Here I share news, events, press, bits of my creative process, and the occasional snippet of adventure.
Okay, admittedly I have lots of happy places, but anywhere I spend time reading is a happy place for sure.
Reading Is My Happy Place
Been making some new art for shows this fall. Thought I’d post some of it here!
Also it’s dahlia season, so I guess the flowers have been inspiring me.
For those in the Seattle area, I have three pieces included at the Western Washington SCBWI art show at the Seattle Convention Center through mid-July. Check it out!
Posted this for Kidlit postcard day on Instagram this past month
Sometimes I participate in Kidlit postcard day on Instagram. This past month I shared this piece I made inspired by happy memories on the Saint Lawrence River in Quebec with my husband’s family. I also wrote the following message and I thought it might be a nice thing to cross-post here in case any fellow kid lit creators stumble across my corner of the internet and could use a lift:
Books have offered me refuge so many times in life, but especially as a kid. I think this is a big reason why I keep writing and making art for kids—making stories that offer a different way, a different space, new perspective—it’s work I want to be a part of and support.
And to that purpose today I’m also sending good wishes to all my fellow kidlit artists out there. I hope you are doing whatever you need to do to sustain your work. The refuge and perspective your work offers kids is so important. I’m grateful you keep at it. Especially when the world feels the most rocky or uncertain, please keep keeping at it. The world needs what you do.
Cheers all! Happy creating.
Seagulls live on my roof. I think of them as frenemies.
One minute I am enchanted by their sound and tenacity. The next I am annoyed with their excrement.
Either way I find that I often draw them or put them in my work.
See the seagull on my chimney?
Those are the words I used in the dedication for my first picture book, THE ELEPHANTS’ GUIDE TO HIDE-AND-SEEK. I’ve been thinking of those words because sometimes I write things I really need to hear myself. How about I even say it now…may I “always choose to get in the game.”
A photo of the dedication I wrote to my sons for my first picture book, THE ELEPHANTS’ GUIDE TO HIDE-AND-SEEK
A few weeks ago a hummingbird visited me in the forest on my walk. That’s also the day I got up the gumption to finally prep and send queries again after a bit of a hiatus from sharing my writing with anyone outside of my critique partners. Why wasn’t I sharing my work? Well, for one, my previous agent left the business last year. But I wish I understood better why I wasn’t just jumping back in. I guess, to put it plainly, sharing my work is something I struggle with. It’s something I’m working at! And it’s one of the reasons I wrote the dedication in my first book the way I did. Writers all have their own hang-ups and this is one I’m working to let go of.
But anyway, back to the hummingbird. I’m not sure how to describe how that hummingbird helped me—I mean, why is it that nature sometimes just nudges people to be their best?
But that’s what felt like happened. That little bird nudged me to a spot of calm where I could share my work kinda like I was doing nothing more than giving away dahlias from my garden in the summer. So I sent it off. And soon after, I found myself having a great conversation with my now agent, Mary Cummings of Great River Literary.
So This week I made this hummingbird collage (with cake!) to celebrate! I’m thrilled to now be collaborating with Mary. And also to have gotten over some of my own blocks so that I can be back in the game of sharing my children’s book work.
Cheers! To getting over blocks. And to exciting new creative chapters of all kinds.
A collage of my house and garden
Last spring when I was giving away extra dahlia tubers a friend told me I reminded her of Miss Rumphius.
Best compliment ever! And coincidentally, or maybe not, that book is one of my favorite books of all time. “You must do something to make the world more beautiful,” reads a line in the book. And Miss Rumphius does.
I set aside my Very Important Work this past week to play. To work through some anxious feelings of uncertainty. I made this art piece. And it helped. But still, this is just how life is with the pandemic: lots of uncomfortable uncertainty.
My dahlia garden
Yet, I realized, here’ a certain thing: I am someone who does what I can to make the world more beautiful. I always have been. I’m certain I always will be. Maybe you are too? If so, Hi! During this very uncertain time, I’m leaning on this small certain beautiful practice of mine. And it’s helping. Maybe you can too.
Home sweet home
Also, flowers make everything better.
“Reading is the key that opens doors to many good things in life. Reading shaped my dreams, and more reading helped me make my dreams come true.” —Ruth Bader Ginsburg ⠀
My life is better because of the many rights Ruth Bader Ginsburg argued for, fought for, and helped realize—this is why, a few weeks ago while mourning her passing, I made a piece of cut paper art to honor her. I based it on the beautiful lace collars she wore as a Supreme Court Justice. After I shared it on social media, things took off in a way I didn’t anticipate or expect. A few friends asked if I might be willing to sell prints, and from there it snowballed and Etsy orders poured in from all over the country. As I’m finally catching up, I thought I’d remember to post it on my blog too. Along with some resources and links as food for thought.
And, a friend who wanted to see t-shirts, library totes, and sticker versions of my RBG art made them happen—the order form is here (orders due 10/23/20). A portion of the proceeds will go to Page Ahead, a literacy organization in Seattle that gets books in the hands of kids in lower-income areas.
Links:
To buy my art: prints, cards, and paper cutouts can be found in my Etsy shop, and also a one-time order a friend arranged for t-shirts and library totes here through 10/23/20 [edited to add that we are doing a second t-shirt/tote order, orders accepted through 11/12/20].
If you are unaware of the rights RBG helped realize, this article from Refinery29 is an easy-to-read article that highlights her contributions. We take these rights for granted now but they are important.
The NYT obit for RBG covers her accomplishments more throughly but still doesn’t take long to read.
A reading list from A Mighty Girl, mostly for kids.
A fantastic Radiolab episode dedicated to one of RBG’s cases.
And, I want to keep it real by highlighting a critique that a thoughtful friend brought up about a lack of diversity in RBG’s hiring and mentoring. It’s essential that as we celebrate RBG, we also acknowledge that we have a long way to go. RBG has become a mighty icon for good reason but she was not perfect. I’m grateful for invitations to do better, while still honoring her legacy. I hope others will also be open to that same invitation.
One more thing about reading:
As an author, when I write stories, I know that once I hand them off, half the job is then up to the reader. Kids get a similar story from the same book, but the experience differs somewhat depending on readers’ experiences and what they bring to the story themselves. Reading is a sacred exchange in that way. This is also how words evolve and grow over time. This is how the Constitution lives on. Because of us. And what we bring to it. This is how language works. RBG showed the sacred way words can stay alive. She showed the Constitution’s vitality. Let’s make sure we work, fight, and vote, to keep it alive.
While kids and cats ran around my house making lots of joyful noises yesterday, I drew and cut a prayer. Just after midnight I finished it, welcoming in Christmas Eve in the dark of night. Sending a wish out into the world for more joy in the darkness of winter, wherever it’s needed out there. Merry Christmas!
Made a dahlia collage a few days ago.
The Dahlias in my garden make me so happy!
Enjoy!
Been working at some new art samples in between summer adventures. Here’s my latest. Enjoy!
Long time no blog! Realized I’ve been posting bloggish things lately on Instagram while forgetting that I could add similar things on my happy little blog here. I’d like to be better about giving both attention so I thought I’d add some highlights from my last few months to catch up a bit. That and I have about a million works-in-progress I’m excited about. I can’t keep up with my own ideas which is a good problem I guess. Here are some sneak peeks from one of my favorite pieces I’ve been working on.
What I said about this project on Instagram is still true: sometimes overly well-behaved little kids grow up to write books full of all the mischief they never allowed themselves to partake in when they were busy being young painful perfectionists.
Hope you’ve been up to happy mischief too!
Squeezing in a quick New Year's collage in the midst of family visits, kid chaos, and all the fun this time of year can bring. My past year brimmed with adventures, delights, and people for whom I am grateful. Most notably after many years of working at it, this year I can finally say I'M GOING TO BE AN AUTHOR! How awesome is that? VERY! It's a dream come true. So grateful for all who helped me along the way.
As for the coming year I know this for sure: in addition to more adventures, delights, and good times with good people, my new year will be full of ART. How do I know this? Because it's what's calling my name and because it's what I choose. To make more art, share more art, and carve more time for creative play. MORE ART! More collage!
For 2019, may your compass also point you in the way your heart calls. May your year be full of people and projects that make you come alive. May the wind fill your sails. Happy New Year!
I hope your holiday season was filled with many sweet memories! Merry Christmas!
Candycane snail!
A little mashup of one-second videos taken while making a collage in my studio today:
Making collages is so fun!
My friend stopped by to pick something up and caught a picture of me in my studio in messy collage focus mode this morning. Working on some art revisions for a WIP. I love stepping back and noticing the clutter and chaos around both me and my tunnel vision. Maybe lots of creative play looks like clutter and chaos. That’s my happy thought for the morning.
If you are in Seattle in the next couple months I invite you to stop by the DRAWN TO BOOKS exhibit at Seattle City Hall! It's an exhibit of 45 illustrators' works from the Society of Children's Book Writers and Illustrators, including a piece I made called CATCHING A LEAF. The show runs between Oct 31, 2017 and January 3, 2018, and there is an opening on Nov. 2 from 4-6 pm. Enjoy!
See you out there!
On Saturday I finally got a chance to see Western Washington SCBWI's illustrator show at the Washington State Convention Center in Seattle. Here are a few pictures for show and tell.
I loved seeing my Alligator Brothers piece there.
Saturday was the day we gathered for the family Draw-Along, inviting the community to bring their kids and come make art with the illustrators.
I brought a cut-paper exercise that I've with my art students at the Montessori school where I've been teaching art.
Here's a picture of the mess we made at my table. Fun day!
If you are in Seattle this Saturday stop by the Washington State Convention Center anytime from 12:00 - 2:00 pm for a family Draw-Along with children's illustrators from Washington State. Bring the kids! (although you don't have to). Materials will be provided. It's the perfect time to check out the SCBWI Illustrator art show in the same space, up through Sept 29th (the poster says the 30th but that's wrong. It ends the 29th). I hope I see you there!
It's nice to see my art in print, but especially in a thoughtful place. Yay! This is my labyrinth piece on the cover of Brain Child's new issue of
Brain Teen, The Magazine for Thinking Parents
. The articles I've read from Brain Child all have left me thinking. This magazine looks good too. Check it out!
