I did two pieces for a group show for SCBWI-Oklahoma. The opening was held at The Perish in Oklahoma City on Sept 11th.

I redid these illustrations. I wanted to add detail and change the face a little. One can see the earlier versions below. This poor scarecrow has undergone many transformations. The original character was rendered in pastels, then oils, now two versions in digital media. Is digital a media?

Even cowboys have bad days at the office.

These are sample spreads from the book I have been working on. It is an adventure of a scarecrow who has always dreamed of flying. His wish comes true during a wind storm, but not without a few challenges.

My family and I went to Puerto Penasco, Mexico for spring break. But we did not stay in a luxury hotel on the beach or frolic in the sun. Instead, we worked with our church youth group to build four homes for folks who really needed them. This is a photo of the family and the crew in front of the new home we built. 

We did get a few hours to relax after the houses were completed. Here is a quick plein air watercolor I did at the beach.

I have decided to add entries regarding my children’s book illustration to my blog because it has been taking up more easel time lately. I am a member of the Society of Children’s Book Writers & Illustrators (SCBWI). I got interested in this several years ago and illustrated five books for Shortland Publishing (bought out by McGraw-Hill and moved to New Zealand).

I am waiting to hear about the results of a contest for which I submitted the attached illustration. The prize is a trip to New York for the SCBWI Winter Conference. The entry had to be based on the 1st two paragraphs of the book Heide. Not a very manly subject, but what the hay.

Here is a painting I recently "finished". However, every time I walk by it I get the feeling it needs more work. It just looks unfinished to me but I can not quite put my finger on the solution. I am posting it here not so much for comments from others, but as a way to force me to think about exactly what I need to do to finish this painting.