In the News

The Sandal Artist book release was mentioned in the Good News section of the Society for Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators, Rocky Mountain Chapter.  And so was my friend Debbie Maxwell Allen!

Debbie Maxwell Allen is a finalist in the 2012 Pikes Peak Writer’s Contest in the young adult category, with her manuscript “The Undone”, a supernatural set in the 1700s, Palermo, Sicily.

Congratulations, Debbie!

Go check out her blog full of free writing resources for writers, Writing While the Rice Boils

Book Launch Party at Tattered Cover

Tattered Cover Book Store Hosted the book launch party for The Sandal Artist at the 16th street location (Lodo District), in Denver. Here is Kathleen Pelley the author with Me. We were thrilled with the turn out, over 100 people came to here us both give a presentation and for the book signing. Thanks to all that came! It was a huge success! Many thanks to the Tattered Cover for helping make this happen.

 

Contest Winner – SCBWI Illustration

Here is the final Illustration. Thanks so much to the Rocky Mountain Chapter of SCBWI for choosing my Illustration to represent this falls conference in Denver. I am so proud to represent such an amazing organization. Thanks to my “little man” model. No Teddy Bears were harmed in the making of this painting. Thanks to Jordan and Hunter for allowing me to use your teddy bears for models. I will have to
get that model release form signed by you both.

process of SCBWI Illustration

Here are the sketches with more of the details of my idea. I came up with having a little boy playing pirates with his teddy bears. Thats what the book that they are climbing out of is about. (Teddy bear pirates) then the boy is showing the teddy bears the Kindle or Nook that has the title of the book the are coming out of. Also i posted the image of my little model.

RMC SCBWI illustration winner

I’m so thrilled to have won the RMC SCBWI (society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators) Image contest. The theme is: The Future is Now-Surviving and Thriving in Today’s Children’s Book Market

I am going to take you through the process of putting together my idea for the illustration. here is the very first ideas I had. A child coming out of a book holding a Nook or Kindle.

Final Bench Images

Here the final images of my finished Bench for “The Best seat in Town” Woodland Park Bench Project!!!! So excited to see all the other benches. The first Image is of my son Dylan that I painted on the back of the bench. Of course this is my favorite part of the bench. I painted him to look like he is hanging on for dear life! Everyone needs to come on out for the auction in May and purchase a bench to display in our lovely mountain town!

Capturing a Memory

This picture is important to me because it captures something important to my Dad.  I recently had him play his autoharp — after 30 years!  He had so much fun trying to remember old folk songs.  He strummed along but couldn’t remember the words to his favorite songs like “Mary Ellen,” and “Old Blue” and old hymns like “Just a Closer Walk with Thee.”  He was mostly making up his own words. I took a picture o f him, not because I intended to paint. I just wanted to snap a photo because  my mom and I were laughing so hard.   It was a precious time.

Later I decided to paint this moment and captured the memory of him, remembering.