HALLOWEEN! My Favorite Holiday

It is Halloween! The most magical time of the year. I know Christmas is magical, but in a very different way. This is the time of year when we can let our imaginations be free. We get to dress up and play. I know Halloween gets a bad rap in today's society. Hollywood has a lot to do with the image we associate with Halloween. Read some historical literature. Study religion and religious sects. Don't just blindly accept it is a devil's holiday. It isn't. Never has been.

Nevertheless, it is a magical day for me. It is also my wedding anniversary. I love October for it's vibrant beauty, the crispness of the evenings, the light at both dawn and dusk. And yes, it does seem as if anything is possible. Mix a little mist in with that and voila!-imaginations can run wildly amuck.

So enjoy today and this evening. Watch a couple of great Halloween movies. Being an artist I'm always drawn to the works of Tim Burton, ie "Nightmare Before Christmas" or "Hocus Pocus" or "HalloweenTown" Disney's saucy witches and dress-up fests. If you want the scarier versions, there are lots of them out there. Just remember, they are movies. But Halloween? Halloween is real and anything can happen.

Writer's In the Library Series

We will be presenting a panel discussion on "Writing, Illustrating, and Publishing a Children's Book". If you live in the Knoxville area and have been interested in the subject of children's books, please join us. We will be signing books.

Sketchbook Musings

More sketches from my "Rip Van Winkle" rework. These are graphite drawings as I was working through the characters. I wasn't sure if I wanted to do more realistic characters or caricatures. I'm still not sure. These are the caricature versions.

Rip is kinda loveable, dopey, dreamy. All he wants to do is hunt and play games with his children. Dame Van Winkle is a forceful, hardworking woman who does not have time for frivolity. She is probably bitter because she would like to tromp through the fields flying kites with her offspring, but can not because there is food to cook, nappies to change, and dogs to chase from the hearthside. Poor Rip. This is what keeps him roaming the mountainsides. For the record, we Van Winkle womenfolk are nothing like Dame Van Winkle. We have learned to let sleeping dogs lie. Berating our menfolk gets us nothing.

Sketchbook

Another illustration sketch from my sketchbook. Pencil. This one was along a trail in the Great Smoky Mountains.

On The Promotional Trail: Nashville Southern Festival of Books

"Jack The Healing Cat" has officially launched.

Lucky me! My first book and I'm attending the Southern Festival of Books and presenting a panel discussion! But the credit for having the clout to get the booking at SFB goes to the author, Marilyn Kallet. We had a good group show up for the presentation.

My role was to discuss my methods of illustrating a children's book. Here I'm explaining my choice for the Baby Blue 1952 Chevy truck. My grandfather had one and I always wanted it. I didn't get it, but this is my tribute to that beautiful truck. Answering questions after the presentation.

Several local events are scheduled for signing and readings. Carpe Librum Books is hosting a signing December 8th at 11:30 a.m. Furry Fall Festival at Young-Williams Animal Center on Division Street will be held Sunday, October 28th, signing 1pm-3pm.

There will be other signings, so please, come back to check where we will be and when. If you would like copies of Jack for your child, grandchildren or yourself, they may be purchased locally from Carpe Librum. They are also available at Fountain City Art Center and the Knoxville Museum of Art gift shop.

A Page From "Jack The Healing Cat"

My New Children's Book: "Jack The Healing Cat"