Yesterday watched shadow birds play outside tall leaded windows, light fall in pools on stone walls.
Today, watched the world come to light as I painted in my early morning quiet studio.
Yesterday my publisher sent through the cover layout for The Ice Bear. ( the line across is just because this is an 'in house' mock up) Today, hopefully, will get the internal spreads and check design before all goes to press.
Yesterday I went to a memorial service for a beautiful young woman. The sun shone. In the evening a friend came over to collect paintings to hang in her school where she works. She brought with her a poem written by one of the children in the school, Ethan Clarke. Whenever we read things, or look at a picture we bring to it our own experiences. It had been a difficult afternoon. Simon, now a widower, celebrated Claire's life so beautifully and with grace and humour. For me, Ethan's poem summed up so much of how the day was.
I Loved the Summer
by Ethan Clarke
I love the summers gentle breeze
in the middle of this mystical
season the breeze tapped me and
it filled me with joy all through
my heart I swung on my swing and
sang my heart but all of a sudden
it turned winter
His words say so much more for me than the words of the preacher in church.
Today I walked on the beach, met a beautiful woman who works with gold leaf, in a cafe , found counselling in a shop where I had gone to buy a present, received an unexpected royalty cheque for The Snow Leopard and now I am going to find peace in painting.
Oh my goodness, it's going to be beautiful. Who is publishing it?
ReplyDeletepublished in USA, UK by Frances Lincoln this autumn and also by Gaurier-Languereau in France, the book will be off to Bologna book fair in a few weeks where it will hopefully pick up a few more editions.
ReplyDeleteThe book looks gorgeous and one to add to my collection. I'm taking Tell me a Dragon to show the children I work with next week. They are very excited :) Maybe the school will make an investment in some new books!!!
ReplyDeleteSorry to hear that you had a sad day, but that poem was so very beautiful. A lovely and touching tribute.
The poem was completely unconnected with Claire's memorial service. But a beautiful piece of syncronisity.
ReplyDeletesorry for your loss.
ReplyDeleteMy loss, Jodi, is that I did not take the time to get to know Claire better than the relationship we had, which was very much that of a brief chat here and there. My life would have been richer for knowing her better, but she was much younger than me, our kids far appart in age. Her friend, Sam, also a friend of mine, spoke too at the memorial. So brave, you could see how much it hurt her, but she spoke well and true. They were so much closer, children born within a day of each other. We all have to learn to treasure each other and hold each other closer I think.
ReplyDelete