If you haven’t discovered Riley Sheehey yet, it’s our pleasure to introduce you. A mother, watercolor artist, and textile designer based in Falls Church, Virginia, Riley brings a thoughtful, heirloom-inspired lens to everything she creates. For our third collaboration together, we partnered on Birthday Botanical—a print rooted in meaning and designed to celebrate baby’s birth month. We caught up with Riley to talk about the inspiration behind the collection and the motherhood moments she holds closest.
Introduce yourself for those who don't know you.
I am a watercolor and mixed-media artist and textile designer, living just outside of DC with my husband, daughter, and dog. Before I went full-time as an artist, I worked as an elementary school teacher for six years. I loved teaching, and I love being a mom, and I like to think that that love of children and appreciation for the way they see the world has informed my work as an artist!
What was the inspiration behind Birthday Botanical?
I did a series of small paintings of birth month flowers last year and thought it would make such a beautiful print for Solly pieces...it's a lovely way to commemorate the month your baby was born.
RELATED: A Guide To Birth Month Flowers And Their Meanings
The print shares a color palette with my Modern Motherhood book, and since the art style of the book is inspired by antiques (antique Delft tiles, pottery, and textile design), we thought it would be fun to develop an antique-inspired print to coordinate. We pulled inspiration from 18th century textile samples, and the finished print features each of the twelve birth month flowers.
You used the Solly Wrap with your daughter. What do you remember most about those days?
While a lot of it is very hazy, I remember that when I did start easing back into work, it was in bits and pieces, mostly during nap times—we didn’t have childcare outside of family help for the first six months or so—and Bryn would only take naps while in the Wrap. I took virtually all of my postpartum work calls and meetings with her attached to me!
What do you remember about the birth of Bryn?
The feeling of relief when they handed her to me! I had been so anxious throughout all of pregnancy, and I can’t think of another moment I’ve ever had in my life where I’ve felt so relieved all at once—so happy that she had been delivered safely, and finally felt like I could let myself get excited about what was to come.
Tell us about the impetus behind your book Modern Motherhood.
The impetus behind my book, Modern Motherhood: Celebrating Quiet Moments of Love and Care, was exactly that—as a new mom, I felt like there was so much out there to help recognize/memorialize the “milestone” moments (baby books to fill in with first steps, first words, etc.), but I wanted to find a way to celebrate the little moments—the “blink-and-you’ll-miss-it” moments of playing peek-a-boo with a shower curtain, or that feeling when my daughter runs into my arms at daycare pickup.
Separately, as a longtime lover of blue and white and antiques, I’ve always loved Delft tiles, and was reading about them in a book. I hadn’t realized that many were originally painted 400 years ago with little images intended to tell stories. One afternoon, I decided to combine the two ideas for fun, and thus began my “Modern Motherhood” painting series, which eventually became the first 20 book illustrations!
Any favorite or memorable parts of the book publishing process?
Definitely calling my mom to tell her that I’d gotten the book deal! My mom has been my greatest supporter since (literally) day one, and I wouldn’t be where I am today as an artist or a mom without her.
When do you feel most inspired as a mom?
Right now, my daughter loves to sit at the desk in my studio and color and paint with me. I love that I’m able to share something that I love with her, as my mom (a lifelong lover of art) has done with me. But, honestly, everything she does inspires me. It’s so much fun to see the world through her eyes because everything is so new and exciting to her. It reminds me of the Wizard of Oz when Dorothy lands in Oz and everything is suddenly technicolor.
Favorite way to celebrate birthdays in your home?
The past few years, we’ve had our closest friends and family over for crabs on our deck to celebrate Bryn’s/my birthday (since they are only two weeks apart!). She turns 5 this summer, though, and has made some friends of her own at preschool, so we will probably need to update our tradition.
Rapid-Fire Favorites…
Indulgence: Stuffed crust pizza
Children’s book: Such a hard one! Bemelmans’ Madeline or Dahls’ Matilda
Drink of choice: Hazy IPA
Mama-time activity: Going on a long outdoor run
Motherhood-related topic you could talk about for 15 minutes uninterrupted: Bedtime routines
After bedtime snack: Goldfish crackers
SHOP BIRTHDAY BOTANICAL
