six months...... March 22, 2011

Juniper turns six months this week, can you believe it? I really can't. In the back of my mind I still feel like...what just happened? Something pretty wonderful, that's what. Forgive my shameless baby collage, I couldn't resist...!

more bonnie March 19, 2011

I've been a little out of the blog loop lately, busy working on Bonnie O' Boy paintings, and feeling really relieved and happy about how things are moving along. Super duper, actually. 

Gabe has been a secret champion...cheering me on every step of the way, swooping in with kind comments at just the right moment, and holding our household together so seamlessly when I'm off in painty Johanna world, that he deserves three thousand high fives. Well, not really. That actually sounds pretty cruel.

Here's some more book news....

1. I'm going to be illustrating the new Clover Twig book, Clover Twig and the Perilous Path, by Kaye Umansky! Just started on the sketches. Very fun to be revisiting these characters. Wilf!

2. My dear agent of four years, James Proimos, has decided to stop being an agent, so he can focus on all kinds of brilliant un-agenty things. He is loved and will be missed. I can't wait to see what new projects he has up his sleeve.

3. I'm lucky enough to have just signed with the fabulous Rosemary Stimola, of Stimola Literary Studio. Rosemary represents all kinds of amazing children's book writers and illustrators. I'm incredibly excited to be included.

4. My new book, Orchestra Pit  has an official release date! It's really going to happen! So thrilled. It will be coming out in Fall 2013, with Rabbits On Skates, in Winter 2013.  WOW.

5. Bandits is coming August, 2011. Hooray!! Book trailer coming soon....

Alright, back to painty world...

Softie Whale Hero March 08, 2011

Check out this brilliant Whale Hero softie made by this lovely lady. Sweeeet!! It totally made my day!

bike samples March 02, 2011

I've been squirreling away in my studio for the last few weeks, working on a few painty samples for Bonnie O'Boy Rides A Bike (Dial Books, 2012) along with some revised sketches. Whew! More soon..

Valentine! February 14, 2011

Big love to everyone out there, and thank you so much for your nice emails this last week. The love, the love!

If you're in the Portland area and you need a last minute gift...I have some new paintings up at the Crafty Wonderland shop, downtown. I'm going to drop off a few more to be added later this week.

Here's a little pic of my sweet little love bunny. Happy Valentine's Day!

February blah February 06, 2011

I know in the scheme of things, the last few weeks in my little world, were the tiniest hiccup of misery. But man, they were tough. Juniper caught (her first!) cold, which turned me into a worrying, googling, doctor calling, mess. One of our kitties was hit by a car. He's going to be alright, (thank goodness..) but he broke his pelvis and fractured his hip. Now he's recouping in a crate after his zillion-dollar surgery. Poor injured kitty. He definitely rivals Juniper's cold in the pitiful department. Gabe has been heroic and helpful in all areas, and battling his own cold monster on top of everything else.

In arty news, I have a book deadline, which is always tricky business for me, sick family or not.  

The good news? Things are improving. Colds are fading, the weather has been nice in these parts, injured kitty might just get his cone-of-shame off on Wednesday, and book progress is being made, despite it all. And some other goodness...

1. I started painting again. Not for a book, or a deadline, or for anyone at all. Which has been lovely. And liberating. And weird. This picture is of one of the new ones.

2. Swimming again. Yes! So happy about it.

3. Got to see the King's Speech. Seeing a movie in a theater is such a rare treat these days, that it doesn't take much to thrill me. Turn out the lights, give me some candy, and I'll watch anything. Anything. But I loved this movie! Oh my. Loved. I blubbered through the whole thing.

So it seems we're coming out of this tangled turbulence. If I owe you an email or a phone call or some hangout time, it's coming soon!

this week... January 27, 2011

I'm finishing up some new art samples for Bonnie O' Boy Rides A Bike (Dial Books, Spring 2012) with lots of help from my new assistant. More soon...

little times January 18, 2011

I got a wee bit obsessive about cleaning and organizing my studio over the last few weeks. I put pencils and pens in their proper place, arranged piles of canvas according to size, washed rags, cleaned surfaces, mixed paint, dug out erasers, bought new tubes of thick white paint, scrubbed buckets and brushes, and attached a cool magnifying glass thing to my work table, (to ease my tired eyeballs.) 

A kindly friend even came to visit for a few days to help out, and my whole arty zone felt better than it had all year. 

I settled down yesterday to get to work. I figured I would be good and ready to take on all of the projects that need my attention, zipping through them like an efficient mongoose. 

Poof January 09, 2011

Here's an older painting that I made a few years ago that I'm sure I've posted before, but couldn't resist posting it again. Something about it makes me feel really good, and kind of embodies what I'm hoping for in 2011...giraffes and secret campfires? Yes and yes. And a bit more...

Gabe and I were sitting around one night a few weeks ago, and he half jokingly asked me if I'd made any resolutions for 2011. The joke is, of course I have. I'm notorious for lists and more lists of things I want to do.  "So, if one of those resolutions could....poof, magically come true.." Gabe asked, "Which one would you pick?" 

I sat there for a long time, pondering it. I mentally went through every single thing on my resolution list and imagined what things would be like if I was living its reality. I sat there for so long in concerned silence, that Gabe started to laugh. "Are you still thinking about it?" 

"Yes." I answered. "This is serious. If I could magically make one of them come true...it's a big decision."

How could I maximize everything I want to do this year, and what is it that I really want?

So, after much silence and brow furrowing, I decided that I simply want to feel happy and good. That's it.  Too simple really. But maybe not? What if I just choose to do the things, in every moment, that are healthy and joyful and good... even if it's the hard thing to choose? 

In 2011, I want to choose to do the things that make me feel happy and good.

Poof. Poof. Poof.

Gabe liked it. I liked it. We talked about it for a long time.

I feel like I've come to a point in my life, where there really isn't any mystery about what makes me feel happy and good. I mean really happy and good, true joy...not the fleeting stuff that makes me feel crappy later. The list is surprisingly simple and short, and seems entirely possible to attain. Of course I can't help listing a few things, so here goes...

1. Swimming (Definitely in rivers and oceans and lakes, but a pool will do in the winter.)

2. Yoga (Especially the hot kind...)

3. Cooking (Who knew? I've never done it much in my life, but now I'm really enjoying making meals and breads and things, and hanging out in our little kitchen with the baby in her bouncy seat and some NPR on the radio.)

4. Children's books, and middle grade books, YA too. (Making them. Reading them. Gazing at them. Plotting them. Writing them. Holding them. Hanging around friends who make them or write them or like to talk about them . I love it all.)

5. Connecting (Having friends over, making dinner with friends or hanging out in their backyards. Playing music with awesome people. Going to events and book signings and craft fairs...)

6. Being with family. (Learning and watching and growing with them. It's the best. Right now I have two snuggly cats beside me and I can hear Gabe in the kitchen washing dishes and telling Juniper about molecules. Happiness.)

7. Being outside (Going to the beach being a priority, with hikes and waterfalls and mountains and snow and camping mixed in there too. And campfires, of course...the secret giraffe kind and otherwise.)

8. Making stuff! (Painting and drawing and music and daydreaming.)

9. Making our house cozy. (This is a new thing for me too. Now that we have this super cute, big, old house, I want it to be special. I want it to feel organized and beautiful and cozy...and it's fun to think about making that happen, and actually making it happen sometimes!)

10. Relaxing (Yes. This made the list. I've noticed how easy it is to stay in work mode these days, with lots of new arty and baby responsibilities around here. So it's extra important for me to remember to relax and just do nothing sometimes.)

So *poof* magic wand, do your thing. I choose to do the things that make me feel happy and good....is it cheating? Is it like wishing for a million wishes? Maybe. Or maybe not...maybe it's just a new way of living that combines everything I already know, but don't always do. 

Here's to a very bright and beautiful 2011...

home again, home again January 07, 2011

January, my favorite time of year! A new start, a fresh beginning... a thousand plans brewing.

We've just returned from a fabulous trip to Chicago where Juniper got to meet a million amazing relatives, and feast her eyes on this exhibit.

So much exciting news to share, more soon...