PLAIN
is this week's Illustration Friday theme. An excellent theme that can be interpreted a variety of ways. I am posting a plain black & white line drawing! I did a number of these hoping to get some work doing spots for children's textbooks. I showed them to two very experienced illustrators I know: both said, "Excellent work! You're good to go!" But go where? It turns out textbooks are a very difficult market to break into. It seems you have to have an agent, and I don't...yet. Oh well! I had a lot of fun doing them, they were a great exercise in artistic restraint and line control, and I guess it's a case of virtue being its own reward, even though virtue would really have preferred to be rewarded with a few paying jobs! ;->

I'm posting this particular spot because my twins are turning fourteen tomorrow! Like every other birthday mother everywhere my thoughts are all "That was fast!" and "I can't believe it!" And "I have got to get that cake baked!"

STITCH
is this week's theme at Illustration Friday. I thought this painting might suit the topic. When my boys were tinies I enjoyed knitting for them, although apart from a couple of infant caps, I never knit clothing: I knit toys instead! I did not have the attention span necessary for a sweater, but I could manage to knit a lamb or a kitten or a striped ball. Not sure I want to enquire too deeply into what that says about my character. But anyway, knitting and early motherhood always seem to go together in my mind. This is a painting of my friend Emilie and her youngest son.

Knitting, 18 x 14 inches, oil on canvas

HORIZON
is the theme of the week at Illustration Friday. I thought this little painting might fit the bill. Painted on the beach on Chincoteague Island a summer or two ago.

The Red Umbrella, oil on canvas laid to board, 4 x 6 inches

LITTLE THINGS
is the theme this week at Illustration Friday. Not a hard topic for me, since my mind tends to run on small matters, not least when I am in the studio. Night, sleep, death and the stars are all very good as topics for brain activity when you are a childless, unmarried, middle-aged, male poet but not such all-consuming topics when you are a married, middle-aged, female, painter with three children. Vive la différence, of course!

Speaking of little things I am currently in two different small works exhibits. They seem very popular these days, lots of galleries do them in December. Perhaps as a last gasp attempt to get a little of people's holiday spending money before the old year passes on? Anyway, this little piece is up at Artists' House Gallery and the opening reception I will be at (there are two) is this Sunday. I prefer this opening which features a classical guitarist, tea, coffee and cookies, as opposed to the Friday might opening which is wine and cheese and hordes of heavy-booted art students. Not that there is anything wrong with heavy-booted art students, I was one myself! Still have the boots as a matter of fact, they are very useful. Anyway, if you are in Philadelphia (PA, USA) on Sunday then do please stop by the gallery and introduce yourself!

SMALL WORKS
December 5 to December 23, 2007
Reception: Sunday, December 9, 1-4pm
Sunday Snow Date: December 16

Artists' House Gallery
57 North Second Street
Philadelphia, PA 19106
(215) 923-8440
Hours: Wed - Sun 12-5 PM
or by appointment

Powdered Sugar Doughnut, oil on gessoed paper laid to wood, 4 x 6 inches

SCALE
is this week's theme at Illustration Friday. I guess the week is almost over actually. But I prefer to take a wider view of these things: it's Illustration Friday ALL WEEK in my opinion!

I was interested to see so many varying interpretations of the theme...musical scales, fish scales, weighing scales, proportional scale and what have you. I'm going for small scale here. This is one of the smallest paintings I have ever done, yet the objects are slightly larger than life-size! It's all relative.

Small Candy, 3 1/2 x 5 inches, oil on canvas laid to board

A NEW BOOK
for which I shot the cover photograph, is just coming out. I think you can pre-order the book from the Publisher, should you happen to be a teacher who has an inclusion classroom with kids with autism! The publishers wanted the cover photo to be authentic, and it really is. The little boy in the photo really does have autism, and really was in a regular classroom with some extra supports (you can see his wonderful aide behind him.) The teachers, students and administrators at the school, Philladelphia's Penn Alexander, could not have been nicer or more helpful to me. The whole job was a pleasure, from beginning to end.

HATS
are this week's theme at Illustration Friday. Very seasonally appropriate I thought. I have already started looking out the family's winter hats as our house is wonderfully cool in the summer but also in the winter, alas! Wearing a hat makes a big difference.

In fact, when winter really hits, a hat is a necessity, especially in my studio. North-facing and with a very feeble radiator, there are times when you can practically see your breath in there. No need to wrap up my palette at the end of the day...the paint stays nicely refrigerated and fresh for days on end. Me too I guess, so I wear a hat, a neck-warmer and a paint splattered down vest to work.

Self Portrait in a Cold Studio, oil on canvas, 16 x 12 inches