Autumn in Lake Tahoe is magical.

Colorful trees. Golden light. Cold nights. Serenity.

Warm Indian Summer days let us harvest Tahoe’s rich bounty with gusto and gratitude.

It’s time to celebrate the change of seasons before an intense Tahoe winter blankets us.

To mark this special time, South Lake Tahoe illustrator Kristen Schwartz created the Goddess of Autumn Abundance.

Goddess of Autumn Abundance commemorates Autumn harvest and the spreading of seeds for renewal.

As leaves turn brown and fall to the earth,

Energy flows inward.

Seeds fly, sowing our future.

What will we reap? – Kristen Schwartz

Meet Kristen:

Inspired by her surroundings and world cultures, Kristen Schwartz of South Lake Tahoe has captured many of Tahoe’s mythical icons and other fantasticals in her illustrations such as Cave Rock Woman, Lake Mermaid and Lake Mother – Lake of the Sky pictured here, which depicts a Washoe woman gazing affectionately upon Lake Tahoe. Kristen finished Lake Mother the day the Angora Fire was contained in 2007.

Kristen began as a botanical illustrator drawing native medicinal plants for books such as local acupuncturist Kimball Chatfield’s Medicine From the Mountains – Medicinal Plants of the Sierra Nevada.

As she began to draw her fantastical illustrations for Faery Medicine, she also started producing prints and cards of the images. They are all hand produced and created on demand right here at Lake Tahoe, ensuring quality and reducing waste. She combines pen and ink, airbrush, and colored pencil to create her images.

Kristen has also developed a method of printing her images on raw silk – an amazing alternative to paper – that won her a coveted position in an international art show in New York City in Fall 2008. Currently, Kristen is pursuing her dream as a children’s book illustrator and she also teaches sketching workshops in Lake Tahoe for individuals – budding young artists of any age are welcome! – or smaller, intimate groups.  In addition to her award-winning illustrations and workshops, Kristen has been busy building websites.  Her designs and approach integrate her strong sense of style and SEO competency along with successful e-commerce technology for her clients.

To learn more about Kristen and her wide range of illustration and business development services, please visit www.KristenSchwartz.com.