Happy Holidays!

My Christmas card for 2009 and home made ceramic dog menorah. Happy Chrismecha? Whatever works for you. Make it happy anyway.

Thank you!

New thank you cards from Cardmix

Bluebird and Coyote

Sneak peek from a new book by Malachy Doyle, out this March but already on Amazon.co.uk for pre-orders. Its a retelling of a really beautiful Native American folk tale about how a coyote and a bird turned blue but only the bird stayed that way.Poor Coyote...

A&B Illustration

Editorial for Accounting and Business Magazine about new economic growth. This will be spread over four pages (click to enlarge)

70's flower pots and fish

This Scandinavian style card design was rejected for being a little too retro. They might have a point there... The fish might be developed into something but I'm not sure yet. They will make nice prints anyway. Maybe for my (future) Etsy store?

LISA LARSON CAT

My version of the famous Lisa Larson cat from the 50's.
Mine looks more like a kitten. I love it.
My lovely ceramics vacation has ended. back to the computer screen... sigh

















































The original:

The Birds Floor

I went to see this beautiful mosaic floor near Cesarea today. It's in the center of a late Byzantine palace (early 7th Century) that was opened to the public very recently.
there are 120 medallions with pictures of local birds in the center and fruit trees and other animals along the edges.

Ceramic horses

My favorites. Both are inspired by 50's Scandinavian style but the big one is a tribute to Stig Lindberg

Work I do when I'm on vacation

I'm home in Israel for 2 weeks so I finally have some time for ceramics which I LOVE. Here is some of the stuff I made this week so far.

VALENTINE CARDS

New Valentine's Day card samples arrived from Cardmix.
Available anywhere Cardmix is sold (in the UK)

My design in Kmart

My unicorn textile design on a little girl's top in Kmart

The ArtBook 2010

Promotional piece for the next ArtBook. Its also the opening page for my agent's - NB Illustration - section of the catalog

DAPHNE and APOLLO

So ran the god and girl, he sped by hope and she by fear. But he, borne on the wings of love, ran faster, gave her no respite, hot on her flying heels and breathing close upon her shoulders and her tumbling hair. Her strength was gone; the travail of her flight vanquished her, and her face was deathly pale. And then she was at the river, swift Peneus, and called; `Help, father, help! (...) her tender bosom was wrapped in thin smooth bark, her slender arms were changed to branches and her hair to leaves; her feet but now so swift were anchored fast in numb stiff roots, her face and had became the crown of a green tree; all that remained of Daphne was her shining loveliness. And still Phoebus loved her; on the trunk he placed his hand and felt beneath the bark her heart still beating, held in his embrace her branches, pressed his kisses on the wood; yet from his kisses the wood recoiled. `My bride’, he said, `since you can never be, at least, sweet laurel, you shall be my tree. My lure, my locks, my quiver you shall wreathe.' . . . Thus spoke the god; the laurel in assent inclined her new-made branches and bent down, or seemed to bend, her head, her leafy crown."
Ovid, Heroides 15. 23 ff

STUDIO SHOOT

Originally made this doll for the kids section of the Tom Cody Design (my day job) website but we ended up not using it. I took her picture in the studio. She is also wearing one of my prints.

4 PILLOW DESIGNS

These were part of my sister's wedding present last year. They are now part of her brand new house. The birds design was based on my little kitchen mural.

PERSEUS AND ANDROMEDA

Part yet untold, the seas began to roar, And mounting billows tumbled to the shore. Above the waves a monster rais'd his head, His body o'er the deep was widely spread: (...) Too long you vent your sorrows, Perseus said, Short is the hour, and swift the time of aid, In me the son of thund'ring Jove behold, Got in a kindly show'r of fruitful gold. Medusa's snaky head is now my prey, And thro' the clouds I boldly wing my way. If such desert be worthy of esteem, And, if your daughter I from death redeem, Shall she be mine? Shall it not then be thought, A bride, so lovely, was too cheaply bought? For her my arms I willingly employ, If I may beauties, which I save, enjoy.
Metamorphoses book V By Ovid

Some Greek Myth lovers for lovers of Greek Myth

Been really busy lately but I'm hoping to get enough Greek Mythology illos done for a show in Israel in October.
It's a lot of work and there's not much time left but something I always wanted to do. we'll see how it goes.
These are missing some decorative elements but almost finished.

Peter and the Wolf

Promotion for a series of concerts that ended earlier this year: The Family Series - Peter and the Wolf by the Cleveland Orchestra. Always loved the music and the story (mine is read by David Bowie )

Even now those violins still give me chills...


label: RCA VICTOR Originally released: 1992

HORSE CRAZY is out!

It looks great!
I was nervous because I worked on it for so long but I'm very happy.
I love the 2 color illustrations.
Here is a little sample.
I couldn't possibly post all the illustrations i did for this 376 page books. I'm afraid you'll just have to buy it and see for yourselves.

KATE CANN BOOKS

The three Kate Cann books arrived last week looking very nice in foil embossed covers.
I really like the way they are designed.

NEW BOOKS PREVIEW

Just finished 2 animal folk tales books for Oxford University Press:



illustration for Hare Takes A Wife from Animal tricksters


illustration for Samson and the Scaredy Cats
from When A Cat Ruled The World

ZODIAC POSTER - part2

ZODIAC POSTER - part 1

Hades And Persephone

"...you must go back again beneath the secret places of the earth, there to dwell a third part of the seasons every year: yet for the two parts you shall be with me and the other deathless gods. But when the earth shall bloom with the fragrant flowers of spring in every kind, then from the realm of darkness and gloom thou shalt come up once more to be a wonder for gods and mortals"

HYMN TO DEMETER By Homer, translated by Hugh G.Evelyn-White

The Ark Project

Earlier this year I was invited to take part in the Arc Project - It's a collaboration of illustrators and contemporary designers from all around the globe to raise awareness of local endangered species. 200 illustrators and designers got a page in a book each: "The idea is to generate an animal bible showing the different species around the globe with artist from each corner of the planet. Each one of them representing an animal or specie from their homeplace"My animal is a leopard - a little smaller then his African brother the Sinai Leopard, (Panthera Pardus Jarvis) is down to less then 20 individuals in the Sinai Desert. It used to be common there and it is mentioned in the bible many times. My biblical leopard is looking quite fierce in Hebrew letters.


The book will be pre-released in July in Asia and will launch officially at the TMDG Design Congress in Argentina in October

Horse Crazy

Last week I finished a book I've been working on for 10 months of late nights. The book is from Storey Publishing and it's called HORSE CRAZY - 1,001 Fun Facts, Craft Project, Games, Activities and Know-How for Horse-Loving Kids by Jessie Hass. It has over a hundred 2-colors spot illustrations (by me!) which makes it look even more like those old fashion books for kids with fun facts, craft project, games and activities and lots of illustrations - something like the girl scout handbook. I used to love those books,
I cant wait to see this one!
(here's a little taste)