Biscuit & Smudge

I'd like to introduce Biscuit and Smudge, the real life grownup cats who inspired the new children's book titled "Biscuit, Smudge and the Fisherman".

This is a delightful story about how two kittens who as tiny creatures and brothers were taken too early from their mother. They are left abandoned to face a threatening environment. The kittens encounter many challenges before the story ends happily.

Kevin Maloney, the talented writer who created this tale, asked me if I would be willing to illustrate his story.

Not only was I delighted with reading the kittens' saga, but I was inspired by Kevin, who himself has overcome many obstacles in his life, like Biscuit and Smudge. Since he was a child Kevin was diagnosed with an expressive language delay disability and dyslexia. Despite having developmental disabilities, Kevin has persevered, and with gratitude for those who have helped along the way, pursued his passion for creating stories.

Maloney not only wrote the story, but drew 25 pencil sketch thumbnails for the story which I will interpret with gouache and ink to create images for the text.

Joyful art in a new book

Zoe Meets Confucius by Joann Wells Greenbaum | Make Your Own Book

Enjoy a peak at the colorfully joyful original artwork in a beautiful book.

I enjoyed collecting some of my favorite painting images into an illustrated book. It includes chickens in kimonos and high heels as well as cozy cottages.

Each image is joined with an inspirational quote to complement the painting.

When you order now until November 30th, include the promo code BIGTEN and receive $10 off the price of the book.

What do you see when you look at a pear?

What do you see when you look at a pear?

The pear for this sketch came from Argentina. Before I drew it, I held it in my hands, closed my eyes and sat quietly running my finger tips around the shape; feeling the smooth skin, the curves that dipped and bulged, the woody stem at the narrow end of the pear.

Than with eyes still closed, I held the pear to my heart and transferred the image that I experienced by touching the pear, into an image that I "saw" in my heart. I saw within the pear the seed that I knew to be in its center, and the fleshy fruit surrounding the seed. Than in my imagination, I took the pear back to the tree in Argentina where it had grown. A vast pear grove spread out before me on a sunny hill in the foothills of some mountains in Argentina. There was a breeze rustling the leaves of the tree as the pickers were gathering the fruit from the trees and placing them gently into baskets. Than going back in time I saw the pear as a blossom on the tree before it grew from its seed into a fruit. Going back further still I reversed time as the tree transformed in stages from a mature tree into a young sapling, and finally into a seed that was planted into a pot of soil by a pear farmer, whose vision it was to grow an orchard of pear trees brimming with fruit for the picking.

After 5 minutes of this visualization, I was ready to pick up my pencil and sketch my pear in front of me. The first thing that I drew were the seeds that I couldn't see, and from there I "fleshed" out the pear shape, the shadow and the negative space around it. For 10 minutes I sketched this traveler from Argentina which had transformed through many processes and been touched by many hands before it came to my hands. It's odd shape among the pile of pears in the grocery store caught my eye. Before I saw it, there was already a pear in my mind waiting to be discovered-so now it has come to fruition.

What do you see when you look at a pear?

Chicken Goes to the Fair

Next weekend is the 40th Annual Peters Valley Craft Fair.

And I'm happy to invite you to come and view my newest Chicken painting at Booth # R-45.

This is an earlier chicken painting entitled "The Shoes Make the Chick".

She was inspired when I was watching a news anchorwoman on TV wearing the most incredible red high heels and this image came to my mind. The original is in a private collection, but you may view limited edition prints on

my Etsy.

My newest Chicken painting is going to have her debut next weekend, at the Fair. She is not shown here because she is still in progress.

The original 15" x 20" painting will be presented in my booth, so please come by to say hello and meet the newest Chicken.

Vertical Stripes are so Slimming

Pencil sketch

Trying out some colors

Vertical Stripes are so Slimming

From pencil sketch to finished watercolor, the process is shown here in 3 illustrated steps.

Dog Days-word drawing of the day

DOG DAYS

The period between early July and early September when the hot sultry weather of summer usually occurs in the northern hemisphere.

These dog-gal-friends are making the most of the hot weather: have water hydrant will travel.

Eminently-word drawing of the day

Eminently: to a high degree; very.

Flip flops are eminently more popular in the summer than high heeled shoes.
Where would we be without them?

Twee-word drawing of the day

Today's word is "twee" which means affectedly or excessively dainty, delicate, cute or quaint.
When I bite into something too sweet it hurts my teeth.  That's how I feel when I look at this illustration that I did for "twee".