Sweet Serenity

"The love of learning, the sequestered nooks,
And all the sweet serenity of books."

-Henry Wadsworth Longfellow

Iris Bookplate
Thanks to Jonathan Shipley

Happy Hanukkah

Hershel and the Hanukkah Goblins, by Eric Kimmel and Trina Schart Hyman

Songs for a Machine Age winners!

Congratulations to the winners of the Songs for a Machine Age contest. 

Here is the winning image.

Winning art by Rhea Ewing

Gorgeous, right?  That's what illustration does:  It tells a story,  introduces you to a character,  sets the scene, fulfills the vision of the author, and displays the creative mind of the artist.   It is so much more than a sum of its parts.  Just like the steambeast itself, come to think of it.

My piece was named a runner-up!  My thanks again to Heather McDougal.

Steambeast Unveiled

Steambeast festival design,
By Joanne Roberts

As promised, here is a concept of what Heather McDougal's steambeast might have looked like at the annual festival.  Its central core is a sphere.  It is composed of brass, copper, vellum, and other materials.  I enjoyed playing with the mechanical parts -- trying to reinvent them in an organic way.  The mythical steambeast is supposed to redesign itself as something totally new and inscrutable each year.  I wanted a beautiful form whose purpose was not readily identifiable. Thanks, Heather.  This was a good exercise, not to mention loads of fun!

Look for Heather's debut novel, Songs for a Machine Age, published by Hadley Rille (Ingram, dist.).

Living with Books

"I cannot live without books."

-Thomas Jefferson

Thanks to Manuel L. Quezon

PiBoIdMo Accomplished

A BIG thank-you to all who could make PiBoIdMo such a smashing success in 2012. I made my goal of 30 ideas in 30 days,  more than doubling that number.   Congratulations to all the participants.  I hope you made your goal too.
As a newbie, I had no idea what to expect.  The whole artistic community was very supportive.  I am blessed to be part of such an industry!  So here's to December, when I can finally unleash my inner critic on the list of ideas.  That's IF he promises to behave himself.

There's more to come on Tara's blog . . .

Beth Bogert, Illustrator

Just a quick note to say Beth's page from 5/20/12 has been updated.  Check out her new site.

If anyone notices any other broken links, please contact me.