Redwood Jewelry

When I had the idea of dressing up my electroplated redwood cones and leaves with a little beadwork, did any of my beading friends warn me it could be addictive...or cause a repetitive motion WRIST INJURY?? No, of course not. I've had to learn that the hard way. I bought 24 pendants and  have made 12 necklaces. Now I have to take two days off between each one or suffer the consequences--by which I mean doing anything with my right hand, including holding a coffee cup, causes pain. Good grief.

Expecting printed books in late August, and ramping up for  events that begin in mid-September-- feeling guilty about not working on my "next" book...or maybe painting again for a change.

I Made A Tree

I used foam core board, spray insulation foam, redwood bark, and supplies from the railroad hobby store to make this 60-inch-tall model--a table-top prop for book shows and school presentations to give some idea of the redwoods’ immensity. At 1.5", the little people at the base are roughly to scale for a 250-foot redwood. However, many coast redwoods are over 300', and the tallest is nearly 380'.

Easter painting resurrection

Raven,  8x8" oil on panel

It has been 3 months since I finished book illustrations, 9 months since I've painted, and I've had a bigger-than-usual mental block about starting something. More than ever, I want to do something different, something less constrained, something somehow easier and less labored. Now that I've finally squeezed out paint, maybe I'll be able to keep going--at least until I get a release date and can work more effectively on marketing the book.

Author "Onesheet"

I took a break from bookmark making and spent yesterday working on my author "onesheet." Still anxiously awaiting a firm release date.

The Bookmark Factory

Coast redwoods, the tallest trees on Earth (350+ ft.), make tiny cones, with seeds about the size of tomato seeds. I find that, like many things about the redwoods, amazing. The cones are the perfect size for attaching to bookmarks.

This week I am a bookmark factory. First on the assembly line is dipping the cones in a preservative, then gluing on  "upeye" jewelry findings.  While they dry, I am cutting out and laminating the bookmarks and waiting for some green satin cord to arrive. Sometimes mindless work is fun.

Book Promotion Give-aways

I've been brainstorming promotion ideas and came up with these bookmarks with redwood cone "tassles". Way more effort goes into making them than is practical, but I'm indulging my craftsy side. A lot of front yards in our area have redwood trees, so I collect cones every time I walk now. (Oddly, not all young--meaning under 50 years old--redwood trees seem to make cones.) Then I dip them in stain and polyurethane, add tiny jewelry findings, print/laminate/cut out the bookmarks, and assemble.

Who Am I?

A painter? An illustrator? A paralegal? (experiment over) A professional student? An author?  A jack of all trades? Seems it changes every other year. Anyway, seven months ago I became an author-illustrator; so while I wait for the release of The Forest in the Trees later this year, I'm researching the ins and outs of book promotion. Posting and tweeting may be an important part of that effort, so here we go.