word.
Fun things are happening in the Teen Zine Factory over at the Telling Room. I’m leading a workshop on making zines with a group of very fresh kids, thanks to my fanaticism about the punch that can be packed in such little paper vehicles. Zines are any kind of self-published statement, maybe words, maybe pictures, ideas made real. I’ve used them as an ice-breaker assignment many times, and have quite a collection. Here’s just a few of my favorites: At the Telling Room, everybody spreads out and gets into their creation. Some were sketching, like Elias, who drew a favorite...
Read Morewarming up
It warms me no end to see another illustration of mine in Maine Magazine. This one’s all about the health benefits of sweat. I’m also pleased to share the pages with my MECA student, Spenser Macleod. He did an illustration for the poetry page. No sweat, Spenser. Cool. For awhile, it didn’t seem very wintery, but then, brrrrrrr, we had a good cold snap. I posted this cardinal on Facebook in honor of National Bird Day. The very next day Mr. Cardinal was in the branches during a long-awaited snow blast. Was my art the draw? A friend gave me some paperwhite bulbs. Not being...
Read Morelet it snow
It’s probably no coincidence that I am a winter girl. My father served in the ski troops in WWII and my mother met him in Aspen, learning to ski. They settled in the White Mountains of New Hampshire where epic snowstorms were good for business, not reason for cancellations. So here I am, craving SNOW. Was it coincidence that it came on Saturday morning, as we prepared to head to Portland Stage Company to see The Snow Queen? Some berry ornaments remain for the winter birds, but the dusting of snow didn’t last. Yet, the magic was just beginning. Anita Stewart and her team of merry...
Read Morehoot
Just as the semester at Maine College of Art wraps up, a new year begins in our house. My baby peep can’t possibly be FIFTEEN already?!! Birthdays here always begin with cake for breakfast, followed by handmade cards and a cute pile of gifts. Above is my collage card for the birthday girl. Here is Daddy’s: The owl theme is due to our visit to Maine Audubon later that afternoon, for a fascinating presentation by Mark Wilson of Eyes on Owls. He began with a slide show of his amazing photographs, talking about owls and their habitats and where he and his wife find them. One by...
Read Moreholiday blitz
Can it really be December already? It just doesn’t feel cold enough. With my copies of A Warmer World sitting on my desk, the mild weather feels eerily unnatural. Also tacked up nearby is a vintage postcard of ladies in swimsuits, which got me thinking about annual events like the Polar Plunge, when hearty types dash into the bay for charity. I’m not one of them, but I was inspired to create this for my holiday card this year, an Ice Harbor Holiday where people embrace the season’s chill with frisky good cheer. I’ll be addressing and mailing them this weekend, the...
Read Moregratitude
Here’s a little thank you to my family, friends, and followers! I must’ve worked at Hallmark in a past life; I am so fond of making cards. If you haven’t already gotten one of these in the mail, send your snail mail address. I am grateful for all blessings, big and small, especially the folks in my various circles of life. May each of you have happy and safe travels today. Any journey whose destination is the welcome arms of loved ones is worth it. We normally travel on this day, but with no Nana destination, we are staying put. A relief given today’s weather, but...
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