CONVERSATIONS WITH ART: My Book Illustrations on Exhibit, Los Angeles, CA

Caroline with her art on display at Belmont Village Senior Living, Los Angeles, CA.

On Thursday, November 14, I had the pleasure of participating in the opening reception for Conversations with Art, an art show at Belmont Village Senior Living in Los Angeles featuring works by UCLA Emeriti and Retirees. I was one of ten artists. Each of us had the opportunity to discuss our creations and inspiration.

Four giclee prints of illustrations from my animal books published by PictureWindow Books are on display, two from A Panda’s World and two from A Bald Eagle’s World. I talked about my beginnings as a children's book writer and illustrator and about the cut-paper technique that I use to create my art.

Conversations with Art is coordinated by Alicia Thomason at Belmont Village Senior Living and the Emeriti/Retirees Relations Center at UCLA. It will be up for the next three months at Belmont Village Senior Living located at 10475 Wilshire Boulevard, Los Angeles, CA 90024. 

If you are in the neighborhood, please stop by and enjoy the art!

  

CSLA BLOG: Celebrating Children's Book Illustrators

I was delighted to discover that the CSLA Blog this month is featuring the image from my book A Panda's World that I donated for use on products in the Library Advocacy Store. Many thanks to the California School Library Foundation and to Dr. Lesley Farmer, Professor of Library Media at California State University Long Beach, for her lovely description of my work. I am just one of many children's book authors and illustrators who have participated in this project.

I encourage you to visit the Library Advocacy Store and treat yourself to a cup, bag, pillow and more, or buy gifts for your friends and family. Every purchase supports California libraries!

Panda Walking Print at Etsy

Illustration "A Panda Walking" from A Panda's World

Check out my giclee prints at my Etsy gallery! A Panda Walking is just one of many prints and cards available. Here is the description:

PRINT from original cut paper collage art created for "A Panda's World" (Picture Window Books, 2006.) Perfect for decorating a child's room! Or, for anyone who loves animals.

TITLE: "PANDA WALKING" limited edition fine art prints:# 1 of 50

SIZE: Image is 6.5"x10" with a 1" white border to allow for framing. It will slip into any store-bought 9"x12" frame for easy display. Other sizes available.

SCRATCH BOARD ART: Perfect for Black and White Animals and Other Subjects Too

Scratch board is the perfect medium for drawing pictures of black and white animals such as zebras and penguins, or for creating dramatic effects with any subject.  Using a sharp instrument to draw on the dark surface, the black layer is removed, revealing white underneath.

On one of my school visits I saw amazing scratch board artwork made by the children after reading my books A Zebra’s World and A Penguin’s World.  They had also done drawings from A Koala's World and A Kangaroo's World. Scratch board is also a great medium for depicting animals that are primarily active at night. You can buy scratch board at an art store, or you can create your own by coloring with crayon on heavy paper and than painting over it with India ink.  Scratch board comes in white or with colors underneath the black.

WOMBAT Coloring Page

As darkness falls in Australia, a mother and baby wombat come out of their burrow.  They spend the night digging up grasses and roots to eat.  Soon the young wombat will be big enough to live on his own.
For a coloring page of a wombat on its nightly search for food, click here.
You can find out more about wombats in my book A WOMBAT'S WORLD (Picture Window Books, 2008.)  Look for the hardback book in your library.  The interactive e-book is available at http://www.capstonepub.com/library/products/wombat-s-world-2/ .

ABFFE Children's Book Art Auction A Big Success! (repost from ABFFE)

NEW YORK, NY, June 18, 2014 -The two auctions of children's book art that were held in conjunction with this year's BookExpo America were a great success, the American Booksellers Foundation for Free Expression (ABFFE) reported today. The sale of 150 pieces by leading artists and illustrators raised $56,000 to defend the free speech rights of young readers. The BEA auction, co-sponsored by ABFFE and the ABC Children's Group at the American Booksellers Association, was held in the River Pavilion of the Javits Convention Center. An online auction was conducted the following week. The BEA auction, which was chaired by Jarrett J. Krosoczka, featured a variety show by the Slushpile Family Circus, a group of authors and artists who displayed some of their non-literary talents. Shannon Hale and Michael Buckley organized the show. "We had a lot of fun and the art was superb," ABFFE President Chris Finan said. "We are tremendously grateful to Jarrett, Shannon and Michael and to the artists and bidders who made the auction such a big success."

             

The BEA auction also featured a tribute to Dr. Seuss. Thirty artists created pieces honoring him. The Seuss Foundation donated three limited edition prints.

Auction proceeds support Banned Books Week, the annual celebration of the freedom to read, and the Kids' Right to Read Project, which is co-sponsored by ABFFE and the National Coalition Against Censorship.  

[I donated a print "Mother and Baby Panda" from my book A Panda's World to the auction. I was delighted to discover that it was purchased by my good friend Cathy Bonnell. ]       

MOTHER AND BABY PANDA PRINT in ABFFE ART AUCTION

Mother and Baby Panda Print at ABFFE Auction, June 2014

An auction of more than 50 pieces of art created for children's books launched on eBay yesterday, the  American Booksellers Foundation for Free Expression (ABFFE), the bookseller's voice in the fight against censorship, announced.   The ABFFE Children's Book Art Auction, which supports the free speech rights of kids, features many original works and high-quality prints by some of the leading artists and illustrators working in the book industry today, including Harry Bliss, Rosemary Wells, Bob Staake, Robin Preiss-Glasser, Jarrett J. Krosoczka, Matt Phelan, and Brian Briggs and one of my prints, Mother and Baby Panda from my book A Panda's World.
The auction ends on June 9.

 NOTE:  The ABFFE auction is over but you can still get the print by going to my art gallery at Etsy. Click HERE to go directly to the mother and baby panda print.

Projects: Polar Bears, Penguins and More

Two weeks ago I did an author visit at Ecole Bilingue, a bilingual French/English school in Berkeley, California.  (I do not speak French, so my program was during the English part of the day!)  I spoke to the first and second graders and was impressed by their enthusiasm and the preparation they had done for my visit.  As I approached the library, a huge bulletin board display was dedicated to my book A Platypus’ World, which the students had translated into French and the librarian had reproduced.  After my first program, the students presented me with my own copy of the book–my first to be translated into French! (I learned the French word for platypus: ornithorynque.)

The students had also read A Polar Bear's World, A Panda's World and A Penguin's World. Inside the library was a wonderful display of the children’s art projects–roly-poly clay polar bears; cardboard tube penguins, 3-D penguin pictures; salt paintings of polar bears, paper plate pandas, and more.  I really appreciate all the hard work done by the teachers and librarians to help the children be familiar with my books.  By involving the students BEFORE my visit, they not only learned about the animals in my books but were primed for my program and got that much more out of it.  The value of author day is not just in the one day I visit, but in the learning that goes on before and after.  I know the students will be checking my books out of the library for a long time to come and remembering the day that they met me when I came to their school.  I will certainly be remembering them and all their creative art projects!

Read, Know, Grow: Support School Libraries

Some time ago, I donated a piece of my art from my book A Panda's World to help support school libraries. It has now been incorporated into the California Campaign for Strong School Libraries. Visit the Campaign’s Library Store and see how you can buy a t-shirt, mug and other items with great art (mine or someone else's) AND support school libraries! (I've already ordered a bunch of t-shirts and mugs!) Great for gifts or for yourself!

The Campaign is a public awareness program aimed at publicizing today’s role of school libraries and shining a spotlight on the new Model School Library Standards approved by the State Board of Education last fall. The standards include: 1) Standards for Students that delineate what students should know and be able to do at each grade level or grade span to enable students to succeed in school, higher education and the workforce, and; 2) base level staffing, resources and infrastructure, including technology, required for effective school library programs for students.

Patrick Nelson, CEO of California-based bookseller Mrs. Nelson’s Toy & Book Shop, used his vast network of contacts with authors and illustrators to facilitate the arrangement with the California School Library Foundation, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization that oversees the Campaign. Last year, Nelson was recognized by the California School Library Association for his role in creating and developing a statewide school library advocacy campaign. For more information about the Campaign or the Campaign’s LIBRARY STORE, contact Connie Williams at info@csla.net.