Photo by City Lights Studio
Well, hello there! I am so glad you're here. My name is Alyson O'Connor, I am a classically trained illustrator, working primarily in pen & ink and watercolor. My husband, Nick, and I own Rust Belt Love, a stationery and gift company based in the heart of the Rust Belt in Buffalo, New York.
My work has been featured in Martha Stewart, Stationery Trends, Brides Magazine, Style Me Pretty, and Travel and Leisure. My illustrations have been used in children’s books, mugs, tea towels, calendars, vinyl cuts, notebooks, totes, stickers and more.
Over the last couple years, Nick and I started asking ourselves what people need right now. And the answer, we believe, is more connection. After spending so much time being physically apart from each other, there’s nothing more personal, valuable, or appreciated than connection with another person. A note, written by hand, is sometimes the closest thing we can have to a handshake or a hug. That is our hope with our physical goods, that we can make people feel closer together, now and in the future. I believe beautiful art can do that too, and that care and intention goes into everything I draw, paint, and design.