I have been busy and it's getting busier and I have 5 things to do before the New Zealand Post Children and Young Adults BookAwards on the 23rd June:
One:
Walk the St Clair Half Marathon in Blenheim this weekend
with gal friends and take some important hand sewing with me to do in the
evenings whilst the others are playing 500 and drinking Marlborough Sav,
because...
Two:
I have to finish my World of WearableArt garment- I'm putting two in this
year so one is done and the other is occupying my studio, the lounge, the
kitchen and the basement in various stages of construction. One place for
sewing (the kitchen), one place for painting (the studio) one place for sawing,
sanding and bolting (the basement) and
one place for evening stitching in front of the telly (the lounge). It's the madness that overtakes me at this time of year and
I have to pack it up and send it off for judging early because...
Three:
I'm touring Southland for a week for the Book Award Festival.
This excites me hugely because I have not been to that part of NZ for such a
long time and I get to go to Invercargill, Gore, Ta Anau, Milton and Dunedin.
The Catlins are an area I have not explored at all and it is a particularly beautiful
part of the country so I will be taking my sketchbook as well as my camera.
Meeting the students and teachers, librarians and public on tour and showing
them handy tips from Wearable Wonders will be right up my creative alley! I'm doing some other school visits too (thank you Creative New Zealand for your support to The Book Council) Then
I fly home for one day to unpack my touring things and pack up the WOW garments
and deliver them to Mainfreight (WOW's wonderful sponsors), then pack again
because...
Four:
I fly out to New York the next day! Such is the life of the rich
and (moderately) famous. This is an
indulgent detour along the way to Boston; well Amherst University actually for
The Illustration MasterClass. A week long residential where I will be in a
focus group learning model making and creating fantastical characters with
Brian and Wendy Froud. You may remember The Dark Crystal and The Labyrinth? Froud
created the art, sets and costume design for those films. He's an English
genius from the world of Faerie (and an illustration hero of mine) and I just
can't wait to immerse myself in the studio environment and learn everything I
can because...
Five:
When I get back I have three days until the book awards evening
and by that time my next book 'Ghoulish Get-Ups' (Scholastic) will be at the printers and an
advance copy not too far from my hands. And I will be on fire from the course
(or utterly broke from New York) and will be ready to create new things for the
second half of the year in my work. At this stage I have no idea what they are,
but I can assure you, something will brew, because... if you feed the mind, nourish
the soul, and look after your health both physically and intellectually, then the
rest follows xxx
