Cats and Jammers Studio

Amusement Park Passion!

I am currently at work illustrating the next Jeffrey Bones mystery book, written by David A. Adler.

I like doing these books. Davd Adler has a wonderful, dry sense of humor that still comes through very nicely even though these are simpler texts for younger readers. This humor is especially enjoyable when the story has Jeffrey and his grandfather together.

Right now I am working on Bones book number 7 which takes the pair to an amusement park with a very scary rollercoaster.

SO what am I doing? I am looking at every picture of old roller coasters that I can find so I can to get myself into the amusement park mood and so I can create my own version of a traditional wild ride.

This is pure pleasure for me. I am finding great images online that really bring me back. My happiest memories as a child are those that I have from days spent at amusement parks of yesteryear, many of which are no longer in existence.

Like Olympic Park in New Jersey. I can still see that park and those rides in my mind's eye as though it were yesterday. That was my first roller coaster ride, my first Caterpillar, Wild Mouse, penny arcade, and so on. I also went to Asbury Park, Seaside Heights, Coney Island (though I NEVER, EVER got to go into Steeplechase Park before it closed!), Point Pleasant and several others.

But there is even more fun I am having. I am safely riding coasters again! Here is a great site I came upon, where you can actually take a ride on a roller coaster, courtesy of the magic of video and one brave soul who sat in the front and held a camera. Here is the wild ride I "took" this morning:

After I rode on few more coasters, I looked for nice Merry Go Round videos. This is the prettiest one I found, that also had the wonderful old band organ music:

Then, you can actually ride it:

Of course, I HAD to go on the WHIP (the Whip was right near the roller coaster at Olympic Park). Here is a nice video that starts out with a few historical shots, then turns in to a modern ride on an old attraction:

Then a ride on the Cyclone! There were lots of Cyclone videos, but this one most made me feel like I was really riding on it:

If you continue a search on You Tube there are wonderful amusement park videos to be seen. I saw a few from the 1940's of Coney Island that I will have to go back and watch again another day. This one in particular looked wonderful as well as this one.

Now, back to to work...after I am less dizzy from all that make believe coaster riding!

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....

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.

Reading the Daily Muse

It is amazing to me how fast the fall is moving into the winter. Seems like I just finished going through my re-entry-into-home-atmosphere-school year phase (always touch and go in my house), and now we are just about to hit Thanksgiving which will be shortly followed by the madness of everything December. I really do not want to think about New Year's resolutions.

Why? Because Fall is always my time for setting new goals. SO far, except for the diet and exercise regime I almost signed in blood, I have been focusing on those things I promised myself I would work toward. That means I have adhered to a regular writing schedule, which has me in my studio working on stories most week day mornings at about 9 AM, and stopping somewhere around 1 PM. I did finally set up my sound machine and, let me tell you, having the white noise of rain, or ocean, or wind to tune everything out does get me to THAT place to lose myself in a story. It is almost as good as spending 4 hours in the shower...

This is what is very funny to me: I do just the ooposite when I draw or paint. THEN I need a TON of external distraction so I work from my heart instead of my head.

Rising River (I wrote about that just a couple of posts ago) was truly a WONDERFUL boost in so many ways. I highly recommend this retreat run by author Jaqueline Davies. I came back a different person in more ways than I would want to bore you with. Here is what I wrote to a friend:

Jackie takes over a whole B and B up hear the Vermont border.
And she brings the chefs with her! There were only about 9 of us plus
Jackie. VERY serious working atmosphere!

I got work done on my YA, and also one-on-one feedback
on my chapter book, which I also am revising. Plus group input on my
picture book.

So, to sum it up: great food, great feedback, great time!

And lots of wine.

So I hope that those of you who set goals every fall, or even every January will think about giving yourself a retreat from the routines of day to day stress. I found it to be a very successful experience. I hope to go again.

That's my break for the morning. Back to the stories. Get back to yours, too.

Off to stroke the Muse....

I am allowing myself a wonderful indulgence this weekend. I am off to a writing retreat. And I am really planning to retreat.

I am leaving my studio and my household and my family and my French Bulldog, to gain some focus time. In the past, when I have felt like I am at a crossroads in my career or work, getting away from the normal routines and away from the comfort of the house I live in, has been the key to knowing what I really need to turn TO and FROM. In the past I have come back from these escapes knowing the answers to questions that I didn't even know I was asking. I am hoping that will happen this weekend.

The place I am heading to is Rising River, run by author Jaqueline Davies, who is a dynamo and inspiration to those of us who juggle family and passions. I have made sure all the manuscripts that I have in progress are loaded onto my laptop. I am bringing sketch materials and paper. I am bringing my white noise machine that will make me feel like I am in the middle of a rain storm, or on an ocean beach, or even in the forest. And I will have an ipod, although music can distract me unless I am drawing.

With any luck the muse will be in the back seat and looking forward to the trip with me.

I have a YA, a chapter book, and a serious handful of picture books to work on. I am not sure which of those will call my name when I actually sit down to work, but I am sort of hoping it is the YA. Those characters visit me all the time, and some new ones have introduced themselves, and EVERYONE is waiting to see where they are going next and what is going to happen. I hope I can tell them where they are headed by Sunday, even if I don't have all the details worked out.

I'll keep ya posted.

Down Time

I have seriously been in summer mode. That is good. I need down time--probably more than I realized. Oh, I have also been spending a lot of time getting ready for an art exhibit of my work at a small gallery in NH, having art framed and having prints made. And I am about to be doing some signings and speaking engagements, at libraries and book stores. But mostly I am working at winding down before the chaos of the fall and the back to school mishegas, which I hate with a passion. And I do mean HATE.

But for now, as much as I can, I swim in Newfound Lake, up in NH, which is what I consider to be like swimming in Holy Water. The lake is crystal clear and surrounded by mountains. I like to go out to the far ropes and swim and think. And tread water. And swim some more.

My family and I go late in the day, when the beach begins to empty--about four o'clock. We arrive with the ducks. They seem to wait for late afternoon, too. At that time the sun is shining on the beach and heading down behind the mountains. Wellington Beach closes at seven, and we stay until the lifeguard has announced that "the beach is closed and the gates will lock momentarily." He likes to say that. He likes to make us think that we need to hustle, or we will be locked in all night long. Like that is such a terrible thing. So we pack up, reluctantly, and leave at the very last minute. But the ducks get to stay and they do seem to gloat when we truck back to the car with our gear.

With every year, I love New Hampshire more and more. And we like to imagine what life would be like if we could live there all the time.

This summer, as in most summers, I have had the luxury of reading. Books. Real books. My son Ben and I read Because of Winn-Dixie, which we both loved. This is the first book by Kate Dicamillo I have read, and I love her voice and I look forward to reading all of her work.

I have been reading HEYDAY, by Kurt Andersen, but it seems to come in fits and starts, because that is the kind of book I want to lose myself in, without distraction, so I can drink in all the wonderful period detail, and with a house full of family, that is not so easily done. So I am waiting for quiet times to get lost in it.

A neighbor gave me Can't Wait to Get to Heaven, by Fannie Flagg, and I have been reading that in little bits at night, so I can savor and enjoy the dialogue, which often makes me laugh out loud.

Coming up: The Yiddish Policemen’s Union, by Michael Chabon. And a few others.

I have not done much writing or drawing. Little bits only. As I said, the muse has gone off for a while, on her own holiday.

I just wish the summer were longer.

I'm pretty transparent

Thanks to a link at A Chair, A Fireplace & A Tea Cozy, I discovered a new blog (to me, anyway) lectitans, and a question that has been more or less spinning in my head for the past year or two:

How much can we know about the author herself based on the content of the book?

I would answer the question as an artist first and foremost, since that is the stuff I am most made of:

Since all of the work I have been producing for the past 35 years is narrative, even if in different venues, then I would say you could get a pretty firm handle on who the heck I am from my output without much effort.

When I sat down to write the bio for my web site a few years ago (soon to be updated and very edited, as well as shortened) I actually thought about this seriously at length for the first time. I came to the conclusion (and happy discovery!) that no matter what material I have worked in, from puppets to books, I am drawn to the same things/stories/characters/meanings and I still have the same aesthetic I have always had. I also realized that in the few times I have ventured far from the core of who I am deep down, my work failed and did NOT ring true.

This was somewhat of an epiphany for me. And it felt darn good to get to that understanding. It was also freeing--freeing from trying to satisfy the shifting trends, artistic tastes, and parameters of others--even if the "others' might be the ones buying my art or services as an artist or illustrator, or offering up their analysis of what I produce.

In the late 90's, I pulled an old story out from a "pre-kids" drawer in my studio, and started working on it after a 17 year hiatus. It eventually became my first book as writer/illustrator. It was first written before I was as familiar with the crazy, wonderful and often frustrating world of children's books. It is not slick or trendy, and you might argue that it is somewhat old fashioned. So be it. It came from that place that was less encumbered with outside review and scrutiny. Because of that, the subject matter and point of view are mine as much as anything I have done. And they are true to me.

In the stories I am working on now (a middle grade novel and a YA that takes place in Buffalo in the 70's, as well as a picture book based in New York), I am trying to keep in mind that I need to get my brain back into that place of 25-30 years ago, where I had my own eccentric leanings and I didn't sweat acceptability or, worse yet, salability. I think that operating according to that premise makes for truth in art and books. It is not always an easy thing to remember, but I believe it is essentially what should drive us. I even coined my own mantra and posted it on my web site:

“Art isn’t about validating yourself, as much as recognizing yourself.”

So I guess my answer to the question posed by lectitans would be that I hope you might know a lot, even if not from the facts of the story, then from the way it is told. If so, I bet the work is successful.

Of course, the challenge is always trying to stay true to and operate by that belief.

No so easy in the arts and publishing.

Not so easy planted in suburbia for the last 22 years, either.

I'm working on it.

Monday Meme for Mother Reader

I volunteered to participate in the Interview Meme posted by Mother Reader. Don't ask me why, but I love to answer questions. I would never be a good politician, because I would never know how to NOT give a direct answer. So here goes:

1. What’s your favorite quote?

I have two that come to mind. I have them both on my web site, because they really sum up my life. the first,

“Every artist dips his brush into his own soul, and paints his own nature into his pictures.”---Henry Ward Beecher (1813-1887), Proverbs from Plymouth Pulpit, 1887

is because no matter what medium I have worked in, be it paint, puppets, dolls or words, I seem to have the same sensibility. I think that once I realized this, and stopped trying to make myself be something other than what I am, I was a much happier camper. My work is not right for every publisher or every reviewer (although I wouldn't mind that one), but it is mine.

The second:

"I may not have gone where I intended to go, but I think I have ended up where I intended to be."
-Douglas Adams

is because it's been a bit of a wild journey for 35 years, this art making business. I had fits and surges and stops and a few instant successes and several depressing failures. But I think that it is good to have a journey, because when you do finally have some modest success, you feel like you have earned it.

In addition to the quotes above, I like almost every single quote attributed to Oscar Wilde. I love the way his mind worked.

2. How would you spend $1,500 that you won in a radio contest?

I would put it toward another jukebox. Especially if I won it in a radio contest. I used to start and end my day with AM radio in the 60's, listening to all the pop hits. So I think I would add to the jukeboxes, because it would be a sign for sure if the money came from a DJ or something like that (not that I need a sign, of course). I am coveting Seeburg R from 1954, right now.

3. Where do you like to go to get away from it all?

I like to go up to New Hampshire and swim in Newfound Lake or stare at the mountains. And when I am not doing either of those, I like to get lost in a novel.

4. If you had the complete attention of everyone in the United States, but only for thirty seconds, what would you say?

"Please love and value your children. Hug them, kiss them, read to them, and keep them safe. The most important job you can do (and the hardest, too) is raise your children the best way you can. But keep a bottle of wine handy, to take the edge off now and then. It is the most frustrating and challenging job in the world. And, it can make you worried and angry in ways you never thought you were capable of."

Be good to the animals, too.

Plus, while you are doing all this kid raising and animal care taking: party more. Life really is short, and you need to have fun and laugh a lot to balance the stress."

5. What feels different about putting out a book that you wrote from the books that you’ve illustrated?

Well, I wouldn't be honest if I didn't say that I feel more "legitimate" now. I love illustrating very much, even the stories of other people, but I really love feeling the complete ownership of a project. It's an ego thing. And my ego needs boosting as much as the next guy's.

It was wonderful, for the first time, that when I started to dummy up the art for the book, I was able to know exactly how to change the manuscript as the characters and story revealed themselves more. And since it was my story, I could do that all I wanted.

I also love words and it is nice to finally see my own words in print . Even though I know we are not supposed to rhyme, I love rhyme. I love text that is musical. I can't sing to save my life, but I was surrounded by singing and music and verse all the time as a child (I had grandparents who were officers in the Salvation Army at one point), so I love that I could do a book that was rhyming and based on music.

It was great to do a take off on country music, as well-- because the lyrics to country music, like hymns, are always unabashedly corny and full of great chiche's and plays on words. Lyrics to country music and church hymns are very visual, with plenty of fun metaphors. I loved paying homage to that.

So, now that I think about it --- I guess that the best thing about working on a book from both sides is the fact that you can control the subject matter. And that means that you can make sure to write and draw the things that you really can't get enough of. For this book, it was cats and dogs, country music, cowboys and, of course, New York City.

Now I am supposed to come up with my own questions. Oooh. Asking is harder than answering.

But, if you would like to be "interviewed", let me know in the comments section.

One man's dust is another's auction at Sotheby's

While checking in on on Roz Fulcher's blog last night, Rozzie Land, I discovered what may be the coolest use of grime I have ever seen. She links to this site called Dirty Car Art. If that isn't the coolest, most inventive stuff I have seen in ages, well, I don't know what is. That guy could have a field day on my car. He could go beyond the rear window, and find enough dirt to recreate the Sistine Chapel. I bet he could work wonders in my basement. Thanks, Roz, for that cool link.

This kind of discovery of remarkable creativity makes me jump for joy. I really love it when people take found objects, garbage, and other various and sundry items of dubious value and turn them into things of worth. I recently read Cynthia Leitich Smith's interview of Janet Wong on Cynsations. Janet is the author of a book entitled Dumpster Diver.

Read the great interview of Janet and the story about the book's story. I loved it!

If you know me at all in person, or even if you know a little about me from my obsessive blogging about junk, then you would know that I love the idea of this book as well as the idea of making art on filthy cars. In fact, I love seeing value in things that other people throw or wash away. It challenges us as materialistic humans to look at substance apart from monetary value. And that is not easy in this day of designer this and designer that. What determines the worth of an object? Lately I think it is the proverbial "they." "They" say that this and that are the next hot things. Frankly, "they" don't know what "they" are talking about most of the time.

Me, I have always loved shopping in vintage clothing stores and the Salvation Army. But in many ways, people like the car dirt artist above push the concept of the inherent value of things to a level far beyond thrift store shopping or recycling. It makes us think about whether art is something always tangible or always lasting. And that kind of thinking makes me think much more seriously about life in general, our time on earth, how productive we are and how we utitlize resources. Suffice it to say that even when I wax philosophical about this kind of stuff, however, it still does not make me even for the briefest moment entertain the idea of the idea of ridding myself of my Elvis lamps. But it does make me think about why on earth I treasure them. And for the life of me, I am still at a loss to understand pocketbooks that cost $1000.

Last week I discovered the work of Kevin Titzer. Made from found objects, this sculpture is wonderful and strange and sophisticated in a magical way. I keep meaning to call the gallery to see if I can afford one. I don't know enough about this artist to say if he is what is referred to as an "outsider" artist, or not. But I do know enough about art to recognize the wondeful talent I see.

So all this trash to treasure thinking has me willing to dig up old paintings and illustrations and literally cut them to pieces to make new work. And, to take that to the next level, I wonder if one can attempt to brush the cobwebs off of old manuscripts and really rework them enough to make them fly. I have confidence that it can easily be done with artwork. But I don't know about stories. Right now, I am tempted label a lot of them as trash. But maybe not. Can I make something of value out of those? I'll keep ya posted.