As much as I love the holidays, I can honestly say, that the first few weeks into the new year, make me incredibly happy. I feel like everything ahead is a blank slate, so ripe with possibility, that I can barely contain my enthusiasm and optimism. Make a million dollars this year? Sure! NO problem. Get up at 6am and go to hot yoga every day? Certainly, and why not? Become a good cook, an acrobat, an animal rescuer, a novelist, an animator, and join an orchestra? Of course. Certainly. All possible! Go forth!

Judging by the commercials that ramp up in January, (Quit smoking in three hours! Hula hoop diet! Make more money selling pyramids! Get buns of steel to match your abs of gold!) I'm not the only one who has the fervor of a freed hamster when the new year begins. The trouble is of course, that I burn out rather quickly when the mountains I want to climb are steep (and by steep, I mean razor sharp cliffs lined with ice), and all I've packed is a handful of leftover Christmas chocolate to keep me going.

So this year, I'm doing my best to take my frantic excitement and goal setting and slice them into nice, simple day hikes. I'm planning on packing lots of nourishment ( a little trick that I learned from my friend Felicity) and lots of treats along the way (another trick that I learned from my friend Wendy), and hope that my plodding along, will take me somewhere I could not have even dreamed about during these first few days of post holiday bliss.

This time around, I hope to sit down and actually think about what it would take to get from point a to point b. And I hope to meet some fellow hikers along the way...maybe even around a campfire. Maybe there will even be smores. One can hope....

What say ye, want to come along?

Happy New Year! Hope you all had a great holiday time. As you can see by this handy montage of pictures, we had a bunch of snow...

Gabe and I were in Portland for part of last week, (along with one of my sisters and her family), and Eugene (where my whole family gathered), for the rest. After a week of sporadic snow, Portland got blasted with a huge storm (the biggest here in my lifetime!) that dumped seventeen inches of the white stuff, and a lot of ice, just a few days before Christmas.

This storm made for such a mixed up holiday, where lots of sledding shenanigans and snowy drives of hilarity and terror ensued. Throw in the stomach flu, and you have Christmas Crazy Pants 2008. But despite all of the mix-ups, canceled plans, vomiting, and lack of present buying, I would have to say that it was one of the most special, meaningful, wonderful Christmas weeks that I can recall.

So, now..bare with me and my math brain. (Nerd alert!) I tried to quantify the joy, below.

Number of holiday movies watched?

7.45

It's A Wonderful Life, Scrooged, Muppet Christmas Carol, Love Actually, Prancer and several made for tv holiday movies on Lifetime which are too embarrassing to recount..

Amount of chocolate eaten by me, and me alone?

239982384723984723987193847 lbs.

Roughly three thousand tons. Maybe more, if chocolate covered cherries are considered chocolate, which I think they are.

Number of Clementines consumed by me, and me alone?

57645358767697897

Let's just say that some think that my skin has a bit of an orangish tint to it now.

Total number of hours we spent inching along I-5 last week? (the freeway that runs from Eugene to Portland, normally a two hour drive)

16!!!! I did the math, truly it was 16.

Number of family members who had the stomach flu?

5, including yours truly.

Number of times sledded down the hill by my sister's house in the dead of night?

**??@@@@

The sum above is a number you get when you evade death, repeatedly.

Number of tiny snow forts created to put candles in?

15.

Number of over sized snowmen Gabe and I muscled together in the backyard?

ONE, ENORMOUS SNOW PERSON!!! Most definitely a giant.

Number of hugs and kisses from sisters and brothers and parents and husband and wee ones once we all managed to be together at last?

Many, many, many...but never enough!

Peace and health and high fives in the New Year, to you and your kin.

It was a snowy and chilly day on Sunday here in Portland land...(it still is, actually.) and I want to thank everyone who came out to support us at Crafty Wonderland!

Portland generally doesn't get a lot of snow, so when it happens, the roads are really treacherous (they don't salt them, or plow them here.) Mix in a few hills, and you have some wacky times out there. Gabe and I had to chain up just to get to Crafty Wonderland in the morning, and we saw some very sad cars on our way there. Plenty of sliding and spinning. So again, thanks to everyone who made it!

This was the last event for me for the season, and I must say, I'm feeling really relaxed and happy. I've been in a pretty constant state of action for the last six weeks, and it feels strangely wonderful to have the arty business stuff slowing down.

I have plenty of paintings that I'm inching into my etsy store (prints too) but other than that, I think I'm ready to kick back with some eggnog.

Yup...maybe even THAT kind of eggnog.

Crafty Wonderland, bigger than ever! I'll be there on Sunday, booth 54. Come by and say hello!

As usual, I didn't really get any photos of this Renegade until the last minute, so what you see here is a blurry half photo of my booth, and some folks setting up on the main floor.

I didn't capture the huge crowds of humans that turned out for this, or the beautiful space that we were in... (Pulaski Park Fieldhouse is gorgeous!) Or the big fat flakes that were drifting down outside, or Mucca Pazza marching around the place (not to mention their awesome show with Icy Demons at the Renegade after party on Saturday.)

Thanks to everyone for making this such a great Renegade!

The ground is covered with a nice layer of snow here in Chicago land, and I'm feeling quite cozy with my big mug of tea and bowl of oatmeal this morning. I'm staying here in Chicago through the week, and on into the Holiday Renegade Craft Fair this weekend, the 6th and 7th.

I shipped 100 blank mini canvases here to Chicago for Holiday Renegade, and I'm not sure if that's something to be proud of, or embarrassed about. Either way, I've spent the last few days in my in-laws basement, painting away. They were kind of enough to let me set up a little make-shift studio down there after Thanksgiving, and so far so good. I think I've made my way through about fifty of the minis. Or 47 or something, but who's counting? (Me, that's who.)

But really, I love my make-shift studio, and I've been having the best time this week..splitting my time between hanging out with friends and family, and painting. It's the best of both worlds. Cozy hanging out time, and diligent elf-workshop time.

Also did I mention that I shipped 100 unpackaged prints to Chicago as well? 100 prints that are ready to be put into their little plastic envelopes and need to be folded and taped and all that? Why yes, yes I did. Figured I would do that in my spare time here in Chicago I suppose...(insert nervous laughter.)

If you're hoping to find me this weekend at Holiday Renegade, look for me upstairs. Booth 121. Mucca Pazza is playing on Saturday at 3:30. Can't wait!

Also, if you've been checking out my etsy store lately, you can probably see that it's pretty dang empty at the moment. It will be filling up again, starting on the 8th. I plan on setting up a make-shift studio in terminal three at O'Hare airport on Monday while I wait for my flight back to Portland. Just kidding! Sort of.

Have a great Thursday!

Gabe and I are hours away from hopping on a plane to Chicago land for Thanksgiving, so I've posted several things in a row here, that are truly a smorgasbord of random items. A cornucopia, if you will. A feast of everything from turkey to marshmallow salad. I'll leave it up to you to decide which is which.

Being new to publishing lingo, I was a little startled to see something similar to the title of this post, in my inbox the other day from my agent. (aka, superhero, James Proimos).

The F and G's? What the heck are those? They sounded kind of wrong.

It wasn't until a few days later, when a bulky and suspicious package from New York arrived, that I too was running around the house yelling " the F and G's! The F and G's! OMG the F and G's!"

So, what are they you ask? Unbound copies (aka, FOLDED and GATHERED) of my upcoming book, The Secret Circus. As you can see by this photo, I've been flipping endlessly through them with a big grin on my face. Well, I guess you can't see the grin, but maybe you can tell by my hand, that I'm extremely pleased. The folks over at Roaring Brook did such a great job with the layout, and the fancy spot gloss on the cover (ooo-la-la! as the French mice say.)

The whole thing makes me feel really excited for it to come out next spring. Even MORE excited than I was before, if that's possible.

Here I am in this photo, fake putting the finishing touches on the last piece for the Clover Twig book by Kaye Umansky. I meant to take some photos yesterday when I was ACTUALLY putting on the finishing touches, but these things always escape me in the moment. So long Clover Twig, oh how I'll miss thee!

Wendy over at Girl in Green had a great idea to list the things that we love, and tagged me to join in. What a fun thing to do right before Thanksgiving, thanks Wendy!

So here are 42 things that I love, in NO particular order.

1. family

2. swimming in oceans, rivers and lakes

3. big old work boots

4. volcanoes

5. whales

6. a hot cup of black tea with cream

7. abandoned places, covered in vines

8. banana splits

9. It's a Wonderful Life

10. Gabe (he counts as family..but ahhh...)

11. a smooth, old sheet on the bed

12. dip pens and ink

13. singing

14. smart wool socks

15. picking blackberries

16. long talks with friends

17. willow and fir trees

18. listening to audio books

19. drawing in journals

20. writing

21. writing letters to friends

22. reading when it's raining

23. getting my hands massaged

24. a free day

25. Kittehs (oh yes, that's how I spelled it. You know why.)

26. sewing crazy stuff

27. Hot gluing puppet bodies

28. Tetris

29. New York style cheese pizza with olives

30. Super contrasty black and white photos

31. christmas eve

32. Pushing past a fear

33. Drums

34. hot springs

35. sleeping in pine needles

36. stretching in the morning

37. skimming the bottom of a pool

38. badminton

39. sasquatch

40. ufo's

41. beans and rice dinner time with gabe

42. the sounds of stringed instruments

I'm going to have some mini paintings and prints in a one day sale/show in LA (see below) this Sunday. If you're in the area, feel free to stop by! And if you happen to see me in two places at once, well....

Here's another snippet from the Clover Twig book by Kaye Umansky that I've been working on. I think my part in this book is nearing a close, and it's making me a bit sad, but mostly excited to see it as a finished thing. What a great story, and a fun project to have worked on.

In a few weeks I'll be up to my eyeballs in raccoons. I'm starting to hash out the sketched dummy for my next book, Bandits. It's going to be a big change from magic cottages and witches, but I'm already scanning the trees and the backyard for inspiration..

If any of you are in the LA area, and you want to go see some fantastic, amazingly wonderful art by my dear friend Wendy Crabb, you can! She's going to have a collection of paintings in the "Bon Nuit, My Sweet" show at the Cella Gallery, opening on Friday, November 14th. I'm so sad that I can't be there. Wendy and I worked and painted together for many years at Oliphant Studio in New York, and I've missed her since we both journeyed out west. The show runs through December 23rd if you're not able to make it to the opening.

Have a great Tuesday!

Yup. I'm going to be at Crafty Wonderland this Sunday, November 9th, from 11-4. I'll have prints, paintings, and I hope to see you there!

Election Night was simply amazing.

This is where we were in the later part of the night,, and we ended up running back and forth like this, for over an hour! A great way to let loose all of that excited energy! ...Grainy video, but you get the idea...

Where were you? What was your Election Night like?

Today is Election Day here in the States, and I am so excited that I can hardly stand it. I think I slept for about a split nano second last night. The energy here is like nothing I've ever felt, it's beautiful and overwhelming.

VOTE! VOTE! VOTE!

So, I didn't get a chance to paint in my Halloween drawing, or organize my photos from the Monster March (the annual Halloween parade here in Portland) that I was hoping to post today. There were so many great costumes on my small friends this year, (dragon, bug, dinosaur, fairy, vampire..to name a few.) Not to mention the admirable Gabe, who spent a good chunk of his weekend making the most cumbersome and delicious looking bacon costume you have ever seen, to go with my fried egg outfit. Yes, I was a fried egg AGAIN.

Anyhow, I have the flu. It's a weird flu, that came on strong last weekend, backed off, and came on much much stronger on Thursday. Weird. It's about all I can do today to shuffle around in my pajamas, crank the heat up, huddle around my lemon ginger tea, and try to save some of the chocolate for the trick-or-treaters.

Hope you all have a spooooky day.

Also, a big studio clean has happened in my little world. If you get a chance, check out my BIG FAT FALL ART SALE! It will run through November 2nd.

Have a great Wednesday.

There has been a steady parade of wee ones in my studio this week, painting masterpieces. It's really fun for me to see what these kids make, and it's especially cool to watch them discover how colors can be mixed to make new colors. That's the best part! There's really something amazing about how colors are formed. It still thrills me, (and frustrates me when I can't get it quite right.)

I'm thinking about having a painting sale in the early part of next week. I'll send out a big old email if I do, so feel free to sign up for my mailing list if you haven't already.

Have a great weekend!

Every time I've sat down to write something for this blog this week, my brain splits into twenty pieces. Not literally, luckily, that would be gross.

I've been having a hard time organizing my thoughts, which is kind of funny, because I've spent a lot energy this week organizing my work time, and my work space. I guess when it comes down to it, there's only so much organizing juice that I can squeeze out in a week...

In the meantime, I thought I would post some pieces I've been working on for a new story idea, called BAD IDEA. It's about a rather controlling older sister squirrel, and her reckless and imaginative little brother...we'll see how it shapes up.

Have a great weekend!

Here is a bit of the process from sketch, to final art for one of the pages of the Secret Circus book.

I love to draw food, so this particular spread was one of my favorites.

Picture Book People for Obama!

Wow, I was pretty excited to see this poster floating around this morning. You can read more about it right here.

Have a great weekend!

I spent this last Saturday at the Kidlitosphere Conference here in Portland, and true to my predictions, my notes are illegible and covered with sketches of dinosaurs and trees. This is no help to you.

Lucky for me, this was indeed a blogging conference, so courtesy of the attendees, there are plenty of photos, videos, podcasts and live blogging posts that documented every inch of this weekend.

Now all I have to do is a little automagic linkery, and viola, it's like you were actually there! Except that you didn't win anything fabulous in the after dinner raffle, or talk with these talented and interesting people, or drink enough coffee to make your teeth chatter, or get your paws on the new Babymouse book. Sigh. All wonderful things, really.

All in all, I feel inspired to put together more frequent blog postings, especially on the illustration process for the books that I've been working on. And I also can't wait to share what I've learned about group blogging with the group illustrator blog I'm a part of (yes this means YOU soup ladies ).

So I'm going to do my best to decipher my own notes over the past few days, and post the tidbits that really stood out to me. In the meantime, you can read, listen, and see what other attendees posted about the conference, RIGHT HERE

Stay tuned...

I'm headed to the Kidlitosphere Conference this weekend, which conveniently enough, is happening here in Portland.

I'm excited to meet everyone attending, hear the lectures, and hopefully pass out enough Secret Circus postcards to put a dent in the gazillion I had printed before Renegade.

I'll do my best to take some notes at the conference and post them here on Monday. Although, to be fair, I stink at taking notes (always have) and you're more likely to get a collection of doodled dinosaurs and random thoughts. Woot!

I've been working again this week on the Clover Twig story, re-working some of the final art, and hashing out the cover design. It feels good to be cleaning up some of the loose ends that I left before Renegade. I was working so much on getting ready for the fair, and on the final art for the Clover Twig book before I left for Chicago, that I was a ghost in my house for weeks. I even worked all night long (uh..what? twenty four hours straight? Yes ma'am!) the night before we flew to Chicago. Blech. I'm not an all- nighter kind of girl, so that was a wee bit rough.

So, yay for balance. Yay for being back in the swing at a normal pace. Yay for life, which is awesome. Yay for our dahlias that are still blooming in the garden box, and new ukulele songs, and dinner already cooking when you come home from the studio, and blue sky fall weather, and playing with wee kids, and walks along the river with loving ones, and stretching in the morning. Yay for soy lattes, warm sweaters, long talks with friends, and yay for Octoberfest, go-cart races, resting on the couch, writing new stories and reading in bed. Yay, yay, yay!

We're back from the soggiest Renegade of all time!

Despite the record rainfall in Chicago last weekend (7 inches in one day!) this Renegade was the most successful fair for me yet, not to mention absurdly fun. Thank you to all of the die-hard art and craft enthusiasts who pulled on your rain boots, dug out your umbrellas, and tromped around that soggy wonderland. It really was a sight to see...

I have a few prints and paintings that I'll be adding back to my store today, with more to come in the next few weeks.

Have a great Wednesday!

We leave on Thursday for Renegade Chicago!

A sketch that I'm working on for a fabulous new book by Kaye Umanksy.

Yes, yes it's true, I got new glasses. NEW bright blue-green glasses, and a NEW prescription after years and years of the old ones. It's embarrassing really, how long I've gone without taking care of this, but maybe it was worth it for the dramatic effect that I experienced this morning.

After wearing them briefly yesterday, and spending most of that time feeling sea sick and disoriented (glasses wearing peeps, you feel me on this..) I took the advice of the eye people, and put them on first thing this morning before my stubborn eyeballs had a chance to strain and adjust to their old way of seeing. I took this advice very literally, and lay in bed after waking up with my eyes squeezed tightly shut, while Gabe was kind enough to fetch the new glasses and put them on my nose.

Now, all I can say is wow. Wow, wow, wow. THIS is the world you people have been living in? THIS is what I've been missing? Why, there are walnuts on the trees outside our window, bugs on the flowers...dirt in the carpet!

So many everyday things are infinitely easier now. A tiny scrawled menu on a far away chalkboard? No problem. Difficult documentary with subtitles on a small movie screen? Don't mind if I do!

Everything is brighter, sharper, clearer. My face, my forehead, my jaw have been in a blissfully relaxed state ALL DAY, that I normally only experience for a few minutes in the morning.

Now I'm in my studio and I feel like my brain has been blown wide open. Look at these colors! These lines! What? All these years I've actually called myself an illustrator, with those tired old eyeballs?

WHAT? WHAT? WHAT?

It's gonna be a bright, bright, bright sunshine-y day.

My studio has exploded into a million little paintings that I'm trying to finish up so I can begin shipping them to Chicago land for Renegade Chicago.

The list of vendors for Renegade is up! Check out all of the awesome folks who are going to be there.

After many days of hot, hot times here, we woke up this morning to thunder and rain and cool air coming through the windows. Isn't it strange, how something like this can be the most pleasurable thing?

It could be, that in getting older, I'm starting to remember the bits that I knew when I was young. All of those lessons that come so naturally when you're a kid, like finding happiness in swimming in a river with a pair of goggles on. Staring into a campfire and smelling the smoke in your hair the next day. Eating a berry that's hot from the sun. Digging a hole in the sand. Making up stories.

Or, that sometimes the hardest things, like trying something scary, are the shortest road to joy.... (swinging on a rope swing? driving on the freeway? Revealing a secret?)

I had a weekend full of all of these things, and my brain and heart feel like they've been scrubbed clean....

The summer is flying by. I know, maybe it always seems that way..but this year, I really feel it. Bike rides, beach visits, camping...we seem to be squeezing it all into these last few weekends. Soon, blackberries will be overtaking our land here, and this year, for reals, I'm going to learn how to make jam!

In arty news, I'm starting to gear up for Renegade Chicago next month. I've been painting, ordering supplies and prints, organizing, emailing, and all of the tidbits that go into flying halfway across the country to a major event like this. I was there two years ago, and it was amazing. An absolute blur of a beautiful, serendipitous weekend. Even the fantastic thunderstorm on the last day was incredibly memorable. I remember trying to break down my canopy, drenched to the bone, mud and water flying in every direction, laughing hysterically..or maniacally. You know those times when life seems to click into place, and you run into long lost friends and everything seems to have a purpose? Ah yes, those rare times are amazing, and they always seem to happen for me at Renegade. So I'm excited to be going again, to say the least.

In book news, I am starting in on Bandits, a story about some pesky raccoons. There have been plenty of raccoon sightings in these parts in recent weeks, so I've been getting some real life reference for the sketches. I think this must be the time of year that the little raccoon babies are on the move, because I've seen several families crawling over fences, and meandering down darkened streets.

Also, I'm drawing witches and cottages and things for a young adult novel, that's due out next spring. The sketches were due a few weeks back, and now the final art deadline is creeping up. I'll post some pictures one day soon...

Have a great Tuesday!

A few months ago, the talented illustrator Beth, over at Sunberst, mentioned that she had an illustration in Mix Tape, which is a cute little zine that has, "A collision of craft, eco-cool and pop culture kitsch. It features recipes, eco tips, crafty people profiles, ethical business practices etc."

So, I checked out Mix Tape, and fell in love. It's put together by the very talented Nichola and Justine, based out of Melbourne. You can read an interview with them for the whipup blog, right here.

Now, I'm happy to report that you can find an interview and a bit of artwork, by yours truly, in the latest issue of Mix Tape! The whole zine is packed full of interesting articles, tidbits, craft ideas, recipes and wonderful bits of inspiration. Check out their blog to order your very own copy, or to find a retailer in your area, have a looksie right here.

Well, it has begun! There are plenty of new prints, mini paintings, medium paintings, and even a bigger painting, for sale in my etsy store.

Thank you for the wonderful response to the summer art email that I sent out yesterday. (Not to mention all of the great advice and sympathy for my foot!)

If you haven't signed up for my mailing list, please do! Or shoot me an email and I'll do it for you.

Thanks for looking!

Oh my goodness, it's been so long! I've had a load of adventures over the last few weeks, that I can't wait to share with you! I've also been hard at work in the studio, but first..the matter at hand!

I'm going to push back my art sale one day, to the 23rd of July. I hate to do that, but I slipped a wee bit behind this afternoon, mostly because I had a pesky and terrible plantar wart removed from the bottom of my foot today. Holy cow, was that painful! I'm currently sprawled out on the couch, writhing in pitiful pain. Who knew something so small, could hurt so very much?

Point being, I have a few loose ends to tie up, and I'll be posting all of the new prints and paintings for sale, on Wednesday instead.

Thanks for your patience. Have a great Monday!

Hello friends,

I'm heading off for a vacation in a few days, so I'm going to be a bit out of the loop for awhile. I just wanted to let you all know that if you happen to buy a print when I'm away, I won't be shipping any items until the 15th of July. (If you've already ordered something, it's going to go out before I leave, so not to fear.)

Also, eh-hem, as you probably can see by this handy sign here, I'm going to have a lot of new work up for sale on the 22nd of July. If you would like a little email reminder about this, be sure to sign up for my mailing list if you haven't already.

Ooo, and thanks to the kind folks at Nurture for hosting my paintings for Last Thursday. What a fun night, and a great space.

Have a great Fourth of July and beyond! See you back here in a few weeks.

This Thursday evening I'm going to have some paintings up at Nurture for Last Thursday here in Portland. There are twelve new 12" x 12" paintings, and a few larger ones as well.

Hope to see you there!

My to-do list for the summer looks a little something, a like dis:

1. Shrink self.

2. Find/make leaf boat

3. Sail around in puddle or pond.

Have a great Monday.

I'm going to selling prints and paintings at Crafty Wonderland, along with all of these awesome vendors, this Sunday, from 11-4 at the Doug Fir. Come on by and look around!

It's June! My favorite month of the year, hands down. A lot is happening in my little world, so I thought it might be best to spell it out in list form....

1.I will be at Crafty Wonderland this Sunday, June 8th, from 11-4 selling prints and a few paintings. Come on by and say hello!

2. On Thursday June 26th, I'm going to have a painting show at a place called Nurture, here in Portland. The show will be up for one night only, 5:00 to 7:00.

3. I will be having an online sale of new paintings, that starts on July 15th! Big paintings, medium sized paintings, and maybe even a few mini paintings. It's been awhile since I have had a new body of work like this, and I'm looking forward to sharing it with you guys.

4. In book news...do-de-do-de...I've been slow to clue you guys in on what's happening with books, but here's the scoop.

The Secret Circus, is indeed, coming out in the Spring of 2009.

RABBITS ON SKATES has been pushed back and will now be coming out in the fall of 2010.

And..in other exciting book news....a new story that I wrote called BANDITS, about some pesky raccoons, has been accepted by Roaring Brook Press, and is going to be released in the spring of 2010!

Also..I am going to be doing the illustrations for a young adult book that will be released by Roaring Brook Press in the spring of 2009. More on that as the details unfold..

Exciting times! Have a great Monday!

Well, I got the proofs in the mail last week, for the Secret Circus book! They look lovely and I think it's finally starting to hit me that this is really happening. The proofs are proof that a real live book is going to come out of those little paintings I made. This still amazes me.

In other book news, there is a wonderful site called Just One More Book, that you should all check out.

Their site says, 'Just One More Book is a thrice-weekly podcast which promotes and celebrates literacy and great children’s books.' and..'Through this podcast and its website, we are building a lively, interactive community linking children’s book authors, illustrators, readers (children, parents, educators and librarians) and publishers.'

It's a wonderful resource and I highly recommend it.

Have a great Tuesday!