This Week!

My exhibition opens on Thursday in The Illustration Cupboard! You are all welcome to swing by to see the art at Bury Street. I will be there with Max Eilenberg on Saturday afternoon for a family reading and book signing.

Sendak on Sendak

Sendak on Sendak, A retrospective of the work of author and artist Maurice Sendak!

The exhibition explores Sendak’s prolific imagination through the characters, influences, and settings of his books, as well as Sendak’s quest to illustrate what he calls “the Other Story,” the hidden meanings of a text that haunt and enrich his illustrations.

Where? The Rosenbach Museum & Library from May 6, 2008 to May 3, 2009, with new works on view every four months.
A total of over 300 original watercolors, pen-and-ink sketches, doodles, manuscripts, books, and dummy books from the 1950s to today will be on display. Visitors can access new interviews with Sendak through digital touchscreens throughout the galleries. Now I know I have to get to see this I have until May 2009 to get there! Philadelphia here I come... wonder can you still get those Arts Flights from the Art Council?

Busy at work!

Some of the finished Horses!

Soundwaves

Last weekend I took part in the Skerries Soundwaves Festival an Arts festival based in Skerries, where I live. I read from my new book Cinderella and then the kids made cards based on the mice that turn into horses in my book. We had great fun gluing and sticking and drawing. The kids were brilliant! Thank you to Michael Johnston for the fabulous photographs and to my two helpers Niamh and Yvonne for helping me on the day. There was a lot of sticky gloopy goop and sparkles to clean up afterwards. You can see all of Michael's photos on the Skerries Community Association Website.

Maurice Sendak

My friend Dermot sent me the link to this New York Times article celebrating Maurice Sendaks 90th birthday this year. It is an incredible moving piece. His books stole my heart when I was a little child with Where the Wild things Are and his work still captures my imagination. Maurice Sendak is my biggest influence as a writer and illustrator.
My thesis in college opened with this quote...
'There are many pictures with little words,
but combustible little words are really like time-bombs.
And the pictures are the explosion.
What I would do with a picture book was to condense
language into metaphor and symbol.
The pictures are like the operatic stage
and the words are the orchestral accompaniment'
Maurice Sendak.

Photos from Books in the Park

Some photos from last Saturday; lots of kids, lots of balloons, lots of fun! There was a lovely mood due to the unexpected sunshine and the fabulous setting of Marlay Park, in Dundrum. The workshops were in the walled garden. Thank you to Don, Zippy and Emer for the photographs.

Invitations!

My invitations arrived this morning for my show in October in The Illustration Cupboard!

Books in the Park!

Great day at Marlay Park on Saturday. It was SUNNY! HORRAY! And such a great turnout for the readings and workshops. Thank you to everyone that came along. I will post up photos later today. The bookstore sold out of books and Oscar got to meet Andy Stanton of Mr Gum fame. My nephew Liam was over from Boston, aged three and a bundle of energy. It really was a family affair... my three kids Megan, Oscar and Aoibhe, my Dad, my sister Emer and her boyfriend Zippy.
This weekend it's Skerries Soundwaves Festival. So for all you budding artists you can come along to a hands on workshop this Sunday.

A date with Cinderella

Hurray! Today is the official Cinderella publication date!

BookFest Photos

As promised some photos of the Bookfest from Saturday, including me showing how to draw a Hugglewug step by step to the kids and myself and PJ Lynch signing in the National Gallery Shop afterwards. Thanks to Conor Hackett for the photos!

Autumn Evenings

A big thank you to all the children who came along on Saturday to the National Art Gallery to draw Hugglewugs! PJ Lynch gave a drawing session after my one, he had both children and adults drawing a spooky castle. I will post up some photos soon I promise. Meanwhile is it just me or has the autumn come in fast? Swirling leaves dancing in the wind and it's pitch dark early too. Oh and our heating is broken maybe that is adding to my autumnal feeling.

Books 2008 Tomorrow!

Sorry no posts this week. What with recovering from Electric Picnic, back to school antics,writing content for my new website, and then on top I decided to do all my taxes! I have been swamped. My workshop is tomorrow in The National Art Gallery. Should be lots of fun, there will be brilliant artists and writers there including P.J Lynch... so come along to join in the doodle-fun! I will post up some of the drawings from my workshop next week.