Deo Gratias recently commissioned me to illustrate 11 saints that were made into flash drives. It is fun to see my lino-cut art transformed into 3D. This sample is Saint Michael and the rest can be found at deogratiasco.com

I'm one of the lucky participants in the upcoming Canscaip illustrators show. The Canadian Society of Children's Authors, Illustrators and Performers is a wonderful non-profit organization supporting creatives in children's publishing. Details above for anyone in the Toronto area. Hope to see you there!

Four illustrations from Steam! Taming the River Monster, will appear in the upcoming 3 x 3 Directory of Illustration. I received a Merit Award in the Picture Book Show category for the linocut art illustrating a play about Robert Fulton's first steamboat voyage down the Hudson River. Written by Wim Coleman and Pat Perrin, and published by Red Chair Press, the book is part of the series, Setting the Stage for Fluency. The illustrations will also be shown online at the 3 x 3 website.

Artist, Chris Jones, interviewed me for the Society of Children's Book Writers and Illustrators blog. Chris is a brilliant illustrator and graphic designer as well as volunteer coordinator of the SCWBI Illustrator blog. His work appears in magazines and educational publications in addition to his own children's books and graphic novels. 

CANSCAIP's art show, which premiered at the PYI conference in October, is back for a return engagement at the Toronto International Book Fair (November 13 - 16) at the Metro Toronto Convention Centre, downtown at 255 Front Street West.

Neal Brothers (a Canadian company making salsa, chips and other goodies) is sponsoring CANSCAIP's 
art show, and there will be sample packs of chips plus fun art activities for the kids.  

Many of CANSCAIP's top illustrators, including Barbara Reid, Patricia Storms, Michael Martchenko, 
Werner Zimmermann plus some talented newcomers, have work in the show. Each piece in the art show includes an overview of the artist's creative process, plus a list of their own favourite illustrators. 
It's a professionally curated, delightful show that will be enjoyed by all ages. Don't miss it!

And if you want even more reasons to go, check out the fantastic line-up of authors and events at the 
Toronto International Book Fair. The $15 admission (free for kids accompanied by an adult) covers 
all three days.    

Below is the before and after of one of two illustrations I have on display, a piece from One Last Wish, 
a Hindu folktale published by Red Chair Press. I will be volunteering at the CANSCAIP booth Saturday 
between 12 and 2. Hope to see you there!  
                 

I am fortunate to have my art in the company of several brilliant professional children's book illustrators at an art exhibit at Humber College Lakeshore Campus. The show is on until October 17 when there is a closing reception. Should be fun, so sorry I will be out of town:( These are my submissions to the exhibition from two recent picture books. Details about the exhibition can be found below.

Capturing Imagination: The Art of Storytelling

Make sure to catch Capturing Imagination: The Art of Storytelling, a major exhibit of children’s book artwork by Canadian illustrators. Capturing Imagination is presented by CANSCAIP, in partnership with Humber College School of Creative and Performing Arts.

Open to the public until October 17*, Monday to Friday from 10:00 to 5:00. There will be a reception Friday, October 17 from 7 to 9 pm. Come and meet the artists!
L Space Gallery
Humber College Lakeshore Campus, L Building, Room L1002
21 Colonel Samuel Smith Park Dr. (Kipling & Lakeshore)
http://www.humber.ca/lakeshorecampus/lspacegallery/contact

Brenda Clark, Michael Martchenko, Barbara Reid, Werner Zimmermann and many others have work in the show. The artworks in the show include preliminary sketches for a behind-the-scenes look at the creative process. Text with each piece provides the artist’s perspectives on their medium, their creative process and their art training, as well as a list of some of their favourite children’s book illustrators.

A sketch book is on hand for visitors to create their own drawings. Visitors can also do a short survey about their own favourite children’s books.

Opening next Saturday, July 26th to September 1st, an exhibit of tarot art at The Hermit's Lamp, 425 Vaughan Rd., Toronto. It should be an interesting show with diverse collection of styles and media. See below for details.

My submission is a giclee print of the High Priestess, the third trump card, representing feminine intuition and wisdom. She is offered framed and unframed, 12 x 16" on archival paper.

These four icons are on exhibit now at the Ottawa School of Art's Biennale Mini Print Exhibition. My 3 inch square linoleum prints join over 270 miniatures by 110 artists from 25 countries at the OSA Byward Market Gallery from April 24 to June 1, 2014. 

This is my submission to "The Saints," an exhibition at The Hermit's Lamp in Oakwood Village, Toronto.  

My love of medieval art greatly influenced the approach I took with Joan of Arc. I chose her because she was French and fearless, plus I love a mystery and there is much debate as to the origin of her visions. One theory proposes that she suffered from temporal lobe epilepsy but I prefer to think that she was highly intuitive, hence the fire at her third eye point. 

I thoroughly enjoyed the process of making this portrait and felt a definite breakthrough in my control of the medium of oils. The show runs until May 15, 2014.