Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

From our house to your house.

The Joys of Art

I am celebrating my art club today. But first, thank you to the  co-hosts for this blog hop,  Lexa Cain @ Lexa Cain , L.G. Keltner @ Writing Off The Edge , and Tonja Drecker @ Kidbits Blog  You can go to any of these sites to get all the links and add your name to the links, too.

A word about my art club and why I am celebrating it. Well, it's on my mind, for one thing, because yesterday we had our last class until January 7th. And it's just a wonderful group of kids. They make my week!

I volunteer at a local community center one day a week and teach fine art to kids ages 7-14 after school. This year. though, a couple of 6-year-olds got in, and they are wonderful little artist--focused, attentive, and passionate about art. The class goes for an hour and a half, and all of the students use the time well.
During the course (November through mid-April, we use acrylics, watercolors, soft pastels, oil pastels, drawing pencils,  colored pencils, and charcoal. We cover landscape, portraiture, and still life,   work with Native American themes,  use bamboo brushes during Asian New Year, and we study artists like Turner, Van Gogh, Monet, Georgia O'Keefe, Frida Kahlo, Diego Rivera, and William H. Johnson (a Harlem Renaissance artist). Here are some samples of their work so far this year:

El Día de los Muertos

More El Día de los Muertos

Plains Indian Themes

Landscapes Inspired by Monet and Van Gogh

Landscapes Inspired by Turner.                 

You can see why these young artists are so inspiring to teach. they really give it all they've got. 

I took pictures of yesterday's work in colored pencils (baby animals), but those are still in the camera.

Meanwhile, I hope you enjoy this little "gallery." 

I won't be posting until after New Year's Day. Until then, Best Wishes from our house to your house for a Blessed Christmas and a Happy New Year ahead.

Celebration Time.

Hats off to co-hosts for this blog hop,  Lexa Cain @ Lexa Cain , L.G. Keltner @ Writing Off The Edge , and Tonja Drecker @ Kidbits Blog  You can go to any of these sites to get all the links and add your name to the links. 

What I'm celebrating: Two things:

1. I'm almost finished with my new Imogene story. Just one more scene to go.

2. Last Monday evening, we were privileged to hear Morris Dees and Richard Cohen speak at the Crest Theater in Sacramento. Morris Dees is the founder of the Southern Poverty Law Center, the wonderful organization that fights racism and intolerance and pursues justice through the courts. The topic last night was Hate in the Mainstream. (Many of the recent "lone wolf" shootings are a result of hatred being fomented on websites and poisoning individuals who already feel alienated for one reason or another.)

This was a high point in my life: hearing Morris Dees and Richard Cohen and actually meeting Morris Dees and being able to shake his hand. Likewise for Rajan.

Many people were having their pictures taken with Morris Dees and he kindly let us do the same. As you can imagine, this is a picture moment I will treasure! 

Morris Dees is one of my heroes!

Time to Celebrate Again

I hope you all had a great Thanksgiving Day. We had a great day with my god family. Good company. Good food. Good memories.

I am finally back to celebrating again, but first, hats off to co-hosts for this blog hop,  Lexa Cain @ Lexa Cain , L.G. Keltner @ Writing Off The Edge , and Tonja Drecker @ Kidbits Blog  You can go to any of these sites to get all the links and add your name to the links. 

Meanwhile, what am I celebrating? Two things:
1. The Society of Children's Book Writers & Illustrators' Book Launch. The actual kick-off day was Tuesday, December 1st, but it will be going on until the next launch in spring.

You can go HERE to see a wonderful collections of children's books, from picture books to MG to YA novels, all of which would make great Xmas or birthday presents for a reader you know of the appropriate age. (My MG mystery, Imogene and the Case of the Missing Pearls, is being launched there, too. You can go directly to that launch HERE.) 

2. My second thrill was going to Pacific Grove and Carmel last week-end to celebrate my birthday. My husband and I love that area. He's into black and white film photography. I take my little point and shoot digital camera. You can see pictures I took of that beautiful area next door on my 4th Wish blog. 

A few questions for you: What is your favorite type of children's book? Are you into picture books? YA? MG? Fantasy? Mystery? 
What is your favorite spot for special occasions?