ABOUT

allison gardiner hurthibise

Growing up, I was adamant that -- despite constant encouragement from family and peers -- I would never be a professional artist. Those kinds of people were strange, wore turtlenecks, and ate weird cheese. Instead, I resolved to become Indiana Jones and travel the world in search of lost artifacts. 

Unfortunately, some dreams are not meant to be. This was due, in large part, to one incredibly persistent high school art teacher and the discovery that very large spiders like to live in the sorts of places an archaeologist might visit. In 2006 I finally came around to the conclusion that friends and family had reached years earlier and enthusiastically embraced my future in the arts. I graduated from the College for Creative Studies with honors and a BFA in Illustration in 2011. 

Since then, I have shown in countless galleries around Detroit, have been published locally and internationally, and branded everything from breweries to law firms. I have accrued seven years of agency experience at both a small boutique design firm and a global digital advertising agency where I currently work as a Senior Art Director. I specialize in fast turnarounds, precise details, quick wit, and clean, bold designs. 

I currently live in the northern suburbs of Detroit, Michigan with my husband and three cats. I spend my personal time illustrating complex repeating patterns, managing my cat's Instagram account (he is very handsome), listening to true crime podcasts, and coming up with elaborate costumes for whichever events I’m attending that year. I suppose life can be pretty good, even if you're not Dr. Henry Jones Jr. 

BACKGROUND NOISE

Visitors to this site may notice a section similar to this one at the bottom of most of my project pages. I find that I am at my most productive if I’m listening to music and podcasts, or binging a TV series while I work. The memory of whatever I was listening to at the time is intrinsically tied into each piece for me, and provides a unique glimpse into my design process. I’ll update this section periodically to reflect whatever has been on my heavy rotation lately. I recently because caught up on the Starz series, Outlander. The costuming and scenery are absolutely gorgeous. Every detail is thoughtful in a way we don’t normally get to see in a television series, and (most of) the characters are so beautifully written that they feel like family.