let 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 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 Moredem bones
I’m in sort of a lull between deadlines, waiting on the green light for three projects. But no dull moments here. A recent lunch with Curious City at El Rayo got me in the mood. That place is so cheery, it makes my week. I brought home a candy skull to fuel the spirits. Made me think of an illustration I did back in my collage days for Chris Hadden, designed for a promo for Spectrum. I was asked to interpret the phrase “dead on.” I once lived in the Mission District of San Francisco, where there’s a year round Mexican flavor. With skulls on the brain, I’ve had...
Read MoreI don’t care if Monday’s blue
I spontaneously made these “day cards” to spell out the days of the week. For the book launch on Saturday, I want to randomly deal out the days to kids and see if they can line up in order. A little body action is always good. Gave myself the challenge to try to post every day this week. I confess, I’m not that much of a blogger. The whole enterprise is something I need to mull over, and I’d stutter if I had to tweet. And here it is, Monday already. In Seven Days of Daisy, there are monsters in kayaks spied near Catnip Island, and wishing on the moon. Today, too...
Read More2 pianos 4 hands
At last! The illustration I did during the summer for Portland Stage Company is now all over the place. I had fun drawing hands many, many times. Nothing like the relentless practicing necessary for the musicians portrayed in the script. I got Marty to pose for one pair of hands. And our neighbor’s son, Jacob, posed for the other pair of hands. Portland Stage gets great coverage for their marketing, which means the visual needs to fit a wide variety of formats. I supplied the art in separate layers; the title font (2 Piano 4 Hands) was one piece, the illustration another, and the...
Read Morehere, there, everywhere
It’s official! I’m getting postcards printed so the long held intention of celebrating Nest, Nook & Cranny is now gonna happen. At last. Author Susan Blackaby is coming east, and we’ll meet for the first time. Can’t wait! We’ll do a school visit to Peaks Island Elementary and also a visit to the Portland Public Library at 3 PM on October 14. We will write, draw, and be yappish. In other news, I am jazzed about autumn. Tis my season, y’know. It promises to be hectic. I’ve been all over lately, soaking up inspiration. Made a jolly good jaunt down...
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