Sunnyside up

Illustrations by Cathie Urushibata are oh-so-cheerful. Maybe it’s her Southern California upbringing. Her illustrations are charming.

A Japanese American Nisei, Urushibata moved east to attend grad school at the School of Visual Arts in New York City. She has called Manhattan home since then, living in Chinatown and working in the Flatiron district.

Urushibata currently works at a boutique agency, called 3SL Creative, doing design and illustration. “When I'm not doing something creative, you can always find me snacking on something or looking for a new restaurant to try,” she told me recently.

Urushibata is a lady after my own heart: For her, inspiration comes by way of vintage flea market finds. “I really admire good vintage design,” she said. “The fact that it may be 40 years old and aesthetically it still looks good, you know you did something right.”

She’s also a bit enamored with the color navy. Two recent vintage handbag purchases were a nice navy blue, as was a dress she wore to a friend’s wedding. “I've always been drawn to blue tones,” she said. “It just has a calming affect and it reminds me of the beach.”

Urushibata sells pins of her art on Etsy.