Dress Day #2

We are indeed overdue for Dress Day #2, ladies and gents!
A little afternoon dress for a lazy day out:

"Picnic"

With accompanying tune All the Wine by some of my favorite Brooklyn-based musicians, Clare and the Reasons.

Grandma's Gold!

Congratulations to Cecil Castellucci, author and just-announced gold medal winner of the 80th Annual California Book Awards in the juvenile category for Grandma's Gloves! It was a pleasure working on her heart-filled story and then finally meeting Cecil for a book signing last August. Favorite Cecil memory: her first exclamation from across the room, "OH! YAY! You're small TOO!" We had a tiny lady moment (both hovering around 5 feet) and it is funny to think about how we all imagine each other from across the internet, isn't it? Cecil is a petite whirlwind of energy, ideas and talent (she is also a playwright, vocalist, graphic novelist...)
...and check out Cecil's new Literary Diaspora project too, a little game of art and words being snail-mailed from authors, illustrators and left in the pages of unsuspecting books in book stores around the US/Canada! Maybe you will find one?

Cecil's words from Grandma's:

"She speaks to me in French, because that's what she spoke when she was little, before she grew up and met Grandpa and came to this country.

'She's forgotten it all,' Mum says sadly.

I tell Mum and the nurse that Grandma hasn't forgotten to water the plants in her room. They are big and green, and the violets are blooming..."

♥

The Shop

is preparing for a spring opening! We've been busy bees (butterflies) over here. Limited and open edition giclée prints, and my first line of greeting cards will be available soon...Stay tuned!

A Dress For Spring

Is it really REALLY TRULY Spring? Here in the Northeast, it's hard to let your heart be convinced lest it be quickly broken (by April snow), but I'm believing in Spring today. It's gorgeous and sunny and the perfect time to wear your favorite dress. Speaking of dresses...I heard from a bird (named Chad Beckerman) that the advances of my next book are IN:

I Had A Favorite Dress by Boni Ashburn! (Fall 2011)

Deciding what THE dress of dresses would be for the little girl in this book was a dizzying task, and you can imagine how many tiny dress drawings were made (a tiny closet full). So I'm going to open up the closet for random Dress Days throughout the months leading up to the release of the book. Some dresses you will be able to spy throughout the book! I had to name them all to keep them straight so on Dress Day #1 we have:

"Lemonade Gala"

with accompanying tune: Glenn Miller's String of Pearls
More soon!

The Countdown...

to PARIS next month begins! Any suggestions for children's book stores I shouldn't miss while I'm there? I'm on the hunt for french picture books. My friend Abby (over in Paris) just sent this photo in WHSmith:


Looks like Audrey beat me there! ♥

Anthology Magazine: Issue 3

What have I been working on? Secrets and things...like paintings of gentlemen in tweed and ladies in high-waisted skirts for the upcoming issue of Anthology Magazine!

Cover peek above and teaser for their latest issue below:

Already an admiring subscriber, I was thrilled to have a chance to work with Anthology's founders, Editor in Chief Anh-Minh Le, and Creative Director (and author-illustrator-designer) Meg Mateo Ilasco to create the cover and interior work for Issue 3, May 2011. Their stockists include Anthropologie stores or you can subscribe via old-fashioned snail mail (my favorite).

Ah, what a good stretttchhhh for the art muscles to work in the style realm. Oxfords and heels, oh my!

Art soon...

The Making of Just Being Audrey

Author Margaret Cardillo and I chatted about the making of Just Being Audrey with children's author Jama Rattigan at her cozy blog, The Alphabet Soup. Click here if you'd like to read the interview. Many thanks, hugs, and bowls of chocolate soup, Jama!

Sláinte!

Since it's Saint Patrick's Day this movie will indubitably be watched tonight (per Denos family tradition, we're a proud half Scotch-Irish lot). The Quiet Man has it all: antiquated silliness, witty script, dreamy landscape, perfectly ridiculous fight scene, most dramatic embrace EVER:


Sigh...one day I'll get to Ireland. True fact: back in the olden days I used to Irish step dance–yes indeed. May have a "reel" or two left in me yet! (Then it's on to find the zeppole per Mediterranean Denos family tradition, saints preserve us)... Sláinte!

J'aime la langue

Bonjour, mes amis! As I've mentioned, I'm currently learning french. Class is in a creaky old house shared by a bread bakery on my favorite corner in Harvard Square (Brattle). It's been lovely.


Learning, in general, has always acted as caffeine for my art inspiration. French class is serving this purpose like a large Burdick's dark hot chocolate would (Cambridge folks, you know the powers of this beverage!) When my mind is told to stretch, art making always follows. I've been dreaming in french too–waking up with little bits like "pas du tout" "deux par deux" floating around in my head. Though I'm not any good yet (see below), I want to soak in every bit! It is decoding code, listening for jewels in sentences and stringing them together, trying to make that french "R". It is like learning to dance; falling down over and over until you muddle through on tiptoes and find your balance just one sentence long...

Mes devoirs français (starring Claude + Gerard):