If you go on hiatus, you'd better have something to show for it...

I'm back, after 7 months.  Ouch.  Good thing I've been up to several things.

Christmas is just around the corner (or seems so for those of us who make and sell our own greeting cards!) but until it gets here, I still have time to work on my novel to participate in National Novel Writing Month, co-host a science podcast, and continue to draw non red and green things!

This may seem a tad unfocused to some of you.  If that's the case, I'd say you probably don't know me personally!  Sometimes the best way to operate is in all directions, and then who knows?  After a little while, you just may achieve greatness in multiple areas at once.

While I still sometimes feel I'm in the waiting period for this greatness, I do think I've experienced some small triumphs this year: one of my illustrations was published in an online newsletter and I've finished three quarters of my novel.  Not exactly fame and fortune, but better than where I was a year ago.

I guess what I'm saying is, for all of you out there who are striving for similar things, remember why you're doing it.  Not just for that brilliant, final end goal, but also for the journey.


Please comment and share your own successes.  I'd love to hear them.

Drawing Connections

It's April of 2013, and I'm currently involved in more official projects at once than I ever have been.  I love it!  The newer element for me is that one of the projects is collaborative, something I haven't done in a long time.

Another new element is the type of project: a graphic novel.  That is something I've always wondered if I should do, but have never had a chance or excuse to do.  Again, I love it.

I began the project pretty gung-ho and have remained so since.   It's been constantly pushing my skills as an artist (and my quirks as a slightly OCD perfectionist who loves to draw in ink).  The writer whose work I'm illustrating, Ben, is rewarding to work with as well.  I can't emphasize enough how different a collaborative project is for me, and how interesting it is.









This year is shaping up to be pretty productive, creatively speaking.  Sometimes I forget how much I'm actually working on, and I have to remind myself not to feel guilty for refusing to take on more.

Some of you may already know about my novel in progress, Advice From Ghosts, and may have been reading my serialized posts online.  I appreciate your support and feedback!  John is definitely one of my favorite creations.

Although it's been on the back burner for awhile, I'm also formatting, organizing, and considering illustrating my other writing project, Treasury of Fairy Tales.  I've always thought that it's harder to illustrate my own work than to illustrate someone else's, and this project confirms that belief!  Wish me luck.







In between everything above, I've been working on flyers to advertise for, and paintings to display in, a local show in July.  The two projects are somewhat connected, but the styles involved are so different from each other that I can feel my artistic brain wrinkling up if I even think about them.

Finally, to mention a completed project, (what!?) I designed some T-shirts for my husband's band, Support the Rabid.




So what's next?  Keep drawing and writing like there's no tomorrow.

A little encouragement

As someone who is constantly writing and trying to get over the potentially paralyzing fear of submitting work for publication, stumbling upon this made my day:

"Why I Love the Library"

If you click the link above, you'll be taken to the Sacramento Public Library Newsletter, which features a section called, "Why I Love the Library."

Several months ago, I submitted my personal story to that section, and today I was happy to see that it had been published.  The smaller of possible victories, maybe, but don't they say that the smallest ones are sweetest?

Our Fellow Artists: Traci Cook

"Summer's Night" by Traci Cook

Artist Traci Cook's work represents a bit of a departure from what usually catches my eye--and I love it!  Her art is so whimsical, but at the same time seems to have hidden meaning, like an illustration from a children's book that remains a favorite through adulthood.

"A Quiet Brunch at the Shrewsbury Circus" by Traci Cook

As I explored Cook's gallery, I actually found myself wishing that she would illustrate, and perhaps even write, her own children's book.  Her compositions are beautifully arranged.  Color and shape dance from one corner of the page to the other, drawing the viewer in.  The characters pop off the page with delightful, spunky personality.  I'd have to say the piece that best displays this, and the piece that really caught my eye, is "A Quiet Brunch at the Shrewsbury Circus" (right). The title is fantastic, the robot is everything a robot should be, and who knows what that girl has up her sleeve?  That is one story I'd love to know more about!

Planning a Novel

As I set my sights on completing my next writing project, I asked myself how I was going to map out a storyline based on a man who's lived for 250 years.  That's right, the main character of my next novel is immortal--and John has had enough experiences to fill more than one book, and make a writer crazy!  I decided to get the basic structure of the story together first, and then I'd know how to fully fill in John's timeline, which is a task nearly daunting enough for a whole other blog entry!

I've put so much time into planning out this story that I thought I'd share my efforts on my blog, and possibly give other writers some ideas for organization.  I have to first say that I'd never have been able to put all this together without reading another writer's blog, The Graceful Doe.  Be sure to visit her blog and check out all her great ideas!

Since I'm nowhere near as organized as I appear to be, the outline of the story was not actually the first graphic I designed, but it was much easier to do after I did the (much more fun) character pages.

Nina Boyd.  All rights reserved.

With the help of Adobe InDesign CS5 (Thank you, Ben), I spent a lot of time planning out my character pages, right down to what their bathrooms looked like.

As I completed these layouts, I constantly referred to what I've never been able to do without: a "To Do" list:

The timeline was the most important piece for keeping my sanity, and the storyline was much less overwhelming after I made it.

Nina Boyd.
All rights reserved.

Finally, after designing a cover, I was able to upload part of the novel onto my current favorite site for sharing my writing.

Needless to say, putting together this kind of detail can be time consuming, but after doing it I really felt that these characters and the story they told were real.  I also achieved the main goal I had in doing all of this, which was to plan, plan, plan, and then be free to write to my heart's content without worrying about inadvertently creating plot holes.

I hope this is useful to all you other writers!  

You can read the first two chapters of my novel here.

Our Fellow Artists: Emma Uber

"Rosette" by Emma Uber

Artist Emma Uber is truly inspiring.  I came across one of her pieces by accident one day and was immediately struck by its vivid colors, but when I followed the image back to its source and began reading about Uber on her site, her encouraging story struck me even more.  It is one with which all artists can sympathize:

"Mere days before she was discovered, Emma Uber nearly gave up on her dream of being a professional artist... The 30-year old artist in Adelaide, Australia had a quiet Tumblr page, but few sales, and Emma had few expectations that her prospects would change....


'I was creating all these paintings that were just sitting in my house. I had friends saying ‘you know, you’ve got good paintings there.’ I thought ‘maybe if I just get rid of them all, it would somehow stir something up, and I’ll be able to look at it, and go ‘I feel better, all those paintings are gone, I can get on with whatever I’m supposed to do.'  

"Flowerbed" by Emma Uber

And yet, despite all the reasons telling her to start over, Emma decided to give her art career a little more time. 
It was good that she did. In early April of 2012, a blog called the Cool Hunter picked up her work and featured it. Within hours, Emma was inundated with hundreds of new followers to her Tumblr page, and an intimidating amount of new attention."  ~http://emmauber.com/story/index.php 

Uber's work is always eye-catching, often breathtaking, and nothing short of fabulous.  As I explored her site that day, I found piece after piece to fall in love with.  I have always had a particular weakness for portraits, especially of women with flowing hair--there's just so much texture and line to celebrate!--and Uber's pieces never disappoint.  Each painting is a perfect blend of realism and the abstract, and each painting has a magical feel to it that whimsically blends foreground and background together.  Color and passion leap off the canvas as one, framing Uber's portraits with unforgettable character.

So, having completed my journey through Uber's colorful world, I invite other viewers to explore it too.  Take a few minutes, lose yourselves in her paintings, and experience the joy of her art.



See more of Emma Uber's work:

site
shop

Our Fellow Artists: Adriana Mekan

"Disambiguation" by Adriana Mekan

Adriana Mekan's style immediately caught my eye.  From luxuriant color pieces like "Tree of Souls" to iconic graphic works like "Transanencephaly," Mekan proves again and again that design could be her middle name.  Each composition I looked at was just begging to be displayed in a coffee shop, or tattooed on an arm, or featured in a book.  The versatility of her images was amazing.

It is easy for the viewer to get lost in the intricate, hypnotic patterns and the meticulous line work that characterize Mekan's pieces, but the feel of each piece is just as intriguing.  Every line, every color, each tiny movement, all contribute to a strong emotion that bursts from the page as vividly as the art itself.



When I first came across Mekan's gallery, I wanted to know, right away, about the artist behind the work.  Her style is incredibly distinctive, but there are still many nuances within it to be explored.  Mekan's beautifully created imagery is like an interesting conversation you'd overhear in a crowded room.  It invites you to listen for awhile, and then you have to jump in and participate.  


I asked Mekan about her work and creative process:

"Arena of the Wretched"

How do you promote your work?  

I promote my work through several different ways.  I try and keep up my appearance on the internet through social networks and art sites such as Imagekind and Deviantart.  I have a few Facebook pages to share and promote my work as well as a Tumblr.  Outside of the E-world I keep in touch with the local artist community.  (I live in Denver, CO)  I hang my art up in galleries when I get the chance and take part in events when they come up.

One of your galleries is called Art After Midnight.  Can we interpret that literally, and what inspires you in those late hours? 

Art After Midnight has a few meanings in addition to the fact that I feel it just has a nice ring to it.  I generally feel more motivated late at night when I cannot sleep and I think these late hours have had a bit of influence over my dark style.  My initials are also AM which could be seen as ante meridiem from the 24hour day. You know, am/pm. :)

Discuss the artists who have been most influential to you.

This is a slightly difficult question considering I find new artists almost every day that inspire me.  I have always been a huge fan or the Old Masters, DaVinci, Caravaggio, Rembrandt, etc.  I also really enjoy the subconscious approach of the surrealists.  My top favorites at the moment I would say are Zdzislaw Beksinski and Peter Gric.  I think those two have very unique styles completely different from anyone else.  I enjoy how Beksinski draws from his dreams and the rather opposing constructive work of Gric that comes from his architectural experience.

"Tree of Souls" by Adriana Mekan

When did you first feel successful as an artist?

Haha. :)  What is "success"?  I would say I still have moments where I don't feel like I have gotten as far as I would like to.  On the other hand I have moments where nothing matters and I am just painting for myself.  I think to let go of expectations completely and just enjoy the process of creation would be where any artist would find success.

"Transanencephaly" by Adriana Mekan

See more of Adriana Mekan:
website
prints site

Nose to the Grindstone...

I've been a bit behind on my blogging lately, mostly because I'm editing a novel to enter in the Amazon Breakthrough Novel Award Contest.  To be honest, it's quite nerve-wracking, especially as I sit here reading pitches from previous winners and wondering if my story even compares!  But the whole point of entering all these contests is to push for excellence in my writing, so I suppose the nail-biting is worth it.

Submission begins January 14th.  Wish me luck!



A girl.  A quest.  An unexpected ending...

     Although Rain didn’t see him at first, one townsperson paid her a great deal of attention.  He had been told to watch for a girl traveling alone.  Well, traveling alone except for a large hunting dog-- but a dog hardly qualified as a useful escort for a young woman walking along these roads, no matter how large he was.  She might as well be traveling alone.  There was a shortage of any girls at all traveling between towns—and none of them would travel alone, not these days.  

     

     This was definitely her. 

     He smiled to himself and raised his voice.  Now there was a reason to say what he had been yelling all morning.  She wouldn’t be able to miss him.

   

      Crowds moved around her neatly, immersed in afternoon shopping and selling.  The general hum of conversation was muted here, prim and restrained, which made the voice rising above it even more noticeable.

     “Evil is here!  It has reached us even in this fair city!  What is its root, you ask?  No one knows where evil comes from, but we all feel it when it strikes!”

     “Crackpot,” Rain muttered to Hunter as they passed the youth standing in the middle of the path.  

“If we continue to ignore it, we’ll never know what’s behind the eyes watching us from the shadows.”

     Rain turned on the spot, mid-step.

     “What did you say?” she asked.

     He looked surprised that someone had actually been listening.

     “I’m sorry,” he said politely, “I wasn’t aware that people usually paid much attention to crackpots.”

     “Only if they’ve got something interesting to say,” Rain replied, undaunted.  She patted Hunter and he sat down beside her.  “What do you mean about the eyes?”

     “You’ve seen them, haven’t you.”

     “What makes you think so?”

     “No one else has listened to me, let alone come up to me to talk about what I’m saying.”

     “Someone pointed them out to me,” Rain explained grimly.  “I left home to get away from whatever was watching me there.”

     “Where are you headed?”

     “To find my father.  He's traveling, and I have to warn him before he starts to head for home.”

The Art of Connections

I used to abhor science--even more than nature abhors a vacuum!  I defined myself as an artist, and at least during my high school years that definition did not include science.

"Creativity" by Nina Boyd

Looking back on that time now, I'm almost sure I hated science so much because it didn't come as naturally to me as the worlds of drawing and writing did.  I probably could have cleaned up if I had been the type to charge classmates for essay-writing services, but balancing equations or memorizing the parts of a cell?  No one could have paid me to do that!

Nowadays, I'm buying the National Geographic magazine, browsing the Hubble Telescope site for fun, and checking out library books by Michio Kaku--and reading them!  I suppose just like my high school interests, my long-dormant appetite for science is still very one-sided...



Well, at least it's there.

Photo: Joe McNally

The photo to the left is a stunning shot of the monitors at NASA's Advanced Supercomputing facility in California--but it's also so much more than that.  The silhouette of an anonymous scientist points at images of the heavens, which are so far away and yet so close.  They literally glow with possibility.  The photograph is truly awe-inspiring, and in National Geographic is aptly captioned "Window on the Universe."  The seemingly endless nebulae that were once unreachable now virtually reside in our backyard.


Space has a way of simultaneously commanding respect and inviting exploration.  Looking at this photograph, how can we not stand in awe of humankind's never-ending quest for knowledge?  How far we came, once we found our way.

The image makes me think of cavemen, and which of them might have been the first to try to illustrate nature.  Which one of them stood in front of a cold, stone wall and reached up to make that first mark, enriching humanity's purpose forever?  Doesn't art, in its ever-expanding nature, provide a platform for exploring new worlds?  A single mark can take us so far, whether in the name of art or in the name of science.  It's all connected.  If you want to draw inspiration, all you need to do is look up.

News from the Writing Front!

I have finally, finally found a website to use for my writing.  This site is great: easy to use, accessible everywhere, and has a very organized look to it.  The best part is the virtual lack of formatting involved in posting stories.  Other sites I've used are intended as print on demand services, and the writer/poster has to do quite a bit to conform documents to various printing requirements. While the end result can turn out shiny and impressive, I haven't found lots of readers willing to buy an expensive product from an unknown writer.  This leaves the writer with a great looking book that may never be opened.

Wattpad.com is really targeted more at online readers.  An uploaded story can be shared as a complete work or posted in serialized form, and can gain readership instantly.  Thank you, SCBWI newsletter!

I'm proud to share a novel on my page that many of my friends are familiar with.  Please visit my wattpad page to read The Lady and the Minstrel, or check out my short stories.

What's next?  Immersing myself in new book cover designs....oh, Christmas, when you're over I won't be leaving my art table for weeks!

Another Thank You...

Another big "Thank You" to the second person to purchase Train.  What a lovely early Christmas present!  There is nothing more encouraging than affirmation that your work is appreciated. 

I, for one, would miss the Post Office...

"The Post Office is really good at what it does, we just don’t need it.  No more than we need a good horse shoe, or small offset printing press (or newspaper, magazine or CRT monitor.)

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"The boomer generation will wax nostalgic about the post office.  We’ll weave in “mail” stories with others about days before ubiquitous air conditioning, when all we had was AM radio in the car and 3 stations of black & white television at home.  It will be fun to reminisce.
But our children, and certainly grandchildren, simply won’t care.  Not at all.  And we better remember to keep the stories short, so they can be related in 140 characters or less if we want them saved for posterity!"
~Forbes Magazine, "Why the Postal Service is Going Out of Business"

There's something to be said for receiving Christmas cards in the mail.  During most of the year, my mail box is filled with unwanted ads, even more unwanted bills, and the occasional notice from a vet or dentist office that's designed to look like a personal letter.  While I communicate constantly with friends and family through texting, email, and phone calls, none of this compares to the magic of holiday cards in the mail box once December hits.

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I love getting Christmas mail, and I love sending it.  Aside from the fun of actually designing and drawing my Christmas cards, I also look forward to dressing them in envelopes, sealing the flap with a Victorian Santa sticker, and completing the package with a Christmas stamp before I leave it in the care of one of those vanishing blue mail drop boxes--all very old-fashioned, I'm sure, but as much a part of the season to me as hot chocolate and wrapping presents.

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So say what you will about the irrelevancy of the post office, Forbes Magazine--I'll continue mailing Christmas greetings out of Sacramento to family and friends, whether they live in Lodi or Los Angeles--and unlike a fast easy text, although instantaneous, a personalized, individually created message that takes two days or more to reach its recipient is a true cup of cheer.

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 View all my winter greeting cards

Our Fellow Artists: R. Christopher Vest

"Sunrise on the Marsh 2: Sandhill Cranes" by R. Christopher Vest

Artist R. Christopher Vest creates painted photo montages of all things nature: whether his subject is landscapes, wildlife, or domestic animals, his camera and tablet bring that subject to life and celebrate its natural beauty.


Something that makes Vest's work so eye-catching is the nuanced degrees of realism.  As the viewer looks at a piece, he or she might reflect on how beautiful the lighting is, how perfectly an animal is posed, how delicately a leaf is turned in the wind--and as the viewer continues to look, more and more of the piece's painted aspects emerge, showing just how fine the line can be between a photograph and a painting.

Vest lives on a farm in Colorado, and is working with his partner Cathy to restore the land while also operating a small animal shelter.  Like so many artists, his life outside of his art still seems to inspire his pieces.

"African Starlings" by R Christopher Vest

I asked Vest about his creative process and life as an artist:

Describe your technique of painted photo montage.
 
I coined the phrase 'painted photo montage' to describe my process of building images with both digital painting and photography. It seems there is a bit of bias against this evolving medium from pure photographers and painters. While photo-manipulation is accepted in computer gaming and in the movies, in the fine arts realm we still have some respect to be earned to get beyond the notion of trickery accomplished by the pushing of a button in Photoshop. I like to remind folks that many of these techniques were pioneered around the turn of the century (that would be 1900, not 2000) by a group of photographers called the "photo secessionists" organized by Alfred Stieglitz. The movement strove to bridge the perceived chasm between photography-- which was thought of as merely a documentary medium-- and fine art.

'Ein Sommertag' by Kuehn

Our Fellow Artists: Erin Ashley

"DAY DREAMS" by Erin Ashley

"I begin my work without any preconceived ideas at all what the finished work is going to look like.  I like the idea of each painting being a journey, ending at a beautiful destination.  My paintings are made with lots of color and textures, bringing out the old with the new."
~ erinashleyart.com


Artist Erin Ashley has a hand (or brush) in everything, it seems, with a resume that includes designing a logo for Cartoon Network, selling work to Dream Works Studios, displaying art at a castle in Italy, and having art shown behind the scenes on the Rosie O'Donnell show--to highlight a few items!  Her work is full of texture, boldly proclaiming itself to the viewer with thick lines surrounding layers of mixed media.  Once Ashley's portraits have the viewer's attention, they invite further exploration of all the unseen layers: both on canvas and in meaning.

"Lost Love" by Erin Ashley

Ashley's art is at once contemplative and joyful, celebrating the composition of line and color, form and shadow.  Each stroke appears to have fallen on the canvas exactly where it was meant to fall, but is actually the result of several strokes covered by several more, building towards a final painting that would have as deep a history as the earth's layers, were we able to peer down to the core.





I asked Ashley about her process, both in the studio and in self-promotion:





Where do you draw inspiration? 

I see abstracts in so many things, it could be anything from an old dumpster to the way a shadow forms on an object. I don't really search for inspiration, it just comes to me in a natural kinda raw way; I don't think you can force inspiration, you have to feel it first and believe in what you see and create like you want, never questioning yourself or your talent.
 

"ENVY" by Erin Ashley

How do you promote your work?
I promote my work on a few art sites but mainly my art publishers do a lot of my promoting through selling my art prints in major stores, catalogs, magazines etc..

Describe your workspace.

My workspace is in a 3 car garage.  It's clean at this moment but that's because I worked on it yesterday. Normally it is a disaster! I am a very messy painter, when I get into a piece there is no stopping me and paint goes everywhere, I use the floor sometimes as my palette tray.. you get the idea.

How do you decide when a painting is "finished?"
A painting is finished when I stand back stare at it, leave and then look at it 15 minutes later. If something is bugging me and just doesn't feel right, it's not done.

Our Fellow Artists: Michael Creese

"Paint" by Michael Creese

Artist Michael Creese has created a body of work that is simultaneously striking and meditative, inviting the viewer to imagine the world slightly differently.  Whether in compositions showing the creative process, or exploring the human psyche through intensely dramatic portraits, his paintings are at times almost three-dimensional, even in print form, because of the thick strokes he employs to create these colorful canvas worlds.

"Pandora" by Michael Creese

"Color and composition are two key elements to my creative process, but the application of paint is perhaps the single most important factor in defining my style, from loose brush strokes and rich texture to an almost frenzied use of palette knife marks. The colors that I use are frequently blended directly on the painting, adding liveliness through visibly distinct transitions in color and shade." 
~michaelcreese.com

Creese's paintings as part of a designer collection

Creese has quite a prolific career as an artist, having developed that much-sought-after balance of unique compositions and marketable paintings.  He has a long list of gallery exhibitions to his credit, including showings in places like New York and Pennsylvania.  His work has been reproduced and sold as ceramic and marble tile murals.  He has even had art used in a set design for an SNL comedy skit.  But what's more impressive is his ability to consistently create interesting paintings with an instantly recognizable style.  A visit to Creese's print gallery is almost a walk through the subconscious, full of impressionistic portraits and landscapes that seem to be hovering between two worlds, always characterized by cloudy, dreamlike whites and deep, thoughtful accents of color.

"Origami Rose" by Michael Creese

I asked Creese about his life as an artist, wondering how he reconciles his surreal style with practical process:

Do you draw any inspiration from your surroundings?
Pretty much everything. TV, print, internet, and everyday life. It's all around.

How do you promote your work?
I sell originals on eBay and at Starbucks, and I also sell prints through various print-on-demand sites such as Imagekind.com I have also had my prints sold in major retail stores. Imagekind is a great place to display your work and get it noticed by gallery owners and print publishers at the same time.

What's the best and worst thing about being an artist?
The best thing is that it gives you a real purpose in life. It's great meditative and reflective time. The worst would be that you can't put down the brush and your social life therefore suffers due to this. You sometimes lose track of normal existence.

The Grimm Revival...

Philip Pullman's latest novel

As I sit here with a Macintosh Apple candle burning, listening to the wind chimes outside, and getting ready to edit my own fairy tale, I am distracted by the most delicious of distractions: someone is re-writing the tales of the Brothers Grimm?


None other than Philip Pullman, author of The Northern Lights (better known in the states as The Golden Compass), of the series "His Dark Materials."  Although I heard bits of that story secondhand while passing down the hall as my mother (who also sent me the link to this news) read it aloud to my little sister years ago, the parts I did absorb were so imaginative and wonderfully dark that I began reading the story myself.  I especially liked Pullman's style because he did not water down or flatten his evil characters in consideration of a younger audience.  Fantasy stories, like life itself, are full of complex motives and people, and should not pretend otherwise.

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I have always loved fairy tales, particularly their ability to take simple morals and weave them into entertaining, magical stories that have lasted long enough to be published, and published again, over many years.  Therefore, I can't wait to read this newest collection, especially as its author seems to have a keen understanding of why those fairy tales work so well:

(from NPR interview with Rachel Martin)
"[The Grimm fairy tales] move very quickly. There's not an ounce of narrative fat in them. They go very, very swiftly from event to event. And another thing is you see very few adverbs in them, so I'm trying to cut down on my adverbs. You choose the right verb, and you don't need an adverb to qualify it."

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Pullman's book re-tells fifty of the fairy tales, which include some of the lesser-known stories.  I personally am looking forward to his take on "Hansel and Gretel" and "Cinderella," since those two tales, which have been changed again and again to be "more fitting" for today's children, are particularly violent with dark imagery.  I always picture Pullman's worlds filled with windy mountaintops, veiled characters, and danger seeping through every wall.  Much more akin to fairy tales than brightly colored forests with singing birds and dimpled children skipping about!

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This will definitely be a book I have to own--my apologies to the library, but I'm sure I'll be wanting to pull this off my own shelf many times for one reason or another!


Now, if you'll excuse me, I'll get back to editing my own humble story, and possibly cut out a lot of the adverbs.

Our Fellow Artists: Blenda Tyvoll

"Sunrise Sunset" by Blenda Tyvoll

What better way to celebrate our fall weather than with the paintings of Blenda Tyvoll?  Her treescapes are particularly striking, with stark, delicate frames offset by vibrant, dynamic backgrounds.  Each painting is a joy to explore, containing that painterly quality of thick, rich strokes while simultaneously embodying a graphic style as well.

Tyvoll's paintings are a journey of color and symbols, and a careful eye will see layers upon layers of work creating the space within them.  Her compositions are so simple and yet intricately woven together by vivid, seamless textures.  The heart of Tyvoll's paintings are their backgrounds, and the viewer should take time to drink them in.

A Thank You

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Thank you to whoever purchased my "Train" print from my prints site.  It's always encouraging to know that people enjoy more than just my holiday cards!  I had a lot of fun creating these simple scenes for children.  It's nice to see they're appreciated.

In Celebration of the Cold!

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Here in northern California, we are finally experiencing colder weather for longer than two days at a time, and it's made me want to decorate the living room with candles, put pumpkins on every possible surface, and start making new Christmas cards.

Actually, I'd already done most of those things before the weather turned, but now I feel justified.

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Now that Halloween is over and the wait for Christmas has begun, it is also perfect story writing weather (see my October 21st entry) and when I'm not doing that, I'm thinking about taking down the pumpkins, wondering why it's so hard to come up with Thanksgiving card designs...and then eventually giving in and making Christmas cards!.

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National Novel Writing Month

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I've been researching a lot of writing websites lately and have discovered that November is National Novel Writing Month.  November has become quite a busy month, what with Veteran's Day, Thanksgiving, Movember, and Vegan month!  I feel like I should've known about National Novel Writing Month over those last two, but what can you do?