Sticks and Stones and Nooses

The imposing statue of Roger Contant stands in the square of the New England town he founded.  This image has always lurked in a small corner of my mind.  I have seen it through childhood visits, high school field trips and then university sketching jaunts.  Now, the events of the year 1692 will not only be a topic I have strong interest in but it looks as though they will be my next project.  And as my fellow author/illustrator(and friend) Timothy Decker did on his blog with the year 1722…1692 is all you will get.

Mine and Holbein

I‘m a huge fan of the woodcuts of Hans Holbein.  I try to use compositions of masters in my work and have this plan to have done each woodcut from Holbein’s book Dance Of Death in my work before it is my time to dance.  Above is something that I just did for a fundraiser at The Silvermine Arts Guild in New Canaan, CT.  Below is I have posted before but it’s topical.  It’s a hidden picture illustration that I made last year for a children’s magazine.  So now–I am at 2 with many more to go.

More Zombirdies

These are some of the characters that will appear in the Zombie collection due out in 2010. I’ve set up a few of them to enter in a design competition…work well with jump drives?

If a deer falls in the woods…

In a rare departure from posting only art to this blog–allow me to show you something a bit different. I’m a sucker for all those little critters that look like frozen and hungry saps in the New England winter…so I usually build one of these. It fills up with deer rather quickly after the first snow. I’m still only about 50% finished at this point but the skeleton went up fast. I’ll post some snaps of the new tenants when they move in.

OFFICIALLY IN THE DICTIONARY

Odone, Jamison:  Born in 1980, authored “Honey Badgers.” Publisher: front street (Asheville, N.C.). Published in 2007

So I’ve just found out that I am in the dictionary!  Well, a small citation(see above) in a Websters publication titled, “Badgers: Webster’s Timeline History, 450 BC-2007.”

Swell!

Chuck’s Book

This is a little side project for the children of a friend.  The first round of layouts for a story that was started by their father Chuck, and the duty of finishing it has passed on to his young brood.  A project of this scope can be a tough thing to ask of  kids, coming up with a story is not always the easiest thing.  I think it is a VERY common misconception that people make,”Well It’s just a kids book…”   

In fact, the story is really quite important to this family.  It was begun as a gift for the children but has now become an effort on their parts…but it is one I know they can handle well.  

So, to the Van De Merlen Three–I wish you good writing!