“Department Store” by Sally Nixon, 2023, pen and marker on Bristol paper, 19×13.
About this piece:
“‘Department Store’ is a drawing from my book ‘Let’s Go to the Mall: An ʼ80s Seek-and-Find.’ In the book, the reader is asked to find specific items hidden within the illustrations as they follow the main character, Jess, throughout her weekend. One of Jess’ stops is the department store at her local mall. As inspiration for this piece, I used images of 1980s shopping mall designs as well as my own memories of visiting stores like Dillard’s as a child. The name for the fictional brand in the drawing, Jessica Valerie, came from my older sister. When I was born, she desperately wanted my parents to name me Jessica Valerie. Obviously, they didn’t listen to her, but I’ve always liked the name and thought it would make the perfect fashion brand for this fictional world.”
Artist bio:
Sally Nixon was born and raised in Pine Bluff, Arkansas, and received a BFA in illustration from the University of Arkansas at Little Rock in 2013. She is the illustrator and author of “Houseplants and Hot Sauce: A Seek-and-Find Book for Grown-Ups” and “Let’s Go to the Mall: An ʼ80s Seek-and-Find.” She currently lives in Little Rock with her dogs Sookie and Maurice.
Find Nixon’s work at multiple locations across the city, on Etsy, in her new book “Let’s Go to the Mall: An ʼ80s Seek-and-Find” and on Instagram at @sallustration.
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