2.27.2006

Tennessee Summer Reading Program

In my semi-weekly scouring of the web (for word of my work etc.) I recently stumbled across the fact that Slow Days, Fast Friends is included in the recommended reading for the state of Tennessee's 2006 Summer Reading Program.

With a state population of nearly 6 million people that should translate into HUMONGOUS book sales... or maybe not :)

In any case, its nice to see that the book is being used is encouraging ways. Happy reading Volunteers!

2.23.2006

Illustration Friday: Song


This won't scream "song" at you, but the coyotes have been yipping and singing near our house quite a bit lately. This was supposed to be a coyote, just opening its mouth to sing, but it looks a lot more like a wolf staring you down. So it goes... Arooooooo!

2.20.2006

Doggie Dash

I spent a few hours yesterday at the 4th annual Winthrop Doggie Dash - a xc ski race for dogs and their owners :) This is by no means a professional event, but it IS a whole lot of fun. I am currently working on two different dog books, so the camera was out in full "documentary" mode. It was an excellent place to be. My own dog Max can be seen below intimidating the competition. We finished second in the large dogs category, so his strategies paid off nicely!

2.15.2006

2.14.2006

The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier and Clay

The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier and Clay: A Novel, by Michael Chabon, was given to me as a Christmas gift by my younger brother, Colby. I had never heard of it - no real surprise - but it is a terrific book! The story chronicles the lives of two young comic book artists in the heyday of the medium - on the verge as well of America's entrance into WWII. The characters are rich and incredibly well developed, the and the story far greater than its pulp magazine landscapes. The artist in me zeroed straight in on the romantic notions of love and creative zeal that so enrapture the book's main characters, and it inspires me to push my own work further. Find this one at your library today or purchase a copy online.

A finalist for the Pen Faulkner Award, The National Book Critics Circle Award, and the Los Angeles Times Book Award. The cover sticker touts it as the winner of the Pulitzter Prize, but that may or not be simply a reference to the author...

In any case, read it and enjoy!

2.03.2006

Illustration Friday: Chair

This is an illustration that I finished a little while back for a Spring 2007 HarperCollins picture book written by Emme and Phil Aronson.The book is called What Are You Hungry For? and this little girl is enjoying a warm n' fuzzy cuddle with her cat in this big cozy chair!

A Little House in the Big Woods!


After nearly a year of working at it, my family and I have finally moved in to our new house. We didn't "build" it, but we did contribute quite a bit of sweat equity to the building process. Being somewhat handy with a paint brush, it seemed that the least we could do was paint and varnish...Painting the walls, ceilings etc. wasn't so bad. Three layers of acrylic finish on untold miles of trim, windows, and doors pretty much took us to task!

Still, we moved in last weekend and it is REALLY nice. Of course, in this particular setting a tent is also really nice :)

I'll post a photo or two of the new studio space when I finally get set-up, and THEN I can really get back to work on some art!