My name Tomoko Maruyama and I am a San Francisco based artist. I have a design line that is focused on San Francisco but my line also include New York and Hawaii. These product lines range from greeting cards, art prints, calendars to t-shirts.

What inspired you to go into the craft business, do you still have a day job? I was always attracted to the craft business since I was a small kid. I always liked creating things with my hands with my dad who also loved crafts. So that is where my love for the craft arts came. Each season, I create new products every year depending on the source of inspiration at the time. I have a day job as an independent designer. I like to have a job where I can start the day thinking about my new design and end my day working on my craft business. I am happy to have my job as an artist and designer.

Describe your creative process when designing/making your product line. I use a palette of natural colors and shades that reflect my daily experience in San Francisco. I get inspiration from my daily walks in the streets and the array of events San Francisco has to offer. It is a great city! After that, I create several sketches to reflect my ideas on paper. I then select my preferred ones and start working on the final art using the palette of colors I mentioned earlier.

What’s the best thing about what you do? And the worst? I like spending time with my friends with good wine and foods. My favorite food is oysters. Sometimes, I tend to work until late and my eyes get so tired. Even though I love design, sometimes I become so focused that I tend to forget the balance between work and leisure.

Sometimes I have art exhibitions in different venues around the bay area and I would like to invite everyone to come. For events information, please visit www.tomokomaruyama.com. You can also find me in Facebook and become my fan. I am also open to new design opportunities; please feel free to contact me.