The Think Bottle Blog was created to gather great art, ideas, and inspiration into one place. I hope you get inspired to take a chance and dive into something of your own. Plus it’s a great place to interact with me on a daily basis. Cheers!
Drawings Floating Out Of My Head
I’ve got feathers blowing around in my studio and drawings floating out of my head onto the paper, yet I still can’t figure out how to begin describing my recent adventures to New Mexico.
It started out as usual; accepting a request from the wonderful Barb Huff to do a library talk at The Farmington Public Library, in what is called the Four Corners region. “Four Corners” refers to the meeting of four states: Colorado, Utah, Arizona and New Mexico. While that is a truly amazing thing all by itself, I am told a person can actually get down on all fours and literally put each hand and each foot in a different state; that is beyond cool. A word of warning though, please be careful when you do this because along with the spectacular other-worldly landscapes on this part of the earth, there are also spectacular other-worldly creatures like scorpions and rattle snakes and fire ants who don’t humor us when we do these touristy kinds of things. The image of fire ants and scorpions in my arm pits and rattlers using my shoes for RV’s was so vivid I decided to leave that cheery tidbit right where I found it in the AAA Traveler’s Guide.
Topping off my awe-inspiring trip to the Four Corners was a once in a lifetime visit to Ojo Amarillo Elementary School on the southeastern edge of The Navajo Nation. I was invited to read my books and draw for the students there and I couldn’t pass it up. As we approached the school I could see beyond, the ghostly silhouette of Shiprock , a red formation appropriately named by early settlers that appeared to touch the clouds from where it sat on the vast expanse of dry plain, it really did resemble a ship on a rolling sea.
As soon as I walked into Ojo and met all the students I knew I’d come home, even though I’d never been there before. How remarkable it is that no matter where I go, I feel like I’ve already been to see you. I’m just coming home to visit old friends; it’s as simple as that. Because, you see, we’d already met, my books went out into this great wide world and you read them. They introduced us. I have the privilege of always meeting a friend and we get to pick up right where we left off the last time. “Nice to see you again, It’s me, the guy who draws the dogs and the kids with the funny teeth and you’re the folks who are kind enough to laugh when you get the joke”. It doesn’t get any better than that.
After visiting Ojo, I was hoping to sail Shiprock into the mountains to Santa Fe and Taos but I got an up close look at the formation and I knew it wasn’t going anywhere for at least another 20 million years. I drove the Avis car instead.
It’d be easier to teach an armadillo to sing or juggle the moon and stars with one hand tied behind my back than to cram my entire trip into one blog entry, so let me try this: here are some pictures of the feathers blowing around my head, an Apache pony, his friend the dog and a short word or two about a Chinese bird living in the clouds named “George”. I’ll just leave it at that. Saying too much isn’t good, it takes all the wind out of me- and then how can I sail? Look at Shiprock.
Suffice it to say: the stuff I saw had such impact, I know it’ll find it’s way into a book or two; I’ll keep you posted.
I hope you enjoy the pictures.
Your Comments
Your Comments
i’m glad you enjoyed them- i actually did use some cheap colored pencils and one of those ball-point pens that are always on the desk in a hotel room.
the dog was fun to draw as usual.
Your Comments
The dog, so clearly the most special of your very special art, looks a bit like a Beetle/Blu mixture. The boys would be humbled and honored by the tribute. My smiling Sophie (sketch and photo) watches over me when I work.
Your Comments
yes, a little ‘Beety-like’ they do seem to sneak into my drawing. Beetle and Blu said to say hi to sophie for them
Your Comments
Love the site…that doggie is so cute.
Your Comments
Can’t wait to see the book that comes out of your trip! Happy New year to you and Debbie.
Your Comments
I love these sketches! Kind of a theme in your books and something I especially enjoy about your work are those cool shadows -purples/turquoise (I had to look that word up is that horribe? lol—I’m a bad speller I admit it) surrounded by warm colored lighting. N.C. Wyeth was so good at that too. I don’t know what it is about the effect but it’s really a feast for the eyes and so dramatic.
I really love these illustrations,... what did you use here? Looks like coloured pencils I think? I love the contrast in expressions between the horse and the dog in the second image.