Three Necessary Elements

On January 22nd and 23rd I visited St Helena Primary School in the damp, overcast but still beautiful Napa Valley. My mission was to meet with every 1st grade class and be present when they all took three necessary elements:
1. A plain sheet of paper
2. Some sort of drawing tool
3. Their imaginations
Because 1st graders are natural artistic geniuses, my main goal was to get them started and then stand out of their way.



In a picture book there are a just a few firm rules, a few of them are:
1.The main character should remain recognizable from page to page.
2. Time should appear to pass in a logical way.
3. The story momentum should move forward.

They began with 2 sheets of paper, folded and stapled. That made a simple 8 page book: a cover, 3 interior spreads and a last page. They used pre-cut shapes to represent a character that remained consistent through the book. Some 1st graders understood the concept
completely and filled their books, while others struggled with the 1st spread.
It IS a complicated task and I was thrilled to see how many 1st graders already understood so much about story telling.

Thank you, Lisa Montelli, 1st grade teachers and the whole St Helena Primary School community for welcoming me and allowing me the privilege of 2 whole days in your midst.

A Miniature Miss Bindergarten

Sally Lonn wrote to me and sent these
photos. I think this is the most
adorable "Doll House" I've ever seen!
Thank you, Sally!
"About two years ago I wrote to you about creating Miss Bindergarten in miniature. I worked in the scale one inch equals one foot. I found a fabulous doll artist, Annie Willis from Surrey, England who captured Miss B. and her parrot just perfectly. I exhibited this scene at the Seattle Dollhouse September show:
http://miniatures.about.com/od/miniaturescommunity/ig/
Seattle-Fall-Show-2007/1-12-Scale-Miss-Bindergarten.htm
and won a second place prize.
The room box spent time in the Kindergarten class I was subbing in for a month and the next several weeks at the Dollhouse Cottage in Kirkland, Washington. It was a huge hit with the children where I was teaching and other classes came for a visit too. Teachers are asking me to take it to their classrooms next September, which I hope to do. I hope you will feel that I was true to your illustrations. I added some details that reflect my own classroom of 13 years.

Behind the teacher desk is a whole cabinet of supplies, paste bottle, pencils, markers, crayons, and scissors, ready for use. In this day and age I couldn't forget a computer. I made many of the furniture pieces. On the tables are real puzzles, books and alphabet cards. By the door is a hamster in his cage. I don't know how much detail you can see but I hope you enjoy looking."

Farewell Cocoa

Along with the new babies, 2007 brought losses.
On Christmas day in the morning, one of the princesses of Bernal Hill left us for the Happy Hunting Ground.
Cocoa Jenks was quite a girl and she will be sorely missed by her mom and dad, Leslie and Nigel, as well as all her many friends.

Good Dog, Cocoa!

Brand New Year

"The tradition of using a baby to signify the new year has roots in ancient Greece.

Early Egyptians also used a baby as a symbol of rebirth.

Early Christians tried to stop the tradition of using a baby to symbolize the new year, but its popularity as a symbol of rebirth outlasted the church's attempts to change the tradition.

Using an image of a baby with a New Years banner was brought to early America by the Germans.

The myth associated with him is that he is a baby at the beginning of his year, but Baby New Year quickly grows up until he is an elderly bearded man like Father Time at the end of his year. At this point, he hands over his duties to the next Baby New Year."

During 2007 many new babies entered the world and I was lucky enough to meet a few of them. Here, in the order I met them are:

****** Sam ***** Tessa ***** Satchmo ***** Lucy ***** 2 black lambs

Happy New Year!

The (temporary) Pen That Pa Built

For several months last year I lived part time back 1838. I researched one of my new books, The Pen That Pa Built by David Edwards, http://windyhillbooks.blogspot.com
by twice visiting Old Sturbridge Village in Massachusetts (www.osv.org) and taking many photos of how a colonial family lived and worked. I painted the pen and the sheep in every season. One of my favorite images is of the pen and sheep in typical New England December weather.


This Christmas Eve, while spending a few days over Christmas at The Sea Ranch on the Northern California coast, I saw a different kind of sheep pen built. This one only lasts a couple of days each time it is erected. It is much bigger than the one in the book.

It has to be.

It has to contain about 500 adult sheep and goats, as well as an uncounted number of lambs. This hard working herd are 4-legged lawn mowers whose job is to eat all the invasive shrubs and to keep the native grasses short and neat. When shepherd Leland Falk, built his new, solar powered, hot wire pen across the street, the sheep all rushed over into the fresh grass but left several new-born lambs behind. I was lucky enough to help ferry them back to their moms.

That was my favorite Christmas treat.

On Solstice Eve

Even here in mild Northern California, I have trouble dealing with the darkness and cold at this time of year. I know that sounds wimpy, but I think I suffer from Seasonal Affective Disorder and need more hours of daylight to feel like my usual cheerful self. This year hasn't been too bad. I've been helped by the bumper crop of persimmons on my backyard tree.
Many of these have been picked and eaten like apples or given away to friends. Still, dozens hang stubbornly, high in the branches, serving a host of birds who squabble loudly over the ripest, mushiest fruit.
Today in the rain, birds were sheltering in more protected roosts, but the orange globes glowed in the dark day, cheering me up as I looked down from my studio window.
Tomorrow is the winter solstice: the shortest day and the longest night of the year. From then on the light will gradually lengthen each day and I will feel my heart lifting with it. The persimmons will help.

all I want for Christmas...

In these days approaching the solstice, the twilight comes early. By 4:30, when I walk Lucy in Holly Park, the sun has set and the crescent moon is tagging right along behind.
In the darkness I am drawn to light. There are not many decorated houses in this ethnically and religiously mixed neighborhood. Maybe people think lights are tacky or maybe SF Greens are just saving kilowatt hours. This juxtaposition of lights and moon perfectly captures my only wish for Christmas 2007... PEACE.

Heather School Rocks!

SAN CARLOS must be proud of Heather Elementary School-a lovely, small school with a million dollar view and some of the happiest teachers and students I have met anywhere.
I spent a busy and fun day talking to the K-4th graders and we drew a lot of pictures together.
Thank you for the invitation to visit!

Congratulations Rick and Mary Ann!

MARY ANN AND RICK Labadia supported a great cause by buying my Kachinas Bearing Gifts snowflake, inspired by The 12 Days of Christmas/A Pinata for the Pinon Tree.
Here is the news directly from Rick: "but such good news for us...we did win your wonderful snowflake from Robert's Snow...we just can't believe it! Now the book will be even more special!"

I am happy for them and for Robert's Snow.

Robert's Snow-flake Auction on NOW

My 3rd Robert's Snow-flake is on the auction block right now. The inspiration for this one is my new book The 12 Days of Christmas/ A Pinata for the Pinon Tree. It is the last in the series of 3 books I did with Philemon Sturges and is dedicated in fond remembrance to the late author.
My snowflake, depicting Kachinas Bearing Gifts on one side and the Pinata on the other can be viewed and bid upon at the Robert's Snow Website. Click on the 2nd auction, running from 11/26-30.

Please help fight cancer by supporting this great cause.