It's here! It's here! The Secret Circus is here!! April 02, 2009

Well, it's a been a few days now since The Secret Circus has been released into the wild, and I just want to thank everyone out there for all of your amazing support. Wow!

The kind emails, comments, reviews, phone calls, the book buying, (and drawings! Thanks, Dad!) have really blown me away. I think it might take me a few weeks to truly absorb and share some of the cool stuff I've experienced this week, but I'll get there....in the meantime I think I might walk around on this fluffy happy cloud, just a wee bit longer!

Thank you, thank you!!

more balance March 26, 2009

More Balance 12" x 12" original painting, available on etsy!

It's that time again, arty spring cleaning! I have new paintings up for sale, and a whole new ON SALE section of paintings that have been with me for awhile, and need good homes. There are all kinds of paintings and watercolors in there, and I hope you get a chance to look around.

My favorite painting that I made last winter that no one seemed very fond of? Snakes on a Painting!

And, I've found that the Ghost of Grandma painting gets different reactions in different regions. I'm not going to point fingers at certain US cities, but let's just say that I've been to a few art fairs where people scurry away from that painting like it's contagious. It's not!

Anyhow, yay for springtime, and happy looking!

psssst.... March 23, 2009

What's this? The Secret Circus is coming out a week from tomorrow? Why yes, yes it is!

...And there's a review of it in Publishers Weekly!

March is... March 18, 2009

9" x 12" original, available in my etsy store

National Reading Month!

Part of the reason that I'm so excited about National Reading Month (aside from my obvious book love) is that I started volunteering with the SMART program here in Oregon a few months ago, and have found it to be a really amazing program.

Here's what SMART is all about:

"VISION: An Oregon where every child can read and is empowered to succeed.

MISSION: We engage community volunteers to read one-on-one with K-3 children who need literacy support.

Participating children also receive new books each month to keep and read with their families."

So, basically..once a week I get to spend an hour reading with two kids (the same two kids, every week). Watching the kids go from being disinterested in reading, to passionate and confident about reading, is beyond satisfying. It's something I look forward to every week in a big way...

For the rest of the month I'm planning on making a bunch of reading themed paintings, and donating 10 percent of my earnings from this series, to SMART. I'll be adding them to my etsy store here and there over the next few weeks.

Happy reading!

tick tick tick March 12, 2009

The countdown begins!

There are only a few more weeks until The Secret Circus has been released into the wild! I can hardly wait. I wanted to share some cool news with you guys about this little book...

First off, I'm going to be at the Clackamas Barnes and Noble tomorrow from 5pm-8pm signing bookplates for those that are ordering in advance. This is going to be a really fun event with over two dozen Oregon authors and illustrators who have books coming out this spring!

And secondly, a Kirkus review came out the other day! Excuse me for a second as I toot my own tuba...

"Somewhere, beneath the twinkling lights of Paris, there is a circus. It is a secret circus. Only the mice know where it is. Only the mice know when to go. When it is time, families don their best patchwork frocks and wide-brimmed hats. They climb into walnut-shell hot-air balloons or scurry in long lines, head to tail, as the Eiffel Tower stretches to point the way. Only the mice know how it’s hidden. Only the mice know what they’ll see there. Amid whiskered cannonball daredevils, tottering pyramids of tiny clowns and the bravest of all—the housecat tamer—Wright tells a sweet, lulling story. Her roly-poly mice are shaped like candy-drop kisses and the hush of the gentle, repetitive text whispers through the pages. The placement of opaque, black-outlined characters against gossamer-tinted painted-canvas backgrounds only heightens the surreal intimacy of the experience. It is, after all, a secret. A quiet, comforting debut, best shared snuggled close together." (Picture book. 2-6)

Yahooooza!

You can pre-order your very own copy today from any of these places, or ask your local bookseller to order it for you.

Powell's Books

Barnes and Noble

Borders

Amazon USA

Amazon Canada

Amazon Japan

Amazon UK

Amazon Germany

Amazon France

Booktopia Australia

Flipkart India

Yippppeeeeeeeeeeeeeee!!!!

Thank you to everyone for all of your lovely support!

buckman art show and sell! March 03, 2009

Come find me at the Buckman Elementary Art Show and Sell!

This event is going to be really special. There are going to be a bunch of amazing arts and crafts folks selling their wares, along with some great food and entertainment...all for a great cause!

I have a new batch of mini paintings, a stack of black and white originals, new larger paintings, and prints that will all be for sale. Anything that's left from the sale will be posted next week.

Go, Buckman Elementary!

i think i can... February 24, 2009

It's Tuesday already.... February is nearly over! I've been braving new things right and left these days, yet I feel a little bit like I'm running in place. Do you ever have those times? Sometimes life seems to shoot forward, things click into place with ease. And other times, I feel like I'm chipping away at something so large, that my tiny dents are barely visible. I definitely feel like I'm in chipping away mode right now. Chip, chip, chip. One step at a time. Inch by inch. Baby steps to the elevator.

Valentine February 13, 2009

Nose Kiss. 9" x 12" on watercolor paper.

Happy Valentine's Day!

new paintings February 09, 2009

Fairy House

There are some new paintings up in my etsy store.

high fives February 03, 2009

This is a sketch from the upcoming book, Bandits...(a story about some pesky raccoons, not dogs, though there is one dog in the story, and this would be him...)

Thank you for your insights and tips about my new website design. I'm taking all of your requests into consideration, especially how to incorporate and yet not incorporate, the glittering unicorns.

Now Monday has come and gone, and Tuesday is on its way out. The days are flying by. They feel packed full of challenges and new things lately, and I'm doing my best to stay centered through it all. I'm trying to take breaks for cupcakes, dumb movies, and high fives. Even if I have to give the high fives to myself, (which is often the case, seeing as it's just me here in the studio all day.)

A self-giving-high-five looks a lot like a clap, or a high reaching fly swat, or a mosquito squish. I recommend them. Yesterday I walked by a Subway sandwich place, and there was a poor dude in a sandwich costume waving at passing cars. I gave him a high five, and that felt great. Also, when I'm jogging and I pass another person jogging on the street, I like to high five them. Sometimes fellow joggers do not appreciate this, but usually they do. High fives are good for the spirit.