favorite things

Few things make me happier than being outside painting.

r and r

Spent a week with my family at our shared cabin on an island in south Puget Sound. Did plenty of eating, swimming, napping, painting and kayaking. This time of year the harbor seal pups come right up to me as I'm paddling around. Cute little buggers. Didn't have the camera with me for the seals, but here's a sunset shot.

I'll scan one of my plein air oils and upload it as soon as it's no longer greasy.

Back to work!

white is the new black

Another color indication for the book I did not get. (Sob!)

Ho, ho, hrumph

I spent a number of days creating some samples for a possible new project with HarperCollins. I worked up color indications with Adobe Illustrator, and provided two samples of final-style art in colored pencils.

The result was that although the art director and author liked my efforts, the sales department wanted to go in different direction. (I take that to mean another artist.)

I was very pleased with the work I did for the project, but I did take chances in what I sent them, leaning towards a rather daring simplicity.

The way I see it, your work must stand out --or risk getting lost in the crowd.

ho ho ho.