people wonder what to keep and what to toss after our year-plus of isolation, and I am no exception. I want less hustle and more intersection in disparate parts of my life. Most artists I know rove from one creative pursuit to another but get snared by a world that likes labels and compartments. My range includes gardening, writing, design, and art. Each one feeds the other, layer after layer — like this scarf, inspired by hummingbirds in the @mojogardens. I wrote about the odd boundaries we impose on ourselves and others and gardening as an art form.
Read the blog at the link in bio.