Pequeños: Small Works by Larger than Life Artists

Tomorrow, June 1, is the opening night of Pequeños: Small Works by Larger than Life Artists, at Lulubell Toy Bodega & Gallery. A whole slew of amazing artists created pieces on 4” cardboard drink coasters. I’m humbled to have been asked contribute two paintings to the show, because the level of talent is astounding.

Below are my two paintings, Queen Bee and Flower King. They are acrylic on cardboard.

All the pieces in the show are just $100. So it’s a great way to add some wonderful pieces to your collection. Anything that doesn’t sell at the opening will be available for sale on Lulubell’s website. And see Lulubell’s website for more info about the show, including location and times.

New Interview! And pets!

Author Heather Weidner invited me to participate in a fun interview over at Pens, Paws, and Claws—a blog focused on writers and the furrier members of their families.

Below are my family’s guinea pigs, David Bowie and Ringo Starr.

Head over to Pens, Paws, and Claws to read all about my current project (and, more importantly, these huggable but skittish fuzz balls).

Thanks to Heather for such an enjoyable interview!

Abandoned Bird Song

For the last few years, I have had an ongoing project in which I abandon tiny acrylic paintings for people to find. Painted on the backs of Scrabble tiles, they are an attempt to brighten the finders' day with a bit of unexpected whimsy.

Typically, I leave these small pieces in a public space for strangers to discover. This time around, I set a diptych free at a party for our hosts. This bird and its song were a gift of thanks for a lovely time among friends. 

You can find more examples of abandoned paintings on my gallery page.

Prose & Cons: I was on the Radio!

The hosts over at WRIR's Prose and Cons invited me and Bill Blume, author of the Gidion Keep series, onto their show for a bookish chitchat. We talked about our influences, current projects, and the importance of participating in a writing community (like James River Writers in Richmond). 

I talked into this here microphone...

The web version contains an extra fifteen or so minutes of general conversation from before and after the on-air radio interview, in which I may have too freely shared my opinion on a few things. 

If you'd like to listen, there are several ways to do so. It's available on the Prose & Cons website (which also contains show notes and a blog post by cohost Ben Krumwiede), the WRIR 97.3 website, and iTunes.

Read Across America

Earlier this month, I had the great pleasure to present to a group of brilliant kids during the Halifax Education Association's Read Across America event. 

We kicked things off with a reading of Dr. Suess' If I Ran the Circus. It's a real tongue twister that proves Dr. Seuss hated parents and enjoyed making them look foolish. Of course, I fully embrace that idea, and have no problem stumbling through a silly text in front of a large crowd. 

After the reading, we created drawings together. The kids shouted out animals and professions. I then combined the two together into a character. Here, I'm drawing a very meta lion-tamer lion. We also created a surfing bird, wolf teacher, and bunny knight fighting a dragon.

I love playing this game with kids. It's a chance to really get them involved in the presentation. Plus, they think it's hilarious to watch me as I struggle to jam together whatever two disparate things they've thrown at me.

I really felt the pressure when helping pick door prize winners. As you can see, it really stressed me out.

This was my second year participating in HEA's Read Across America event, and it's always a blast. I'd like to thank Kimberly Tuck and the hardworking group of employees and volunteers that put together a seamless day of presentations. Without them, there wouldn't be a chance for me to hang out with so many creative and hilarious kids. They make the entire thing happen.

Thanks, too, to Duane McCargo Photography for allowing me to share their images.