I have been on a longer hiatus from my blog than I intended!
I have been busily writing and painting
and now have a lovely agent—Abigail Samoun of Red Fox Literary. I have two manuscripts (with dummies and sample
finished art) circulating “out there“ in the great Land of Publishing! My portfolio on this site is definitely due
for additions of my new work, but new pieces can be seen on the Red FoxLiterary site.
Now that my latest work has gone to my agent, I’m ready to
begin a new manuscript! At the latest
L.A. Illustrator’s Day, writer, illustrator and general Renaissance-man, Peter
Reynolds spoke of havinga personal list
titled “Books Not yet in Print.”This
catalogue contains over 400 of his ideas for future books. I have a list too—not so long! but long enough
to consider which idea I want to work on next.
Below are some wise and inspiring quotes from the recent Los
Angeles Illustrator’s Day…
Dan Krall had
a list of 10 things he has learned that could have saved him 10 years!Selections are:
Be brief. Think, what can I leave out? It needs to be a non-stop trim-fest!
Finish it! Knuckle down and see it through.
Be nice. Hit your deadlines. Be responsible.
Always have at least 5 irons in the fire. Get it out, do the next thing. Always Google your new project to make sure it hasn’t been done.
Peter Reynolds,
author/illustrator of The Dot, and Ish was inspiring and shared many words
of wisdom, my favorite of which was
Several of my illustrator friends and I took part in a gallery show of our paintings this month. The theme of the show was Lullabies and Nightmares.
I chose to illustrate the nursery rhyme "Rock-a-bye Baby in the Treetops", a rhyme which (along with many famous childhood verses) is quite frightening!
I recently saw the celebratory film about Paris and writers -- Midnight in Paris.One scene shows the front of the legendary bookstore, Shakespeare and Co., in all its photogenic charm, reminding me that I had neglected to visit the bookstore when I was in Paris.True, as a young artist I was spending most all of my time in art museums and art stores.Still, I am unable to resist a great bookstore, so why didn’t I remember to visit this famous landmark -- so perfect for English-reading, book-loving travelers?
So I was quite saddened to learn last month of the passing of 98 year old George Whitman, the founder of Shakespeare and Co., from writer Kristen Espinasse. She has written her memories of him in her very enjoyable blog.I was inspired to read more about the bookstore. It is a reincarnation of the first (also legendary) Shakespeare and Co., which was founded by another American in Paris, Sylvia Beach, and was closed down in WWII.Whitman’s bookstore, Le Mistral, opened in 1951, but after meeting Sylvia Beach she bequeathed the name Shakespeare and Co. to him.
One story about Whitman that impressed me concerned the entire year the bookstore was closed in the 60’s.His papers weren’t in order so he didn’t sell a single book that year until the red tape was straightened out. He kept the doors open, however, as a free library and guesthouse for writers from abroad in exchange for an hour or two of work a day. A true book-loving, writer-loving individual!The French grew to appreciate him too – the French Minister of Culture awarding him the Officier des Arts et Lettres medal for his contributions to the arts. He’s buried in the famous Pere Lachaise cemetery near such writers as Collette and Balzac.
I still intend to visit the bookstore.It’s still there, still catering to English-speaking visitors, still welcoming writers, still watched over by his daughter, and I believe by his dog and cat too. Long may it prosper!
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