Award-winning graphic designer DEBORAH VILLA spent 30 years working for newspapers and magazines including the San Francisco Chronicle, Oakland Tribune, Apple, Diablo, the Desert Sun and the Santa Fe New Mexican, where she was creative director in charge of the design and direction of special edition magazines.

When she retired from the newspaper, Villa — who holds a BFA from San Francisco’s Academy of Art University — returned her attention to an earlier passion: botanical illustration. Grounded in the ownership of a tree and seed business of an earlier incarnation, her passion for gardening and technical skill help her create her own original illustrations as well as bring these beautiful vintage illustrations back to life.