It Takes A Village

Nothing's normal this summer. "Normal" is sitting in my little cabin researching and illustrating picture books. And while that is happening this year there's more. 

I got to participate in a stage production for Tales and Tune Live!, the brainchild of Kristen Olsen. She produces a radio program featuring children's book creators. This was part of a larger program, SummerFest 2018 and Off The Hook Arts which inspires a love of the performing arts through public concerts, education and collaboration among the arts and sciences.

Here's images from the show at the Carnegie Center for Creativity in Fort Collins. I met so many wonderful volunteers, entertainers, technicians, not to mention kids and their families! I never realized all that went on behind the scenes to put together a half hour show.

Off the Hook Arts and Tales and Tunes Live!

That's Jesse G. Shepherd performing on stage. Jesse produces a regional radio program, plus writes songs for children's picture books. He wrote three songs to tie in with my books as part of the program and the kids absolutely loved it. Hopefully I'll get some better photos to post because you need to see the super cute wood nymph along with her bear who live in that hollow log to the left of Jesse. I can't think of when I've had such a fun time.

I have to give a special shout out to thank the folks at Second Star to the Right Books in Denver. They drove up to Fort Collins for these events and set up a pop-up bookstore to sell our books after each show. They do so much to support kids in our community.  

Thank you Marc and Dea, owners of Second Star to the Right Books for all you do

And finally, some new art. Even though illustrating children's books is my passion, I've been picking up more commercial/editorial work lately. Here's a tomato illustration as part of a series of seed packet labels. 

I combined three of the images into a spread and worked up an illustration featuring a vole. It must the children's book illustrator/gardener side of me, I just couldn't help myself. Maybe it'll find itself in a kid book one day, you never know. I love stories about kids and food.

Tomatoes

Children's book illustrators are usually creative gardeners too. Just think about the amazing fairy tale gardens Tasha Tudor used to create!

Gardener Girl, working title

Writing and drawing

Revising, redrawing, rewriting, again and again and one more time

And one last bit of news that I'm excited about... I've long admired the organization, ILCW, International League of Conservation Writers. This is a forum that brings creatives together from around the world to promote wilderness, nature and conservation as a means to protect and restore natural areas, habitats, animals, and plants for our planet. This year I applied and was accepted as a fellow. I'm looking forward to getting involved with all they have going on.

Thank you for taking a look at my blog. Please consider me for an upcoming project. You can click on each image and link for more information and a larger view.
Cathy