polar dip n' dash!

The time is here! Can you take the plunge?

The Natural Resources Council of Maine is once again hosting a Polar Dip and Dash tomorrow at East End Beach. I've sponsored my brave neighbor, Jeanne Gulnick, braver than I, who will dash and then run into the chilly Atlantic at high noon.

The NRCM advocates on behalf of Maine's natural resources, so they have my support.

There are many charity dips like this; find one near you!

making merry

I'm getting back to my Sketchbook Project today. Yes, I really am.

I showed this sketch done a month ago to my colleague, Anne Dennison, at Maine College of Art.
I'd put her adorable niece into my Sketchbook Project 2013, eating a cookie from Katie Made Bakery. My theme this year is favorite shopfronts around Portland.

It gave her the idea to commission me to do a portrait as a gift for her sister.  So I did, in pastel.
Kyler is one very, very cute girl; hope I have captured even an ounce of that. Thanks, Anne!

It was my last "to do" before beginning the whirl of making merry.

Out came the vintage table cloth from my mother and just in time for some new snow.

In a flurry of flour and cookie cutters, I made sugary stars for neighbors.

We put some holiday props on the door.

It was a quiet but magical Christmas day, full of surprise gifts and fuller bellies.

 A clear and calm Boxing Day brought this pair of curious boxers to the island.

 

Gloves off, everyone.

 Nothing like a beach stroll to work up an appetite. We enjoyed pie with some Doctor.

 

Daisy drew this festive Dalek for our guests.

 And we gifted this bold poster by MECA student Miles Cook:

With a good dose of the Doctor, we were ready for the oncoming storm.

What a brilliant day to make tracks. Or, some new lines in my Sketchbook Project.

Happy New Year! May 2013 bring peace, good health, and more merry making for all.

lighting the season

This past week has been a heavy one. I walked the dog this morning past the island church to hear the bells toll for the Sandy Hook tragedy. There's talk about new angels in heaven, but that no doubt brings cold comfort to grieving families. Here is an angel drawn years ago. We can all use some heavenly peace.

The best I can do is be alive to my countless blessings. I noticed beauty in many forms on an early morning walk, heading to Maine College of Art for my final day of the semester.

These polar bears painted on the window at Company C make me smile.

I love how the winter light is barely breaking over the brick buildings in the Old Port.

Maine College of Art is draped in glitter.

Back on the island, the annual ritual of stringing lights on Pheobe's tree became inspiration for Marty. Here's his card:

This little tree lights our season.

May you find some light on this longest night. Merry Solstice!

chilly illo news

Wow! I love receiving my book in a language I can't read! A Warmer World has now been published in Korea. That totally warms my heart.

My illustration from this book also graces Charlesbridge Publishing's holiday card:

 

With winter on my brain, I was inspired to draw a snowy owl for my own holiday greeting this year:

I'm still in the process of mailing out my warm and wild wishes so let me know your snail mail address!

I've been busy with the culmination of the semester at Maine College of Art. My class once again participated in the Holiday Sale, a very practical assignment to develop an item for sale, including packaging, display, and staffing the table in pairs for two days.

Here Maria and CeCe play the elves:

 

Students created original holiday cards, stickers, wrapping paper, prints, and unique items like these "spaghetti yetis"by Declan McCarthy.

Kiah Gardner made felted gnomes all snug as can be.

With the semester complete, now I can seize the holiday spirit. If only it would snow!