Cats and Jammers Studio

BITTY: I adore her, but I guess she's an animal after all...

We have a French bull dog that I adore. How we came to have her was like this: my son had a friend who's family had her. The family had four kids and two dogs. She was one creature too many. Of course it didn't help her case that she is quite neurotic, was not getting house trained, and was hyperactive. Just suffice it to say, she had come to occupy the bottom rung on that family ladder.

Enter: The Newmans.

My husband and I had had a dog and cat for 17 and 16 years respectively. When they both died the same year we had our second son, we knew it would be a while before we had more animals in the house. And eventually with three boys and a host of other responsibilities, including actively participating in the sandwich generation thing, with all its pros and woes, the idea of responsibility for even one more living thing, including a houseplant, was not too appealing.

But as the kids got older and life was settling down somewhat, I began to think about getting a dog from the animal shelter. The Newman boys had seriously been asking for pets for a while. And now that I was thinking about it again (just I, not my husband), I knew two things: the dog would have to be a non-shedder (our former beagle mutt shed copious amounts 12 months a year) and we couldn't get a cat because of allergies.

Enter: Bitty, our adopted French Bull Dog

Previously mentioned family had decided that “Bitty” had to go. I happened to learn this one night when I asked about “that bull dog, with the cutest face I have ever seen."

"She's at the kennel for the weekend and we are getting rid of her," they said.

Light bulbs went off. Fireworks exploded. Stars glittered brightly in the sky. And my husband stood in their kitchen and said, "NO DOG!"

Two days later she was ours. And that was about 5 years ago. She is a genuine member of the family. I have written a picture book about her. I paint her into my illustrations. She even graces the logo of one of my blogs.

Sometimes she is persona non grata with my husband. Well, actually, most of the time, because he thinks she is dumber than dirt. I say, “She is, but she is smarter than Paris Hilton."

One night he said to me, "Why can't we have a normal dog like other people have?" My answer was, "Well we have challenging kids, and we have challenging pets. It's our destiny."

So Bitty is here to stay. The boys love her and she is my constant companion. I guess I did not realize just how much I missed having a dog around the house until she arrived. She is extremely attached to me, and I to her, and SHE NEVER TALKS BACK OR USES SWEAR WORDS!

Except for last night. No, she didn't swear or talk back. But--my sweetie pie, attached-at-the-hip doggie came to the back door....with a baby rabbit in her mouth! I think she caught it in my yard. That rabbit was deader than Jimmy Hoffa. Oh,yuck! My baby is a hunter of wild animals! My sleep-at-the-foot-of-my-bed, cuddle up pooch now has icky rabbit germs. All sorts of awful things came to mind. I confess: I made her sleep in her crate.

And I thought I was icked out reading about HipWriterMama's deer ticks......

Still, I love that dog.

EDITED TO ADD: BUNNY UPDATE! I discovered where the den of rabbits was located, and also discovered three live baby rabbits nearby. They were "relocated" to a wooded area not far from my house, where they may have a better chance of survival than here in my yard, where my ferocious French Bull Dog will think of them as prey.

I do have to add that my ever witty husband said: Well, what do you expect? Of course, she likes to eat Rabbit. She is French!!!!!

My Transformation into Digital Geekdom-inatrix.....

If I were to own a retail business, there is only one kind I would opt for: art supplies.

To say I LOVE art supplies and art supply stores is like saying I love to breathe. Whenever I go into town for paints I m always full of wonder and dying to try just about anything they carry. And sometimes I actually convince myself that I WILL find time to give new methods and materials a try, so I actually buy them.

I am STILL waiting to try my hand at crackling my painted illustrations.Got that crackle stuff. And gessos--I have a ton of different gessos with all kinds of textures, from sandy to gravel. Plus papers-can never have too many kinds of Hot Press laying around. Don't even get me started about my gazillion dollars worth of scrap booking crapola...

So, in keeping with my love of new materials, and ways to create images, I have become enamored of my computer, since I also do some work digitally. I love digital cameras, printers, scanners and so on. And what better "material" to covet and get than the new CINTIQ by Wacom? I just bought the 20 inch wide screen and I am in digital heaven. This is about as close to feeling like I am working on real paper with real materials as I have ever felt on a computer.

If you are not aware of the Cintiq then check out the videos available. I am telling you--this thing is as good as it looks.

This is NOT me below, of course, but I do feel as cool as this Youtube Video sounds....

Retreat, retreat, retreat......

Today I retreat. I run away. I withdraw. That is to say I go off to the SCBWI Whispering Pines Writer's Retreat right here in New England.

I think I may have lost count how many times I have gone, but I know it is at least seven times.

That is seven escapes. Seven retreats from the front line of family life. Seven years of making sure every kid and routine is "covered" with an adult in charge, so I don't have to worry (even tho I still do). Seven times I have made my way down to the Alton Jones Campus in Rhode Island and driven through the quiet woods to find lodging, great food, inspiring speakers, and good friends.

This retreat is not as much of a "working retreat" as Rising River which is run by author Jackie Davies in New Hampshire, which I have also gone to, LOVED, and gotten serious work done on manuscripts (although WP might be if I carve the time out a little). No, Whispering Pines is more of a great listening and learning retreat, for it offers great "pep talk."

Just about an hour from Boston, it is set in a lovely wooded area, where deer and wild turkey roam, and where you can catch the glimmer of a winter sky on the partially frozen lake, or look for evidence of lingering ghosts in the partially haunted buildings on the property.

There are usually at least 2 editors, an author and an illustrator to share their thoughts and work. They all seek to inspire, educate, give inside information, and leave you feeling like you can take something home to chew on. And there is always great food and drink.

So, adios for a few days, while I regroup, head off with sketch pad and laptop, and try not to use my cell phone too much....

I'll Bite!

Ruth McNally Barshaw over at Ellie McDoodle has nicely tagged me for one of those "Five Things" blog chain letter memes. Liz Goulet DuBois and Elizabeth Dulemba also kindly tagged me with those "You Make My Day" stickers.

Thanks to Ruth, Liz and Elizabeth for making me feel OK and decent! I really appreicate it. Man, it is nice to think that I actually made someone's day. Why? Because one of my sons right now makes me feel like some kind of alien...

Here are my five things:

1. I play the banjo. Well, I am struggling to play the banjo. I love the banjo and always have, so here is the latest picture of me playin' my instrument. I love this outfit! This is the way I dress to go to my lesson, even:

2. I collect junk. Yeah, I know. You ALREADY know that about me. Well, here is my latest eBay thing, and it came upon me quite by accident when I was looking at tin toys, although I am sure that coveting Liz's collection didn't help:

3. I dig stuff. And I dig stuff up. Here I am, looking for stuff on a recent archeological dig:

Only joking! Of course, I was dead serious about the banjo outfit.

Here is the kind of place where I really go to dig stuff up:

And places like this:

4. I am VERY patriotic. I always have been, even when I was a hippie.... I have a whole powder room in my house that I call "The State Room" because it is filled with patriotic stuff and junk about presidents.

5. I like to write backwards. I actually like to write backwards and forwards at the same time with both hands. I have done this since I was a little girl. I have no idea what it means.

I think that most everyone I read has already done these memes, but if you would like to participate, please leave me a comment.

And so many of you make my day! I also love the kid lit blogs. So I 'll pass along the Make a Day award to Roger Sutton at Read Roger, Anne Boles Levy of Book Buds, Hip Writer Mama , Mother Reader, and Jules and Eisha over at Seven Things.

But it's only by mention here, so they do not feel a need to do a damn thing about it.

Happy Weekend!

Elizabeth O. Dulemba on tour!

It has been my pleasure to get to know writer and illustrator Elizabeth O. Dulemba, or "e" as she is known to many of us on several listservs and chat boards where we all obsess about children's books. Her web site and her blog are chock full of information, book talk, news, activities, coloring pages, and any given number of other useful items. Please make sure to check them out.

Elizabeth has a new book out and I was thrilled to have her visit my blog so I could get answers to a few questions that I had, not the least of which is where she gets all of her enormous energy. Her latest project is called “Paco and the Giant Chile Plant” written by Keith Polette. This is a retelling and humorous variation on the traditional Jack and the Beanstalk tale, only this one is set in the Southwest. It is told mostly in English with a sprinkling of Spanish, but will be out in Spanish only and English only versions come the fall.

The art looks spectacular and is created using very evocative images of the desert and wonderful southwestern hues.

SO, enough of me. On to Elizabeth!

1) I am fascinated by your connection to storytelling in Tennessee. How did you come to be involved, and does it make you want to do some story telling of your own? Writing more? In the vernacular of the country story tellers? I love the storytelling tradition.

It's an odd story (and a bit of a winding one - sorry), but it will make you believe in fate.

Even though I grew up in the Atlanta suburbs, I've always been fascinated by all things Appalachian. I went to summer camp on Lookout Mountain (Mentone, Alabama) and tried to get to the mountains every chance I could after that. (I took up rock-climbing and hang-gliding and later moved to Chattanooga.)

Somewhere in there I learned about the National Association of Storytelling and their annual Festival in Jonesborough, Tennessee ( http://www.storytellingcenter.com/festival/festival.htm ). For my Graphic Design exit show in college, I did a line of posters for the event. And here's where it gets really weird - during my research, I found a book in my own collection dedicated to me by my Grandparents in 1973 - "The Jack Tales" gathered by story-catcher, Richard Chase.

It was at the festival that I first saw Ray Hicks tell the Jack Tales. I used to putter up to Tennessee in my '78 Land Cruiser, pay $6 to camp behind a B&B (and use their shower), and spend the weekend listening to
stories. I fell in love with stories and storytelling, but for some reason, Jack Tales especially seemed to seek me out.

What makes Jack Tales so extraordinary is their evolution. Long ago, Scottish, Irish, and English (Cornwall especially) immigrants moved to the Appalachian mountains, many to continue the mining they did in their home countries. But the region was so remote, a culture continued and developed almost entirely independent from outside influences. (Ray Hicks still spoke in an Elizabethan dialect that was so thick it was
difficult to understand.) Survival was off the land, music from the heart, and stories were adapted from the English "Jack" (of "Jack and the Beanstalk" fame) but became their own unique creations in the Appalachian mountains.

I've dabbled with oral storytelling since then (fully acknowledging that I am nowhere near as talented as some), but really found my storytelling voice through writing. Even my novels (one with my agent, one still in progress) take place in the southern Appalachians. It seems to be ingrained in me and I have no idea why.

2) I would love to her more about creating the art and design for advertising, but I also was to hear about the epiphany regarding the move to focus on children's books.

There was never an epiphany - I've wanted to create picture books as long as I can remember. No lie. I used to devour "The Golden Book of Elves and Fairies" illustrated by Garth Williams. His ability to transport me with his art enchanted me and I wanted to be able to do the same thing with my own art. I've always had a vivid imagination, and stories seeped out of me from a very early age, first through drawings and then through words.

However, I was a young, single girl and needed to keep a roof over my head. Graphic Design provided steady income. (I also had some growing up to do.) And while those skills help with my marketing efforts now (and I'm very glad I have them), I was always awaiting the opportunity to dedicate my time to picture books. When I married, my wonderful husband understood my dream and allowed me the opportunity to chase it.

3) Tell us about how you work. Mostly digital or mostly conventional, or both? I find it hard not to go back and "adjust" real paintings, myself, so now I also work that way.

I still sketch by hand, can't seem to get away from that. But all my coloring and rendering is done digitally. It took years of experimenting to figure out my medium - little did I know I had to wait for it to be invented! But it was like breathing for the first time when I discovered how I like to work best.

4) You seem to loaded with energy!! Where does it come from? And so me a favor: paint the picture of your average, busy day, so I can imagine you in action!

I call this a manic-depressive business because it is filled with such unbelievable highs and devastating lows. The lows keep me up at night, but the highs make me jump out of bed each morning anxious to get going. I have so many ideas I want to get out of me and a measly 24 hours just isn't enough to do it all. I'd resent sleep except I get so many ideas from my dreams. I definitely resent having to shower and get dressed every day - how redundant and what a waste of time!!

I'm not sure it's energy so much as obsession. But I'm usually in front of my computer by 7:30 and I work until something makes me stop. (Dogs need food, if I don't exercise I'll melt, dinner with hubbie, grocery store, Spanish lessons, etc.) I stay unbelievably busy. It's a bit nuts, I admit it.

5) This is my favorite question to answer, and it is also my favorite question to ask: describe your dream project to me--one that you would like to write and/or illustrate.

Oh wow, that's tough. It floats in my head like a mist without sharp, defining edges although I think pieces of it come out in all my work. The idea of transporting the viewer/reader is very important to me. I love creating images of imagination, creatures or scenes that don't have to follow the laws of physics. (It's one reason I love creating friendly monsters - they have no rules.) It's part of why I enjoyed illustrating Paco so much. But ironically, the more I write, the more I see words achieving what I want as well. I think it would be a story in which an inferior-feeling protagonist becomes transported and changed through imagination or outside events - a situation where they become better and stronger, and so does the reader. How's that for vague?

6) SO--what's on the horizon for such a busy gal?

Lots of new projects and I wish I had time for more. First, I'm celebrating the release of Paco! (I'm really proud of this book.) I've been taking Spanish lessons for over a year now in anticipation of sharing it with English and Spanish speaking children. I've also illustrated a picture book for a NY Times Bestselling novelist and will be sending out final art soon. I've just signed on to illustrate the next two books in a parental aid picture book series (the first two come out this June). I'm finishing up some coloring book covers and I'm
busy writing my second novel (and waiting to hear news on the first). I'm also waiting to hear on two picture book dummies I have out (one is the winner of three honorable mentions!) and have written two more
picture book stories which I'm currently tweaking (one is bilingual and one is an adaptation of a Jack Tale). So, while this isn't the busiest I've been, it's certainly busy enough!

Wow, these were fun and intense questions! Thanks for letting me share!
:)
e

Thanks, e, for taking the time to give such thoughtful answers!

The Cybil Winners!!!

At long last it is a pleasure to be able to say, "Pass the envelope, Please!"

What's that? You say the envelope is already passed, opened and read? Geesh! Where was I? Oh, I know--emailing, working, taking kids to school, back again, haircuts, shoe shopping and so on.

So, I am late to the game, but still eager to party hearty.

You can read the list of winner here at the official Cybils site. Make sure to read all about the wonderful books narrowed down by the organizers and chosen by the judges. I had the pleasure of serving with my fellow judges in the Fiction Picture Book category, and it was hard work to choose from great books, but is with the absolutely greatest pleasure that I announce and feature our top choice, The Chicken Chasing Queen of Lamar County, wonderfully written by Janice Harrington, and marvelously illustrated by Shelly Jackson.

In a delicious nutshell:

Mama says “NO,” but this farm girl seems determined to keep right on chasing chickens, especially poor Miss
Hen, the one chicken that always gets away. This lively story is told to us in the first person voice of our full-of-the-devil young lady, using language that sings with the vernacular and cadence of true country story telling. The illustrations are a perfect match in spirit, and they move the tale along with equal verve, using the rich texture of collage, skilled brush strokes, celebratory colors, and charming whimsy. Best of all, we learn that even the wildest hearts are capable of warmth and growth.

For me I would love to meet both the author and the illustrator of this book. The language sings, which is understandable since Janice Harrington is a genuine story teller. Equally in tune is the fabulous art work which has it's own artistic voice providing the perfect harmony. Check out this book for sure and be prepared to be wowed. We certainly were. And while you are at it, check out all the other books, too, the winners and the finalists.

Art, Life, Love, Time

I live in a suburban house with three sons, a husband, and one emotionally needy French Bull dog.

Although I have come to truly embrace the philosophy that I don't have to decorate the inside of the house like an adult anymore, I still find myself bound by the code of certain conventions: roof, garage, heat, indoor plumbing, electricity, cable modem, and, most of all, operating inconspicuously within the confines of 21st century suburbia. That means getting kids to school, nagging about homework, and basically abiding by and teaching my kids to abide by, the social mores of mainstream society.

This is not an easy task for someone who is essentially very bohemian by nature.

I would have been very very happy to have just settled into an undeveloped loft thirty years ago and rattled around old warehouse space in NY. But, life took me the more conventional route about 25 years ago, and I manage to blend in. I make sure I manage to blend in because I also remember sadly a dear artist friend of mine whose two children were so unable to float between their very eccentric artist/bohemian lifestyle and the traditional society they lived in, that they both suffered nervous breakdowns. With that in mind, I keep my flakey house wild on the inside and understated on the outside, so that my kids can feel "normal" while still learning that everything is not always what meets the eye, and that creativity and independence are to be held in high esteem, even if somewhat tempered.

And then comes a story that makes my bohemian hippie mouth water--well, a little anyway. In today's House and Home section of the New York Times comes an article about a couple for whom art and love reigned supreme. Granted, I would never aspire to disrupting my happy family to follow an artistic quest, but I would not mind creating an abode in a similar fashion, although I would insist on indoor plumbing and cable modem.....

Check out "A Handmade Home." There is a wonderful slideshow of the homestead.

On a somewhat related note, and in keeping with my obsession about how quickly time is passing, comes an article about slowing down. If only I could actually do that--SLOW DOWN, I mean--and manage to get kids where they need to be on time. In the meantime. I can read about it. Check out "The Slow Life Picks Up SPeed.", also in today's NY Times. DO in NOW! Oops. I mean do it at an easy pace.

The DANGER of image searching....

I am currently starting to dummy up a picture book that features a taxi cab.

When I draw the art for my own books or books by another author, I draw directly from my head and my heart, rather than from life, so that my art is fresh and not stilted, and so that it is mine, and mine alone. I know that what comes from my heart is not anyone else's work and it will always be in my own style. It will also be much more impressionistic. In other words, I do NOT want my drawing of a taxi to look just like a taxi does. I want it to look like my head thinks a taxi looks. By working that way, I can be certain that my art will be strictly my own sensibility, and not someone else's, and it will also not be too tight. The last thing this children's book world needs is yet another exacting and realistic approach to picture book illustration.

Of course, if one is to illustrate from one's head, there has to be reference material upstairs to draw from. And so, I do a lot of studying before the fact. And that means looking at tons of books or pictures that have the kind of stuff I am about to draw. Thanks to Tex and Sugar, I can now draw the pants off a steer, horse, or pig--animals that were not regulars in my repertoire, but who came to be very familiar to me.

Even though I will do some research, most of the time I have a mental image of the thing I am in the process of drawing. But sometimes, the image in my memory is so old, it's a little too vague. I knew that I wanted my taxi to be a model somewhere around 1960 or so. And in 1960, Taxi cabs still had meters with flags that the driver would push down when your toll was starting to be measured in time and/or miles. The problem is: I could not conjure up the fine details of one of those meters enough to make it believable. And Google image search did not have one, either. Or, at least it did not have one that I could find.

So I turned to my old stand-by: EBAY! And, lo and behold, I had several old taxi meters to choose from. Yessirree! Now, I am the proud owner of a vintage taxi meter.

"SO what's wrong with that?" you ask. I'll tell you what's wrong with that. Going toEbay for me is like taking sip of water after a trek in the desert. Get my sand drift? I did NOT stop at the meter. I also got this:

And while I was looking at "vintage taxi" search results, it was almost impossible to not check out "MORE ITEMS FROM THIS SELLER." SO I did. I now also own this:

And then that led me to the item above.

Now I think I need a twelve step program for ebay addicts, which I used to be, big time. There's a reason I have over a hundred cookie jars, or an equal number of carnival chalkware pieces. Thanks to my little visit ebay visit this past weekend, I currently have about 12 items listed on my "My Ebay" page, and the tin toy collection that use to be on hold is now in a serious acquisition phase.

Creating this book might turn out to be very expensive....

New year, new directions, same Elvis infatuation

Well, I took a bit of a break from the blog while we recovered from a trying autumn. I wanted down time. Thought I'd get into the spirit of December.

I love December. I love Hanukkah, and Christmas and New Year's. I love making the house cozy and indulging all of my loved ones with gifts. I also love the forced "take a break time" the end of the month imposes on you.

This year was an extremely relaxed and enjoyable time, although tinged with the melancholy of recent losses. Yet, life goes on, and one of the things I bought us for a present was a Nikon Coolscan, so my husband and I could begin to scan 35 years of slides from our own life together, as well as slides that go back to the 40s and 50s. Life does goes on, but it seems as though we still need to relive our youth.

Some posts ago I answered an 8 things meme about myself. One of the things I confessed to was my obsession with the passing of time. Well, it seems that everything that has happened in the last six months has contributed to that obsession. Let, me tell you, NOTHING makes you feel nostalgia more than looking over old pictures. Getting a glimpse of childhood and old relatives is a toughie. SO is getting a glimpse of young adulthood. How many times could I say, "So much hair, so few pounds" in a five minute period? Thousands.

But enough of that. I could literally go on and on and on....

Instead I will wish a happy birthday to the king. He still rocks. He is eternally young. And we may have never said "so few pounds" but we also never said "so little hair."

Moving Forward and Making a List

A lot has gone on in our family this fall. Actually a lot has gone on our family for the past 21 years, since my husband and I first became parents, and even before, but this fall it was was especially so.

Some of it has been the normal stress and chaos involved with raising three sons and trying to juggle our work and passions. Even when we think things are settling down and on an even keel, something comes up and we say, "Never a dull moment. Why on earth can't we have some DULL moments?"

But some of what my husband and I have dealt with this fall has been especially sad as we come to terms with the cycle of life with regard to our close family members. Even when a family member has led a long, healthy and happy life that should be celebrated for its fullness more than it is mourned, when the life cycle comes full circle, it affects you in ways that go beyond what you expect you will feel as you grieve.

I have found myself not only thinking of the loss he and I have experienced in the past month, but I feel overwhelmed with the very shortness of life itself and the speed with which time flies. Yes, I know that these phrases are as cliche ridden as they get, but sometimes the very truth in them can hit you in the face like walking into a wall does, and your aching head stays with you in the midst of everything you do, think, and say.

Just a post back, before the sadness in our lives descended, I was preoccupied with the whole concept of becoming a collectible on ebay, and how quickly 31 years flew by. Now as we think about lives led and lost, and passing years I spend a good portion of every day reminding myself that as fast as the past 31 have gone by, so will the next 31. And, with that goes the notion that time spent doing things of little importance or enjoyment is time forever squandered.

So I have been trying to charge forward. Seriously. I am trying to think of things I need to get done or have always wanted to get done. Yes, I know that there is some sort of "things to see/places to go before you die" kind of thing out there. But do we really need someone else to make those lists for us? Shouldn't we sit down and come up with our own lists?

Aside from the obvious, like seeing my kids grown, happy and healthy (always a worry and a challenge), and making sure my husband and family, and extended family are warm, safe and loved, as well as trying to always eat, drink, and be merry (a real problem for number 3), here are some of the things I have put on my own list:

1. Finishing up my MG/YA novel
2. Really learning to play my banjo well
3. Sticking to my diet
4. Working on big, empowering canvases again, with paint flying all over
5. Seeing the Northern Lights up close and personal
6. Having some serious time in France
7. Letting my hair grow very long again (have a good head start on that, no pun intended)
8. Getting my bull dog Bitty house trained....

And especially making books for kids-- my obsession and passion.

Some of the things above I have been better at than others, or are more reachable than others--easy to figure out which, I am sure. But one thing that has been the bulk of my time is the book work. And so I have been writing up a storm, and come the new year I will get to work illustrating the books I am contracted for, as well as creating the dummies for the new work that will be, or is in the process of, being shopped around. I am juiced. I am driven. And I am inspired. I feel like the final gift our loved ones leave us when they move on, is the message to embrace life and time, and go for it.

SO--are you moving forward with your own list or putting it off? Have you even made your list? Well, it is that time of year again, isn't it? Don't let someone else tell you where to go, and what to see or do. Figure it out for yourself. Then make it happen. Time might be a-wastin'. And if not that, let me tell you, it's a-flyin' for sure.