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Peacock Dress Snippet. The paper jacket is done. This isn't the big reveal… sorry! If you want to see the real-deal, you'll have to join me at the Wearable Art Extravaganza (details below), or visit me in the studio on First Saturday/Sunday, October 4-5th…. or just wait until later next week and peek back here. Wearable Art Extravaganza Poster. A couple things to note: Event is FREE and Child-friendly There will be a cash bar for beer & wine This will be wicked fun - I've seen some of the other pieces walking in the show Hope to see you there ;-) ~ Samantha

So we're just about 1 month away from the Miracle Providers Northeast Wearable Art Extravaganza ! Tickets for the event are officially available for those wanting to attend {wink-wink!}. There's also a Facebook page for the event , for those who'd like to be kept up to date on details, or mark up their FB calendars. I've had a busy and productive couple of weeks in the studio. Firstly, the final results of my very-blue painting sessions: My (incredibly) blue painted table. I've been dragging my feet on the clean-up. I'll just be a quick switch-a-roo of the contact paper, but there are more important thing to attend to… plus I may be pressed for more paper-painting in the near future. I can just FEEL it; a paper-feather shortage is in the forecast for next week. Blue painted papers (and fabric). And dah-DAHH-DAAHH! The final color pallet and fabric selection for my garment(s): Peacock color pallet. I should have my sketches and dress cons...

Paper painting/studio floor. The evidence of my studio work/play today is embedded in my hands: they're peacock blue-green. Even after a couple passes with a loofa there are still some blue-filled creases. My blue-green hand posing in front of painted surfaces. This acrylic has some impressive staying power. My work surface was affected a bit too: Blue surface phase 1. Blue Surface phase 2. Why am I so blue? The Miracle Providers NE are hosting a Wearable Art Exhibition on October 4th, and I am assembling a tissue paper jacket for the fashion show. The jacket is going to require a LOT of material… blue material. The once-white contact paper coating of my work surface is screaming for a change, but I'm not quite finished with the painting, so this will have to wait a little longer. I will be sharing some more work in progress on my art garment once I can get past the paper-prep work. I have some sketches and a mood-board I can share in the near-future.

Morning collaging - torn papers and glue. I'm still here. Quietly working on my portfolio… neglecting my blog. The past month was filled with doodling and other paper-cutting activities. On top of that I'm slowly, slowly, slowly building out my studio space to make it viewer-friendly. Priority number one is polishing off my portfolio for the New England chapter Society of Children's Book Writers and Illustrator's conference . I've only got one more week left on the timeline, but I'm feeling confident with the book organization as it stands. Though I still have oodles of work to complete by next Friday, I'm close to press and assembly, so the deadline doesn't feel scary-close (this time around). Fingers crossed for my postcards. They should be landing some time Friday or Saturday, so let's keep our eyes on the mailbox for them. ~Samantha

Illustration contest submission for Jane Yolen's "Infirm Pachyderm". As one can see, I have been heavily involved with elephants lately. Nothing wrong with that! The New England SCBWI Conference (Society of Children's Book Writers and Illustrators) is only a couple weeks away. I had to pause portfolio preparations to submit to this year's poster illustration contest: Jane Yolen's poem "Infirm Pachyderm". My gut reaction to the first 30 or so reads were all somber. I wanted to gauge other illustrator's responses, so I preformed an image search... same reactions there. Since the poem is written for an audience that's Middle Grade age group at max, I wanted to illustrate a positive spin on the poem's outcome. Construction the illustration was a little less positive. I'm going to admit I have a weakness with Black & White drawing, so naturally I wanted to cut TONS of grey-scale images! Since my technique dwells on paper tex...