Erin Ramsay

drawings, models, photographs, sketches; mostly concerning landscape architecture.

[erinramsay]

Erin Ramsay Brings Brews to Life with Whimsical Labels for Atwood Ales - WhatcomTalk

Every uniquely adorned can or bottle is created by an amazing artist, an artist like Erin Ramsay, who creates whimsical labels for Atwood Ales.

A bit late posting this... 

[erinramsay]

A bunch of new labels for our good friends’ brewery, Atwood Ales: http://www.atwoodales.com

Instagram photo from their feed: https://www.instagram.com/atwoodales/

A few different seasonal specials. The haggard-looking raccoon is infamous for eating all the grapes at the farm. La Frite is inspired by vintage botanical prints. 

Pretty happy with how the Triticale label turned out (’triticale’ = a wheat-rye hybrid). Cool! 

[erinramsay]

A sketch of where a brook meets a tidal inlet near the cottage. Lovely forest of maple trees and ferns. 

[erinramsay]

A tablet doodle of some anemone flowers outside our window. 

[erinramsay]

Label additions for our good friends’ brewery, Atwood Ales: http://www.atwoodales.com

Instagram photo from their feed: https://www.instagram.com/atwoodales/

This features a saison made with changing ingredients from the farm, as well as a variation on one of their regularly-offered beers with brett. 

[erinramsay]

Label additions for our good friends’ brewery, Atwood Ales: http://www.atwoodales.com

Instagram photo from their feed: https://www.instagram.com/atwoodales/

[erinramsay]

Label additions for our good friends’ brewery, Atwood Ales: http://www.atwoodales.com

Instagram photo from their feed: https://www.instagram.com/atwoodales/

One of my favourite beers! 

[erinramsay]

Some recent label additions for our good friends’ brewery, Atwood Ales: http://www.atwoodales.com

A tribute to the family dog, Keera, as well as a first anniversary celebration beer (inspiration from Bellingham’s annual Wild Mushroom Show).

[erinramsay]

Testing out tablet drawing... 

A rainy day in the fall in Squamish. 

[erinramsay]

The Very Best Beer Labels of 2016

2016 was a roller coaster of a year. In some ways, the worst year I can recall. We lost so many amazing celebrities, but we also got a kick-ass Star Wars movie! We had to drink infected Goose Island B

Got a little mention in this list, however, I am just seeing it in 2017. So much great beer label artwork out there!  

[erinramsay]

Had a lot of fun recently doing some beer label artwork for a good friend’s brewery in Blaine, WA: Atwood Ales. http://atwoodales.com

The labels are intended to have a Pacific Northwest feel. It was my first time using my new tablet for some of the drawing. Hoping to do more in the near future!

[erinramsay]

This was a fun little weekend sketch--a card for good friends getting married. The landscape is Butchart Gardens in Victoria, BC. 

watercolour | February, 2016.

[erinramsay]

This sketch is of one of my favourite landscapes: Brier Island, Nova Scotia. I love the wild grasses, rocky outcrops, and flagged trees. I tried to pick up some of the subtle colours and textures in the landscape and to catch the sunlight with some metallic oil pastels. 

[erinramsay]

Slowly trying to build up a collection of landscape drawings from NS and BC. Testing out mixed media and building up texture with oil pastel. This one is a spot in the Victoria, BC harbour full of grasses and California poppies. 

[erinramsay]

Made a return trip this summer to the Bloedel Reserve on Bainbridge Island, not far from Seattle. The pond and the meadows are still my favourite spots. Didn’t have time to do much sketching at the time, but I was intrigued by the soft light and reflections. 

[erinramsay]

I recently updated a little diagram from my sketchbook with some digital textures and scale people. This was from a studio project where I was brainstorming a few possible definitions of physical edges or boundaries. 

Edges | Boundaries Diagram, 2014. 

[erinramsay]

D.I.R.T. Studio | Features | Archinect

This article has been around for a while but really resonates with me. I enjoyed hearing Julie Bargmann's lecture in Vancouver last year. Favourite excerpts:

"The era of the master-architect is dead. There's an increasing awareness of the complexity of the landscape, and architects are looking for that expertise from landscape architects, engineers and ecologists who are prepared to address those complexities."

"What is an industrial landscape, and how do you deal with it other than trying to wipe it clean and start with a tabula rasa? My efforts have been to develop this vocabulary and reveal the potential of working with the site rather than erasing it. ... There's a growing understanding that beyond engineering, there are questions of cultural and ecological importance. " 

"The key thing is for the designer to bring in a holistic approach: cultural, economic, ecological, and even spiritual. Make the process visible, physical. Engineers are thrilled because now their work extends beyond just a functional requirement. Storm-water management becomes poetic. A designer helps make legible the culturally significant act of engineering these systems."