ALIENS

Another small addition to my portfolio.

Grimm

This is a quick concept painting of a Grimm tale I’ve been working on for a long time now. Many, many drafts have been penned and many, many sketches and ideas…..never will know when I get to the right point with it but I’ll keep trying.

Hermitage

I‘ve been working on a few sketches that will eventually be turned into detailed paintings or drawings for a show in May.  The theme has to do with the town I live in CT.  There are a few interesting histories from the area that I could draw upon–one being the town’s(long dead) hermit, George Washington Gilbert.  His house crumbled around him until he reached old age and until a wealthy man eventually built him a small cottage to live.  Mr. Gilbert was friendly in his odd lifestyle and often amused visitors with complex math problems.

This drawing is from a photograph of his crumbled abode….I’ve just embellished the flora around it a bit.

Final pencils–perhaps…

Showing this to the client tomorrow. This is what I would like the final version to look like once I go to paints. Lots of faces and I am taking inspiration from a Durer etching called Melencolia.

Mozart–all I have been thinking about

I have been listening to and reading more and more about Mozart recently. I was listening to Fantasy in D Minor last night and thought I should do a quick sketch of the young master being inspired at night. There had to be something divine to touch upon him early on in life. This makes me sound like a spiritual person but I cannot fathom another way that someone like him existed.

Library poster draft 5ish

This draft of a poster I’ve been commissioned to do is in it’s final stages. I just wanted to post it to show a friend. Once I finalize this composition I will begin to paint. It’s a larger scale piece so it may take a bit of time–but I’ll post the finished work as well.

A few new works

These are just a few new additions to my portfolio.  I did them this past week in an attempt at keeping my drafting skills up in between jobs and books.

Kinda review I like.

I just happened upon this review of Honey Badgers from a 13 year old girl in British Colombia. It was a favorable review which I am grateful for–but it also meant very much to me that this girl found the book worthy enough for review. It’s cool when kids react to your work!

Book provides beauty in nonsense

Honey Badgers by Jamison Odone, Front Street, ISBN 978-1-932425-51-2, 30 pg.

Reviewed by Lindsey, age 13.

In this random land of autumn and nonsense, a young boy describes his odd but enjoyable life with two badgers, Maurice and June.

The young boy is discovered in a basket on top of a rock and, years later, enjoys eating flowers, sleeping in his den and playing with the vegetation around the stream.

This book makes absolutely no sense and that is probably why I fell deeply in love with it.

The gentle illustrations convey the warmth of the parents and the sprightly youth of the child.

The words are simple, with only a sentence or two on each page but the slow, gentle meanderings through a simple world, are really all one needs to relax.

A good book sparks the imagination and makes you think, just like this one. You can motor through the book or you can really take the time to get into it. Relish the details in each framed picture, imagine yourself in the heat of the cozy den, think of running wild and free through the grasses and fronds, drinking from a clear stream with a boat floating all by its lonesome.

A short review for a short book that should be cherished for a long time in the hearts and imaginations of little ones.

I give Honey Badgers, a whimsical little picture book, five stars.

For more reviews, visit: http://www.kalwriters.com/kidsWWwrite/reviews.html.

Breaking News:

I’ve just been awarded a Connecticut Commission for The Arts Grant for my work on Honey Badgers and my next book, The Bedtime Train!  Ok this news is not breaking, I found out two weeks ago.  I’m slow to post information sometimes but it is still exciting to me non the less.