Due to my daughter Allison's car accident on January 2, 2014, I have "temporary custody" of her animals, from the clean out of her totalled car. While she is laid up with a broken kneecap, I get to draw and paint the precious "Kitty" who could possibly become the subject of a new book. No cuddling or feeding necessary, but these shabby fabric pets became a nice surprise for an additional illustration needed for the soon to be published (February 2015), new children's picture book, Three Tales, Four Dogs. "Kitty" and "Sock Monkey" are strewn on the lawn with Tank's "mess".
How wonderful is this? By using these things in my illustration, they become a recorded legacy of my daughter's childhood treasures. I think about Marc Brown's illustrations of the Arthur books and how those precious nooks of his house and scenes of the neighborhood must mimic his own environment and will document memories for years to come. This seems so simple a concept, but may end up being a goal in later books that I illustrate. (Marc Brown even hid his children's names in the labels of the objects and places in his books!!!)
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