Slipstream

Warm breezes between wake and sleep...I am juggling. I will go to sleep tonight tossing about images of Tyrannosaurs, golden retrievers, balancing and stacking beach rocks, chain saws, felling fir trees, taking a walk around Port Townsend. Angels. Taj commanding his plethora of dinosaurs, Finlay with the rabbits. Kerith and Kaylen doing their ballet moves.

"...On earth as it is in heaven...".

Diane Ackerman in her book, Deep Play describes the "gorgeous chaos". As I try to marshal my spring-fevered ideas, It is fuzzily clear that I am sliding into dream country and the fluid reality. The time of "elixir". I guess it is late, nooby lubble, nighty night...

Angstorama

The grass is always greener on the other side of the razor wire...

I guess I am telling myself to lighten up. I have spent about a week learning more about photoshop. This process is a difficult reach for the Neanderthal. I am much more comfortable making a fire. I do a lot of computer-kvetching, to put it mildly,( think Dr. Jeckle and Mr. Hyde) it's just that so much of my time is taken up with hitting my cerebrum with a geologist's hammer knocking off rust and crustaceans.

Fooling around with electrons makes me nervous, which makes me drink more coffee.

Add to that trying to write.

"A writer, shy or not, needs a tough skin, for no matter how advanced one's experience and career, expert critisism cuts to the quick, and one learns to endure and to perfect it for no other reason than to challenge the pain-maker."-Sol Stein

More zippy art from Spokane Valley students:

Here is another energetic picture of Ms. Thunderbum from The Boy Who Went Ape.



This is such a magical drawing of the Magic Rabbit.

Whoah! Ms. Thunderbum doesn't look too happy*#~:o[
She needs some quiet time.

Here she is again saying "Stop that Benjamin"! Love the nail polish.


Nice job drawing the "nut job" bank robber in The Boy Who Went Ape.



I love the sun coming up behind the shy Magic Rabbit.
Children's art is some of the most spontaneous art on the planet. Contained in such art is a freedom and an expectation of adventure, wonder and magic that "grown up" artists try hard to re-discover.

AWESOME SPOKANE VALLEY SCHOOLS!

February was packed with lots of school visits. I presented programs at ten Spokane Valley Elementary Schools. Monday I spent the day at Greenacres Elementary. On Tuesday I was off to Chester Elementary. Tuesday night all of the wonderful librarians took me out for a yumskious dinner.


Wednesday I galloped off to Ponderosa Elementary. Thursday I hung out with the great students at McDonald Elementary. And Friday I got smarter at University Elementary.



On the weekend I did a little presentation and book signing at Barnes and Noble. While I was signing books near the entrance of the store, I kept hearing a weird “SNORT, SNORT, SNORT”, and I thought, poor kid must have bad asthma or something. So I’m signing away and ten minutes later I hear “GRUNT, GRUNT, SKORKLE, SNORT”, and I think, yipes! Get that kid a Kleenex…and around the corner, inside the store walks a pig. No kidding a real pig who was walking around like he owned the place. Maybe he did own the place. Some lady was walking her pig in the Spokane Barnes and Noble. I got his autograph.

So then Monday took me to Liberty Lake Elementary. Tuesday at sunrise I showed up bright and early for Sunrise Elementary. Wednesday I made progress at Progress Elementary, And Thursday I had a super time at Adams Elementary. On Friday I enjoyed South Pines Elementary.


All of the librarians, teachers, principals, secretaries, and parent helpers were TRES FAB! And the students were completely delightful. I had such a good time at each school. Thank you, thank you!

I absolutley loved the artwork that the Spokane Valley kids did based on the illustrations from my books! I wish I could post them all. More of their artwork to come...

First Day of School

...Blog School, that is.

Welcome to the blog of Richard Jesse Watson, children's book author and illustrator.