It was a perfect evening with a sunset blazing and turning the water from a tropical blue to purple all in the span of about an hour. Fireworks to celebrate K.'s foot surgery which was done and over to all of our happiness.

I am getting fired up to be Manhattan Q.--take no prisoners, drill with constant phone calls--push,push, push. Need to. Being nice--you get 5 strikes before this clicks in. So, hello me, meet the tough me.

I spent a little time this morning with my Dover book on Kay Nielsen and feel that I will probably have that at my elbow, hoping if my brain can't absorb it, my elbow can. I love this guy. Talk about obsessive decoration...whimsy. And interestingly enough, from a theatrical family so I like to put that lens on looking at his work...because it makes more sense. I love the way Nielsen describes his foreground/ background as they are rendered as the layers or scenic flats are on a traditional stage. He will use drapery in the foreground to draw your eye, or just a a little detail to say, "I am the top of this illustration". The top illustration is one that we saw at the Eric Carle Museum's show "Flights of Fancy". This was a confection (in real life) of delicate color (which the photographic images lose to just gain color on press), tiny pen and brush work, an oriental rug of color, linework and pattern and the sheer imagination in creating such a work. The central female is exquisite..with her face overwhelmed by the design of her hair, her dress, her environment. An amusement, take a look at her foot, his foot and the Oriental man to the far right...check out their sizes...! And the black and white line image below is beautiful in it's restraint in the line and pattern. Almost a point/counterpoint to the image at the top. I am showing the king below for its symmetry, the use of black and the candles. Love the candles.

More great illustration news:
A wonderful story on Murray Tinkelman will be in the next http://www.illustration-magazine.com/http://www.illustration-magazine.com/ (Issue 23). You can see thumbnails of the publication in advance>>. I am subscribing today. Put it off for some reason, but now reason to get back into that.

The wonderbus is ready to go. K is out of bed and is clunking down the stairs.

Gotta go.