Studio Glow

This morning, the studio was bathed in a pale orange light, bouncing off the turning maple tree outside. It was fleeting and fragile, this not so typical orange. The kind of color that fills you with nostalgia. Fall is here.

Nature Bound

I've talked before about my love of nature and of picture books and of the two working together to enhance each other. It's a beloved topic for me. And if you are in the area next weekend, I'll be sharing a program on this subject as part of the Iowa City Book Fest. Here's the particulars.  What are your favorite nature connected picture books?

Iowa City Book Festival Program- 

“From Page to Pathway: Connecting to our natural world through picture books” with author/illustrator Claudia McGehee

Sunday, October 5 at 2:30 p.m.

Biosphere Discovery Hub

Iowa’s simple, elegant natural beauty has brought inspiration to writers and visual artists for generations. Many of the works that make Iowa City a City of Literature celebrate our surrounding landscape. The bonds between art, literature and nature are expressed in children’s picture books as well and can be an invaluable tool in introducing children to nature. Iowa City based author/illustrator Claudia McGehee shares her experiences illustrating and writing nature focused picture books, and the inspirations behind her work. McGehee’s award-winning titles A Tallgrass Prairie Alphabet, A Woodlands Counting Book and Where Do Birds Live explore and celebrate eco-systems found regionally and coast-to-coast. Her presentation will include ideas on how to use picture books to expand the outdoors for young readers, a survey of some favorite nature connected picture books, and a peek into her latest book projects echoing this same theme.

Brief, a small leaf as motif

September

Oh favored month, but so fleeting!

Working on a calendar this year for the Eastside Artist show. It's a compact size one could display almost anywhere for that oldy-worldy nod to day-keeping. Perhaps it will slow time down on my board if I linger a little on each month...

Red-winged blackbirds, lilies and end of summer

Here's a piece I've been wanting to do for awhile. It's time to begin saying farewell to summer and these two symbolize the season for me. 

Also, my studio, with freshly cleaned surface, with coneflowers beyond the window.

Nesting

Found a hummingbird nest that have blown out of a tree on my walk this morning. 

Such magnificent tiny architecture. So strong yet so comfortable for those 

thimble-sized fledglings. I'm glad I didn't have to construct a house with my mouth for our baby!

The Tales of Harry Potter

A few years ago, I read aloud “Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone” to our daughter, who then inhaled the following six books on her own. I felt a bit unfulfilled, having never finished this classic series myself, so last winter I embarked on reading the rest, a chapter or two every bedtime. I triumphantly finished Book Seven a couple weeks ago and I am still missing Harry's world! I enjoyed the endearing characters, fantastic settings and plots, but as a naturalist I was also captivated by Rowling’s inclusion of natural history in her tales. Her owls may carry mail scrolls to the ends of the earth, but they are based on real, species-specific owls. And of course, each advanced wizard or witch can summon a patronus, a powerful and protective animal spirit. They don't choose the animal patronus, it is revealed only when they first succeed in creating the charm. In the books, Harry and his mates each have distinct creatures; Harry's a stag, Ron's a Jack Russell terrier, Hermoine's an otter, Luna Lovegood's a hare, etc.  It makes for the most magical moments. I'm wondering on what my patronus would unveil as...

I hope Harry Potter sustains a readership for decades. I feel it may be one of the last classic series shared and loved so globally, as reading for youth seems to be less of a passion that it did even a few years ago. If I ever discover I am a witch born of Muggles, I'd create a charm to preserve the joy of reading. The most powerful magic I can conjure until then is to continue to help create a good picture book or two!