Oni in Beaumont, Texas, USA
Beaumont, Texas is located an hour away from the Gulf Coast, so it would seem that the weather would be unbearably hot. However, it’s actually amazingly nice 75% of the year. I work from home as an illustrator, so this weather allows me to work with all the windows in the house up or outside on the porch all year long. It is a very outdoorsy town, where most people own dogs, play soccer, and run often. My boyfriend and I got a dog, Oni, after moving here and because the weather is so nice he always begs to go outside and run around with the other dogs. The illustrated scene above is what I see day in and day out as I try to get work done in our little home before I succumb to his cuteness and take him on a walk in a t-shirt and shorts in February.
Place you live: Beaumont, Texas
Place your postcard is designed for: Beaumont, Texas
Can you sum up Beaumont? Beaumont, a town of 120,000, doesn’t have that unique of a culture and not too many interesting small businesses to frequent. I think this is because most people end up just living here a few years before moving on to a larger city, so there isn’t much cultivation of the Beaumont scene. However, because of the constant moving, the people of Beaumont come from all corners of the US and are quite interesting and very friendly. The pleasant weather also inspires me and keeps me up-beat and positive by enabling me to be active outside all year long.
Occupation: Illustrator
Preoccupation: Training for a half-marathon, and speaking for my dog
A perfect day in Beaumont? Wake up around 6:30AM, eat breakfast, drink a cup of coffee while reading a book in the cool morning air on the porch, work in my home office until noon, eat lunch on the porch, take Oni to the dog park for some exercise, work until 5, go for a run, cook and eat dinner with my boyfriend, watch one episode of a favorite tv show while eating homemade ice cream, crawl in bed and read until I drop the book on my face and fall asleep.
If someone was visiting, what must they do? I’m not sure it’s really a visiting type of town…
What and where is a perfect meal in the place you call home? My favorite restaurant in town is kind of a dive, called Luke’s. They have a wonderful outdoor seating area with wooden picnic benches, christmas lights, and live music. For the one month a year when its actually cold, they bring out heaters so you can still sit outside. And the burger and fries dish is huge and delicious—the only way it’s done in Texas.
What is the best thing about the place you live? Definitely the weather. August is a little brutal with the humidity and heat, but the rest of the year is surprisingly pleasant and you can be active outside year-round.
And the worst? There is really no arts community, which is just sad.
A little known fact about where you live? Most people here don’t have a strong southern accent or wear a cowboy hat!
Where is your favorite place in the world? Oh, how could I choose? I suppose I would have to say California. If you can’t tell, weather and being able to be outdoors often is very important to me, and California’s weather is the epitome of perfect to me.
Who are your three favorite designers/illustrators? A few that come to mind first: Maira Kalman, Lili Scratchy, David Saracino