Measuring and Marking
My grandfather passed away last week. While he'd been in declining health, nothing was expected so soon and the news was a shock. Over the past few months, I'd been able to spend more time with my grandparents, giving me a wealth of memories and joy. I feel so very, very lucky to have had him in my life then and still.
As we've been taking care of things, I've been able to collect a few of his work tools. My grandfather was a civilian design engineer for the Navy, close to 30 years. I swear by his Eagle pencils and a small, homemade T-Square is quickly becoming my go-to for measuring.
And while I miss him profoundly, there's a joy and a connection that comes in giving his tools a new life.
Finding Wild
It's release day for
!
Written by Megan Wagner Lloyd, published by Knopf Books for Young Readers and illustrated by me, it was a joy to illustrate. Thanks so much also to editor Julia Maguire and Nicole Gastonguay for the terrific art direction.
April
April in a nutshell:
*Tea to celebrate the Queen's 90th birthday, complete with fancy hats, delectables and the host's delightful collection of royal memorabilia.
*More stitching/painting in between deadlines. I'm planning a shop update next month (more, later).
* A trip to the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum with friends. Despite the relative proximity, I never make it down to Boston (confession: I'm terrified of city driving). But thanks to the commuter rail out of Newburyport, the Green Line and traveling companions with a better navigational sense than my own, the trip was all smooth sailing.
* New episodes of Grantchester!
* And a visit from a brand new nephew. Which makes all in all for a pretty solid thirty days.
For the Love of Mother Earth
Out Like a Lamb
The month flew by so fast I think I have jet lag. What, what?
* I've been working on sketches for Fort-Building Time this winter. Written by Megan Wagner Lloyd (the author of Finding Wild), it comes out Fall 2017. It's been a delight working on the sketches (getting to relive childhood fort-building memories has been pretty terrific).
* Eclectic Bambino makes the sweetest clothing for littles, and I was tickled pink to see her using one of my prints on this baby playsuit.
* If you're an Uppercase Magazine reader, keep your eyes peeled! A bookmark with one of my illustrations will be randomly inserted into copies of the next issue. And if you're not a reader, may I suggest picking up a copy, immediately? Uppercase is hands down my favorite creative publication and I can't recommend it highly enough.
* And I knit myself a pair of TARDIS mittens. The pattern is by SpillyJane and I don't care if it's nigh on April, I will wear these until the temperature makes it unbearable to do so.
March-ing Onward
A quick painting of the red barn I drive by almost daily.
And if you're local, be sure to take in the Illuminating Tarbell show in Portsmouth. It's a phenomenal look at the American impressionist painter, Edmund Tarbell. Also included is a selection of work by contemporary artists inspired by Tarbell's legacy. Allons-y!
Winter Necessities
Fleece lined leggings are all that and a bag of chips. Seriously. I got some as a Christmas gift this year and let me tell you, they've made this winter 99.9% more tolerable.
Also, coffee. Always, coffee.
