graduation!

This is my life. It's full, fast, furious, and filled with lots of people I love. Today is my birthday. I celebrate birthweek. If you don't, I recommend you start. This birthweek, however, tops all.

My birthweek started last Thursday with my husband's birthday, exactly one week before mine. On momentous birthdays, we have a big old combined party. This year we're just having the family BBQ. Friday was a hoe-down at Ethan's school and I met with Aubry Mintz at CSULB about teaching a class. Saturday I graduated from California State University Fullerton with my MFA in Illustration. Those of you who have done this know how hard and rewarding this is. Sunday we planted an organic garden. Monday was my friend Frans from grad school's wedding- totally adorable. Tuesday I had this amazing lunch at La Vie en Rose- I was fortunate enough to be given a great scholarship from the Leo Freedman foundation, and this was the scholarship luncheon. What great conversation and amazing people I got to meet there! Recipients were from Theater Arts and Music, as well as Visual Arts. Kathleen played the most incredible violin for us! Yesterday I had breakfast with my illustrator group, also wonderful and talented people.

And now today! My mom is taking me to lunch, and then a quiet evening at home (I still have grades to turn in and artwork to post tomorrow! Work among the playing!)

Anyhow, if you are my friend or family and you're reading this, thank you. You make my life so full!

almost summer!

Well, it's almost summer but it doesn't feel that way. I spent Saturday at the SCBWI event "Agents Day" in Newport Beach, trying to find someone who might help me get Surfside Girls published. More than one agent commented on how they didn't think Southern California in May was grey and drizzley! However, things are winding down, school is ending, grades are due, and I have faith that in a short while I will be face down in some warm sand. Yum.

The picture is of Joe, figure drawing model extraordinaire. I introduced sequential gesture to my class. Joe is great and totally fired up, even though he had been modeling all day and would have been happier if I wanted a one hour sustained reclining pose! I never ever get a chance to really focus on drawing when I'm teaching because I'm moving around the classroom helping students. But these poses were so good, and Joe is so great, I couldn't help myself. Sequential gesture is what made me want to animate. I think these are five minute poses. Thanks, Joe!

Sally got a haircut

My puppy just got her first haircut. How pretty is she! We are just about to head out on a run before I dig into some grading and art stuff. Had to share. She is the happiest dog I've ever met. Dogs are so dang awesome...

LA Times Kids Reading Room

My Mothers Day piece printed in the LA Times on Sunday. Happy Mothers Day, all you mommies! I can't imagine how different my life would be without my son. Having a child gave me such an increased capacity for love, and a vulnerability, that I don't think I could have understood without. A little tiny bit of how God must feel...

Anyway, the piece printed a bit washed out in the paper, but perhaps that was my fault for wanting to use superduper spring pastel colors!

Semester's wrapping up, I'm walking in the cap, gown and MFA hood on May 21st. Lots of endings mean lots of beginnings...

Upwelling

This is the chapter heading for Surfside Girls' first act, Upwelling. I wanted the viewer to be underwater, looking up at the kelp. It's a metaphor for possibilities. Stuff is surfacing- in the ocean upwelling is where the nutrient rich cold water hits the shelf and comes to the surface. All kinds of little things start feeding on it, and it provides a start for the food chain. When you're surfing, it's a sudden cold spot in otherwise warm water. In the book, it's where everything is setting up.

I kind of feel like that's life right now too. I'm graduating with my MFA, I have students graduating into the Wide World, taking their toolboxes of skills and trying to make it. We talked extensively about that today in my Cartooning and Caricature class. What the state of things is, and where can you fit into it. Publishing is changing, print is changing, there are simultaneously less and more opportunities. I think the best we can do as artists is to keep learning, keep the skills sharp, be kind, and say yes to opportunities. And enjoy the ride. It is the best job in the world.