Angels and Cowboys- why not?

Hello to the season of serious feasting, frivolity and merriment that begins around now and continues through New Year. This illustration appears in Gulfshore Life Magazine's November issue, with the Here & Now monthly column. It's always fun trying to combine several seemingly unrelated events and activities that are happening on Florida's lovely gulf shores (where they really know how to celebrate), and end up with an image that makes both sense and non-sense, if that makes any sense! Here we have the Ritz-y Angel Ball, the Bootstrap Boogie Barn Dance, and Florida Blues Festival all happening simultaneously in my digital parallel universe. Illustration is so much fun :)

Among the many things I have to be thankful for this turkey day, there's having something I love to do, and someone willing to pay me to do it. This is actually J.K. Rowling's recipe for happiness, and I couldn't agree more. Happy Thanksgiving!

MOO!

Today I'm sending out a batch of new postcards I had printed at moo.com. This image is another from The New Quotable Woman book, illustrating a quote by Margot Fonteyn (whom I actually SAW dancing with Rudolf Nureyev in NYC at the very end of their careers):

"The one important thing I have learned over the years is the difference between taking one's work seriously and taking one's self seriously. The first is imperative and the second is disastrous."

The ballet "Coppelia" lept :) to mind. It's about a doll that comes to life with some silly robotic choreography that makes it a fun ballet to take children to, but for the dancers, it's no less serious work than "Swan Lake".

Back to the postcards- it's not often I see my work in print and it looks better than I hoped it would. A lot better. I ordered 60 using 6 different designs. Now I have to find 60 people to send them to... preferably people who hire illustrators.

Suggestions gratefully accepted!

Quotable

Announcing THE NEW QUOTABLE WOMAN mini edition, coming soon to a book or gift shop near you!

This is a tiny book with pithy quotes from lots of wise women who have lived large enough lives for their words to rate being collected in a book like this. For me, it will be a nice portable portfolio since each and every illustration in it is mine, and most feature my "ladies".

The cover art is from feminist journalist Rebecca West's quote, "Life ought to be a struggle of desire toward adventures whose nobility will fertilize the soul." I immediately visualized riding an elephant through India, as that is my idea of having a grand adventure.

My very favorite quote didn't make this book, however, as the author is precluded by gender:

"Be yourself; everyone else is already taken." Oscar Wilde

What else are you going to do?