Sorcerers.

It is Christmas. Next through the slit in the door is this impressive looking childrens book catalogue from ALADIN. It features non other than Birgitta Sif's beautiful debut book Oliver. Birgitta developed the idea while she was a student on the Cambridge MA course in picture book illustration. I feel privileged that I witnessed Oliver from inception........I see she's in good company. I met publisher Klaus Humann in Munich last year, fittest publisher in the universe, I mean fit as in healthy and athletic.

Lionel Messi is my favourite artist.

Surprise. A second book delivered by air mail from Paris. Maybe I won't attempt to learn the French after all. Sergio Aquindo's sinister looking volume in these frenzied witch hunting times make my doodles look like Mabel Lucie Attwell.....
This is an obsessive work. Classical drawing/engraving of the beer bellied cross hatching technique dredged from a museum of dried skin and reptiles. Merry Christmas one an' all. Thank you Mr. Aquindo for your gift. My personal librarian is currently squeezing you in alongside the aquatic section, your neighbour is a turtle.  

Beatrice Alemagna. Chapter 2.

Time to learn French. Time to get my tongue around another language. Mime is embarrassing. See if your're kind, good things come to you. Presents by air mail from Paris. An autographed portrait. I am very fortunate. I am inspired to draw trees.

Salisbury, Cambridge.

Happy Birthday Professor Martin Salisbury. This drawing, in retrospect has a hint of a bad Searle impression. It must be a chemical discharge in the Cambridge water supply. 

Beatrice Alemagna:Trees are easy.

Drawn from memory of the night before.......

The bi-lingual Beatrice Alemagna speaks this afternoon and I've broken my promise that I would be there to ask a question. My copies of her books remain unsigned. No lion. 

P A R I S H N E W S....

B O O K M A R K:

What happened? You are in A & E. You fell from the top of a ladder. Down under. Might have to keep you in for observation. 

Observation: 

As they say be nice to the people on the way up. You might need them on the way down. Bit sudden. Just an observation.

Spoiling a book. Spilling the ink. Splashing the compliments. Soaking it up shirtsleeve stained. Sign on the dotted line. Read the small print. Skip the formalities. Witness witless.

Draw a little picture.