Christmas in Cape Town

Merry Christmas Everyone! 

Let's make a joyful noise and sing a new song, and all that jazz.  It's Christmas!  

I have managed to accomplish the impossible (almost) and gather my dearest family in Cape Town for the holidays.  My mom travelled half-way across the globe!  

Christmas here is very different to the Christmasses I grew up with.  My Canadian Christmas is: white snow, cold air, sleigh rides, hot chocolate, and caroling around the neighbourhood while bundled in every layer of winter-wear we could find.  This year Christmas is: beaches, sunshine, barbeques, and open air carol concerts that start as picnics in the park. So very different, and so very enjoyable!

So, wherever you are in the world, dear readers.  I wish you a Merry Christmas!  

And remember: 

1) Stay close to those that you love; for love is the most important thing in the world. 

2)  Laughing makes you live longer, so let's have some fun!

3)  And lastly, but also very important, make sure you eat lots of Christmas goodies, for they're only available once a year!  :-)  

The Diamond Jubilee in pictures

This weekend I was privileged to be in London while Queen Elizabeth was celebrating her Diamond Jubilee weekend. It seems to me that the whole nation has gathered together in a rare atmosphere of complete joy.

Every street is bedecked with bunting and streamers; every garden is fragrant with multitudes of English roses. The whole city simply blooms with rose petals, ribbons and bunting.

I didn't attend any of the events, preferring instead to watch them in the comfort of my home on the telly. However, we live so close to the Parks that I heard the loud "hip-hip-hoorays" and the fireworks after the Jubilee concert carrying through the night air. And, the planes that flew over the Palace also flew over my flat. From my own cozy lounge I felt like I was in the centre of the action!

Previously I didn't give the Queen much thought, except to know that she's on our money, and on my passport, and that she is the head of the Commonwealth. However, the Jubilee celebrations uncovered my nascent affection for her. Why? I love her because of her gentle, feminine influence. The world can be such a harsh place filled with conflict and hatred. The Queen is a benevolent spirit who travels around listening to people and protecting the arts. And, that's what the world needs more than warrior dictators, don't you think?

Happy Easter

Happy Easter Everyone!

As my grandpa reminded me the other day, Easter isn't just about cute eggs and bunnies...  I know that, it's just that sometimes I forget.  For me, Easter is about rejuvenation and rebirth.

It's been crazy-busy at our house these past few weeks.  I've been working flat-out on new illustrations and putting the final touches on a rather long story.  At the same time, I've been helping my husband with a very exciting entrepreneurial venture (my lips are sealed for the time being).  

This means I've been feeling completely fragmented.  While I'm painting my mind is thinking of business ideas; while I'm working on the business plan I'm resolving issues with the plot of a story.   No matter what I'm doing I'm constantly thinking about something else.   

I'm sure we all lose focus when life is so busy.

So, this Easter weekend I want to step back, slow down, and focus on rejuvenation. A little bit of quiet time and a few chocolate eggs will do wonders for the soul.  :-) 

What are you doing for Easter?  

Stuff and Nonsense

March is a month of birthdays for my family, but today isn't one of them.

So, if you're lucky enough to NOT have a birthday today:

Happy Un-Birthday!

As the March Hare says...

Let's all congratulate us with another cup of tea

A very merry un-birthday to you! ...

Now blow the candle out my dear

and make your wish come true

A merry merry unbirthday to you!

Birthday number 30

This year I turned 30.

And what a momentous year! Here's what's happened:

1. I've spent two consecutive birthdays in Cape Town (that wasn't at all expected).

2. I illustrated educational children's books for Oxford University Press, Cambridge University Press and Pearson.

3. I took a writing course with Random House in South Africa.

4. I received a contract for "Digging for Diana" my middle-readers novel from Random House Struik.

5. I declined the aforementioned contract (long story) and I'm still searching for a publisher.

6. I've travelled to United Kingdom, Italy, the Netherlands, Belgium, Ireland, United States, Canada, Swaziland, and Namibia.

It's been an amazing year, and I really (really) hope that this coming year will be even better.

And, thanks to all you readers for making this year extra-special online! I love reading all your blogs, and I love receiving your questions and comments. You're such amazingly talented people!

I hope you have a fantastic weekend!

Here's to an amazing year!

Whew!

2011 was an amazing year: a sprint, a marathon, an obstacle course and very, very fun.

It seems that everyone in the blogosphere is doing reviews of their year, and across the board I'd say it was pretty successful for all of us.

And my year?

 January of 2011 started with a BIG change; a change of cities, continents and hemispheres.  I travelled from London to Cape Town to join my husband for an extended holiday.  Since that moment I've been on the move through approximately 22 cities, including: New York, Amsterdam, London, Chicago, Toronto, Bologna, Johannesburg, Brussels...

Pretty far flung, huh?

Of course, the year wasn't completely leisurely.  I had a lot of illustration work to do as well.  In fact, I travelled with my scanner, sketchbook, pens and paints wherever I went.  I joked that I worked in the

great portable studio

(more on that in another post).  This year, I've finished commissions on hotel bedside tables, tiny guest-bedroom desks, and near-strangers kitchen tables.

I can only hope that 2012 will live up to 2011.

Here's to you all, may your 2012 be happy and prosperous, and worth blogging about!

Happy Christmas!

Happy Christmas Everyone!

Frohe Weihnachten! 

I'm so excited about this Christmas: more than usually excited, in fact.  It will be my first Christmas in Africa with my husband's family... and my Mom.  We're all gathering together in Cape Town, and then travelling to Swakopmund in Namibia to celebrate in the desert by the sea where the dunes fall directly into the Atlantic Ocean. 

How does one celebrate Christmas in a desert?

 I'm used to Canadian/British cold weather: snow, rain, coniferous Christmas trees, twinkle lights and lots of blankets and hot chocolate.  Instead, we'll have sun, wind, heat and a thorn tree for a Christmas tree.  I can't wait to experience all these new things.

So, while things go silent all 'round the internet, and we celebrate with our families and friends, I want to wish you all a wonderful holiday season and a happy and healthy New Year.  Thanks for reading my blog; you make every day brighter.  And... I can't wait to catch up with all of you in January! 

A Few Things That Make Me Happy

With the beginning of the holiday season (and deadline season) looming, I've decided I need to focus on the things that make me happy. I need to slow down the pace for a moment and really notice what's going on around me.

This morning, after receiving some disappointing news regarding a long-hoped-for job, my Mom and I went for a coffee in the Bo Kaap neighbourhood. My mind was a fog of sad thoughts, but then I lifted my head and looked around. It's impossible to be melancholy for long in the Bo Kaap, where candy coloured houses tumble down the cobbled streets from Signal Hill to the city centre. Who can be sad when someone is growing pink petunias on the pink wall? It made my heart sing.

Another thing that makes me really happy is my messy desk. Every so often I try to clear it up, but in less than a day it always looks like a whirlwind again. But, I know where everything is, and the mess feels cozy!

What makes you happy this December?

Make yourself comfortable

Take a seat!

Make yourself comfortable.

I'll pour some coffee and we can chat; it's been so long.

Now that you've toured the kitchen, I thought perhaps we could curl up in the living room for a chat. I really love all my blog readers, and I wish I could get to know each of you a bit better. Wouldn't this little room be the perfect place for a tête-à-tête?

Again, the majority of what you see is hand-made by a young yours-truly. Since I've taken a bit of a hiatus from posting drawings, I thought I could share a different artwork: the dollhouse!

Welcome to my childhood home

Pull up a chair. I'll cut the cake.

And, please don't mind the mess.

I haven't been doing much these past few days. I'm relaxing and enjoying the absence of deadlines (what a luxury!).

I can't really show many pictures of my actual home, because it's being renovated as we speak. It seems that I move from building-site to building-site around the world, leaving unfinished houses in my wake.

But, I can show you on of my 'spiritual' homes: my dollhouse. It's not just any dollhouse, of course. I worked on it for over a decade, starting when I was about 9 or 10. I sewed the dolls, and made practically everything you see by hand (except the dishes, the lamp and the cake).

It was my dream home in miniature. I still sometimes wish I could shrink, and spend a few days with my dolls in their cozy house.

I thought I'd give you a tour, starting with the kitchen...

London Belongs to Me

There's something about being in London that makes you feel like you own the city. It's all spread out there, on both sides of the Thames, just for your enjoyment. The city is so polite, and considerate, and accommodating: for any request, it says, "It would be my pleasure."

It's comforting that no matter how long I'm gone from London, it always welcomes me back with open arms and a cup of tea. Like a prodigal daughter.

And I don't mean to say this in a self-absorbed kind of way. I think most Londoners feel this sense of ownership and welcome.

I just love this book cover from 1953. It sums up everything I'm feeling right now. Aren't vintage book covers just the best things for inspiration?

In my Cape Town Studio

At the moment I'm working on lots of stuff I can't share (*wink*). Hopefully I'll be able to share it in the near future. For the meantime, I thought I'd show you my studio table, and my little clothespin friend.

I need to find excuses to get out of the house, so I've started taking ballet classes. I took ballet as a child (as many little girls do), and then dropped it when I realized you had to perform on stage. I'm am not naturally comfortable in front of an audience. But, now that there's no pressure to perform, it's fun to reignite my love for dance and music.

To honour this newfound hobby, I made myself a clothespin dancer. She now keeps me company as I work on sketches and thumbnails for a new project.

And, do you want to know what's really funny? And it proves that I'm still basically a child at heart... I always snicker when the teacher says "now do that step three times derrière." Which basically means, do the step towards the back, instead of the front. But, as many of you may know, derrière is french for "backside," hence the childish snickers from the peanut gallery (i.e. me).

And the dust settles

We've been living in a building site for the past month and a half. It it's not one thing, it's another. First the courtyard was collapsing, then the roof was leaking, then the toilet blew up... this house has incurred a long list of wounds over the past few years.

But now, finally, things are coming right. Hopefully the biggest and most destructive work is done for the time being.

The dust is settling, and now we can clean up the detritus, pour a glass of wine, and put our feet up.

Birthday Self-Portrait

Another year has rolled around, and another birthday is past. In continuing with the Birthday Self-Portrait challenge I drew myself in beach gear.

What is Cape Town?

I’ve been in Cape Town for three weeks now; three weeks of frustration punctuated by moments of inspiration.

We’ve been waiting for Telkom to connect our phone/internet for over a month, each time a technician comes to our house he finds another obscure technical fault that needs repair before we can be connected to the grid.At first I was furious, but now I just laugh.What will the technician say today, I wonder?How ridiculous will it be this time?

Life here is a bundle of contradictions, which makes me ask: What is Cape Town?Cape Town is a non sequitor.

The biggest contradiction is probably the clash between the two oceans – the warm Indian and cold Atlantic – over the various mountain ranges makes for interesting and unpredictable weather.It can be cold and cloudy on one side of Table Mountain, and warm and balmy on the other.The wind can blow with gale force speeds in one borough, and whisper gently in others, all depending on the oceans and the mountains.

But there is also a conflict of society, culture, affluence…Every opposition serves to make this place more fascinating.

How many contradictions can I think of?

Windy/calm

Hot/cold

Clean/dirty

Affluent/poor

Wise/foolish

Stylish/grungy

Expensive/cheap

Traditional/irreverent

Beguiling/infuriating

And, there are so many more.

But what I realized, as I was contemplating these differences, that Cape Town can’t be defined by its attributes… rather, the city somehow defines you by how it makes you feel.

Maybe, after all, Cape Town is just a bundle of feelings.

N.B. I haven't been able to post any recent drawings, so above is a little piece of experimental typography.

Cape Town Studio

Slowly but surely we are sorting out the house. On the weekend I set up my studio in one of the spare bedrooms. The table is a hand-me-down from who knows whom, and the chair was from M's Oma (German grandmother). The window looks over our beautiful courtyard with a huge grape arbour, and above that I can see the tip of Devil's Peak.

It is inspiring. So inspiring in fact, that I can hardly concentrate. I tried to get a large chunk of editing done this morning and I was constantly distracted by the view, the butterflies, the sounds...

And then I thought: isn't it ironic that I'm writing a story set on the Northern tip of Africa (Tunisia) and my studio is on the Southern tip of Africa (Cape Town)?

The importance of doing something else

Illustration by Carl Larsson

As New Year's Day approaches it is natural to take stock of one's life and ambitions. I've always considered myself lucky that I've known exactly what I wanted to do with my life: tell stories through words and pictures. But, this single-minded focus of passion can sometimes be too intense.

So, I think it is necessary to cultivate other interests. Sometimes it is important to follow one's curiosity in order to spark more inspiration. And, also, it isn't fun to be 'all work and no play' all the time.

My efforts in doing 'something else' are two-fold. One: I'm rekindling my love for playing piano. And, in the spirit of winter and all things Northern, I'm working my way through my rather heavy book of Edvard Grieg Piano Works. (Hence the Carl Larsson illustration to head this post; more Scandinavian inspiration).

And Two: I'm also contemplating a sabbatical in a rather different hemisphere. Some time-off to tend my creative inspiration and give some breathing space for the soul. (More on that later).

But, for this Christmas season, I want to leave you with a few songs from my Grieg Piano Book to inspire your creative studio time. I won't inflict my own playing on you, instead I've found some other, very accomplished, people on youtube to play them for you instead. Enjoy!

1.

Norwegian Melody

2.

Melodie

3.

Im Balladenton

4.

Matrosenlied

5. (the one I could play 10 years ago, and need to refresh...)

Hochzeitstag auf Troldhaugen

6. And... as a special treat, the piece I have been playing for 10 years, and still working towards perfection.

Poulenc's Novelette #1

.

And the best part of all this is that none of it really matters. Whether I play the pieces well or dismally is of no consequence to me or anyone. All I'm doing is keeping my soul engaged while I grope through the darkness trying to turn my passion into a reality.

One of my heroes, Madeliene L'Engle, often described how she would work tirelessly on perfecting her Bach fugues, because the mathematical precision of them helped her to order the plots of her stories. Perhaps that's what I'm doing, subconsciously... using music to help order my creative mind.

And, thinking about ordering plots... I must escape into my imagination and get back to writing chapter 4.

And, I'm curious about other illustrators 'other interests.' What do you do to keep your creative soul balanced?

My alternate CV: reinventing the resume

Above is another painting from my archives. Several years ago I flew to Victoria BC to visit my friend who was working as a nanny (for twins). I had a great time discovering our western-most provincial capital with her. And, to commemorate the lovely holiday I gave her a small watercolour of one of the famous BC totem poles.

I spent much of yesterday afternoon with this same friend and we decided that we needed to write alternate CVs. She is an aspiring opera/oratorio singer and I am an aspiring illustrator/ writer. When we write a serious CV, we list all the experiences, skills and accomplishments we feel will benefit our future employers. But what about all those random skills we have acquired over the years that get overlooked? Shouldn't we be proud of them, too?

Here is a random selection of some of my "not-so-useful-in-the-real-world" accomplishments:

1. Took Babysitting course when 13, did very little babysitting thereafter

2. Welding

3. Drive bobcat

4. Drive fork-lift

5. Can read Latin

6. High School Physics, Chemistry, and Math tutor

7. Photocopying

8. Can clean large farm vehicles with a pressure washer

9. Canoeing - especially steering and the J-stroke

10. Can squaredance

11. Mending clothes

12. Orienteering (with compass, or without, can usually tell North by reading the environment)

13. Bake a cake on a coleman camping stove

14. Origami

15. Fastest library book shelver in the Steinbach library

What are your 'not-so-useful-in-the-real-world' accomplishments?

Birthday Self-Portrait Tradition 2010

Creating and Designing a Family Cookbook and Genealogy

• It is over 200 pages long
• Our family recipe for gingersnaps goes back at least 4 generations!
• It took us just one month to design (but over a year to collect all the recipes)
• We included Low German (plautdietsch) songs and rhymes that we used to sing as children
• I did a watercolour illustration of a favourite recipe for each title page
• Each watercolour features yellow gingham, because our grandmother had a beautiful yellow gingham apron.
  

I have uploaded an abridged version (not all 224 pages) to Issuu, where you can page through the book for inspiration. Enjoy! To see the cookbook in a larger screen, just click on it.

Note: In order to be able to see it you will have to visit my blog, for some reason Issuu doesn't work in feed readers or facebook.