The Cave

Here is a watercolor that I did recently for a contest through the Society of Children's Book Writers and Illustrators. The contest goes like this: While walking home from school Ben takes a detour through the woods and is caught in a sudden snowstorm. Cold and afraid, he ducks into a cave for shelter. Once inside the cave, he's amazed to find....Illustrate what he finds. And I did!

Walking

Greetings from a winter wonderland here in Vermont!

I've recently been thinking about family and how incredibly important and dear they are to me and how each and every one of them has shaped my life. More specifically I was thinking about Papa, my dad who lives in Kansas with my mom and twin brothers who are still at home. Papa and I have always gone on walks together around our prairie acreage and enjoy those moments being together and loving nature in it's peaceful, captivating and intriguing ways. I love walking out in that real world with Papa, noticing the little bugs in the grasses, picking out the different families of plants and growing things, and watching the birds flitting from tree to tree and feeling the wind on our skin. Papa always says the wind is the earth breathing, I love thinking of it in that way. We both have a sense of awe about the natural world - and I always love sharing that with him. With all of that in mind, this painting created itself of those times. Enjoy!