Scott’s illustrations are of local sites
Larissa Scott, founder of Notebox, has made a career out of drawing illustrations inspired by popular Hudson Valley sites, but it’s her focus on sustainability which sets her artwork apart from her peers.
Scott is an Australian native who has lived in Cornwall-on-Hudson for the last year. Her husband grew up in Newburgh and Cornwall.
While in Australia, Scott obtained a bachelor degree in business and also started earning a second degree in design and visual communication. She began working for a print house on the production line assembling books. The experience gave her a lot of insight into the back end of the business. After a year, she took a job at a boutique/design studio.
As soon as Scott was able to hold a pencil, she recalls spending hours drawing, sketching patterns, and spending time in the park. In high school, she gravitated toward more creative fields such as art and music.
“I think for me, I was always trying to find a way to make a career out of my art. I was encouraged to look into design.”
Scott had a few mentors and her sister is a fashion designer, so seeing what she created helped blaze her path.
When an opportunity arose to move to North America on an extended education visa, Scott jumped at the chance and finished her degree at the Alberta University for the Arts.
After graduating, she held a number of jobs with various agencies including Clinique, in their packaging design department, and L’Oréal, designing packaging for their heels. After working with an agent who placed her in multiple design studios, Scott decided to start her own business.
“I love to have my hands on all aspects of the process,” she said. “The sustainability aspect wasn’t always accounted for in larger corporations’ processes, so for me it was a driving point to do things differently and push industry standards in a different direction.”
Scott’s deep connection with nature led to her using environmentally friendly products and working with production companies with the same focus. Growing up, she would spend a lot of time at her grandparents’ farm, at the beach, hiking, or enjoying other outdoor activities.
Scott found it extremely challenging finding companies with the same core values, however.
Finding a company willing to divulge their ink formula, for example, was difficult. She eventually discovered a vendor in Colorado with an “incredible recycling and waste program.”
Scott’s material list includes 100 percent recycled paper, carbon negative algae ink, and organic cotton fabrics. Everything, including her packaging, is made in the United States and is reusable, recyclable or home compostable.
“I love to have my hands on all aspects of the process.”
Larissa Scott
When deciding to go out on her own, Scott chose to focus on illustrations.
“My art has always been a part of my process. I would always start with pen and paper in my process and any opportunity I would try to integrate that into my final design work. For me, once I started sharing more of my passion, I would go to different sites and sketch them and I started sharing that on social media. A lot of people started engaging in that so I was really just listening to what people wanted in that way. People were excited. I was doing a lot of local sites and I started to do custom commissions and even when I first moved here I wanted to send souvenirs back to my family. It all seemed to map together nicely.”
Notebox produces greeting cards, postcards, wall art, and gifts depicting scenes of prominent local attractions including Bannerman’s Castle, Riverlight Park, Trophy Point, and Washington’s Headquarters.
Scott also takes on commission work, creating pieces for weddings or birthdays. When creating a custom piece, she takes the time to learn the story behind the illustration and uses that to frame the sketch.
For more information, visit noteboxny.com.
