ConnieMcLennanBlog

Twenty20 Show

2022-04-25T15:01:00.001-07:00

I look forward to showing 20 images of mixed media ice cream cones during the Twenty20 Show in Sacramento in May and June. Fun that one of my images was used for the promos. See more images on Instagram.

Cold Wax Abstract

2021-07-03T19:06:00.002-07:00

3.5"x5" cold wax mixed media

Having fun with some small cold wax medium and oil abstracts float framed on black.

Birches

2021-04-06T18:32:00.002-07:00

8 x 8" oil and cold wax on panel

My second iteration of a painting that did not end up at all where I intended. The scan is too contrast-y and does not pick up all the texture and more subtle variations of this medium. Time to try a bigger one.

Eucalyptys Tangle, Revisited

2021-03-29T14:45:00.005-07:00

8 x 8" oil and cold wax medium on panel

To say I have been in a slump would be an understatement. Posting this undoubtedly is premature, but as a way back, I'm trying a new medium. Even after getting a how-to book and supplies, I was paralyzed by uncertainty and fear-of-failure for a week. Finally settled on re-working an earlier unsuccessful painting. I'm not sure that was the best choice, but I think I improved it a bit, and I did learn.

The wax basically turns oil paint into stiff, matte, pastel-like paste. Unless you add a lot of medium like Galkyd or Liquin, it doesn't blend much when applied. The benefits of this are that colors stay clean, and it basically forces you to work in layers. The textures and mark-making are intriguing new components.

Old Friend

2021-02-16T17:49:00.006-08:00

12" x 12" oil on panel

On some level, painting is always transactional for me; I find it almost impossible paint "for myself". So doing something for a friend provides motivation and therefore is actually self-serving.

Green Apple Redux

2021-02-08T23:40:00.006-08:00

9 x 12" oil on canvas

On the spur of the moment, I cropped and partially repainted this 10-year-old, problematic workshop painting. Thinking of submitting it as a donation, not sure. Thalo green is always weird.

Spring Promise

2020-10-15T20:23:00.008-07:00

5" x 5" oil on gessoed paper

My donation to the Westmont Ridely-Tree Museum of Art fundraiser. The auction can be seen December 3 - December 18 at Celebrating 10 years: 5x5. It was lovely being invited to submit a piece. Perhaps I will paint again sometime. 😄

On Dormancy

2020-04-11T15:05:00.000-07:00

I bought this unsent Marjolein Bastin card many years ago; maybe it was for me from me. Having survived a significant crisis or two, I am somewhat familiar with being forced to accept an unwanted “new normal”, as well as with creative dormancy. Trauma does not necessarily produce better art, but it can provide some insights.

Recently on Medium, Julio Vincent Gambuto wrote, “what happened is…the greatest gift ever unwrapped. Not the deaths, not the virus, but The Great Pause…What the crisis has given us is a once-in-a-lifetime chance to see ourselves and our country in the plainest of views…Take a deep breath, ignore the deafening noise, and think deeply about what you want to put back into your life. This is our chance to define a new version of normal, a rare and truly sacred opportunity to get rid of the bullshit and to only bring back what works for us, what makes our lives richer…” (https://forge.medium.com/prepare-for-the-ultimate-gaslighting-6a8ce3f0a0e0)

May our faded spirits emerge from dormancy renewed with the creative energy this world needs.

Here's a little experiment from just before this all began. I wanted to play more with textures and the Acryla Gouache I enjoyed using for the last book, but failed to get the results I wanted.

Saved by the Bell

2020-02-20T19:28:00.002-08:00

8" x 8" Acryla Gouache on panel

Since painting most of the last book in this medium, I have been wanting to try it for something totally different. For a demo next week, I thoughtg this might be easy and fun for kids. I love this paint. It's very matte, and I'm debating whether to leave it or finish it with a gloss varnish.

Children's Book Council feature

2019-11-11T22:57:00.002-08:00

The Children's Book Council featured me recently on their "From the Sketchbook" page!

Loving the Redwoods to Death

2019-10-01T09:39:00.000-07:00

Photo by Max Foster, in Redwoods Magazine. Brett Silver, California State Parks Acting Sector Superintendent, points to the base of a Titan where visitors have stripped vegetation and exposed the gigantic tree’s roots.

It's difficult to convey the redwoods' majesty and mystique in a mere children's book. Based on reviews of The Forest in the Trees, I think responses have a lot to do with whether or not readers have actually experienced them. Folks in redwood country love it--for others it's apparently just OK. Only 10% of Americans have ever seen a big redwood up close. And maybe that's for the best.

Visitors have created unofficial trails and trampled plants in Jedediah Smith Redwoods State Park to get to the Grove of Titans, some of the largest and oldest coast redwoods. Researchers stumbled upon the grove in 1998, and people eventually learned the location despite efforts to protect the area by keeping it secret. The network of trails is compacting the soil, exposing the root systems and creating a host of other serious problems.

"In response, Save the Redwoods League, California State Parks, the National Park Service, and Redwood Parks Conservancy have partnered to mitigate the damage and ongoing threats to the Grove of Titans, while allowing for an unforgettable experience in this magnificent grove. Work will begin in the fall of 2019 to remove unsanctioned trails and rehabilitate the damaged habitat and compacted and eroding soil. The project will also include construction of elevated walkways to and around the grove to guide visitors safely without damaging the understory, and installation of restrooms and trash receptacles along Howland Hill Road. In addition, interpretive materials and signage will tell the story of the grove’s restoration, the ecosystem’s sensitivity, and the global importance of this truly special place." - Redwoods Magazine, Spring/Summer 2019

First signing event

2019-09-09T19:58:00.001-07:00

Books arrived from Charleston on Wednesday, and I had a great evening signing at Eureka Books last Saturday during Eureka's (packed) Arts Alive event. The next day we drove Avenue of the Giants and over to the Rockefeller Grove in Humboldt Redwoods State Park. After all the work on the book and not seeing the redwoods for a LONG time, it was great to finally be IN the forest again.

Redwood Jewelry

2019-07-26T18:39:00.001-07:00

When I had the idea of dressing up my electroplated redwood cones and leaves with a little beadwork, did any of my beading friends warn me it could be addictive...or cause a repetitive motion WRIST INJURY?? No, of course not. I've had to learn that the hard way. I bought 24 pendants and have made 12 necklaces. Now I have to take two days off between each one or suffer the consequences--by which I mean doing anything with my right hand, including holding a coffee cup, causes pain. Good grief.

Expecting printed books in late August, and ramping up for events that begin in mid-September-- feeling guilty about not working on my "next" book...or maybe painting again for a change.

I Made A Tree

2019-05-19T12:29:00.001-07:00

I used foam core board, spray insulation foam, redwood bark, and supplies from the railroad hobby store to make this 60-inch-tall model--a table-top prop for book shows and school presentations to give some idea of the redwoods’ immensity. At 1.5", the little people at the base are roughly to scale for a 250-foot redwood. However, many coast redwoods are over 300', and the tallest is nearly 380'.

Easter painting resurrection

2019-04-21T18:59:00.002-07:00

Raven, 8x8" oil on panel

It has been 3 months since I finished book illustrations, 9 months since I've painted, and I've had a bigger-than-usual mental block about starting something. More than ever, I want to do something different, something less constrained, something somehow easier and less labored. Now that I've finally squeezed out paint, maybe I'll be able to keep going--at least until I get a release date and can work more effectively on marketing the book.

Author "Onesheet"

2019-04-01T12:24:00.000-07:00

I took a break from bookmark making and spent yesterday working on my author "onesheet." Still anxiously awaiting a firm release date.

The Bookmark Factory

2019-03-30T18:13:00.001-07:00

Coast redwoods, the tallest trees on Earth (350+ ft.), make tiny cones, with seeds about the size of tomato seeds. I find that, like many things about the redwoods, amazing. The cones are the perfect size for attaching to bookmarks.

This week I am a bookmark factory. First on the assembly line is dipping the cones in a preservative, then gluing on "upeye" jewelry findings. While they dry, I am cutting out and laminating the bookmarks and waiting for some green satin cord to arrive. Sometimes mindless work is fun.

Book Promotion Give-aways

2019-03-26T20:58:00.000-07:00

I've been brainstorming promotion ideas and came up with these bookmarks with redwood cone "tassles". Way more effort goes into making them than is practical, but I'm indulging my craftsy side. A lot of front yards in our area have redwood trees, so I collect cones every time I walk now. (Oddly, not all young--meaning under 50 years old--redwood trees seem to make cones.) Then I dip them in stain and polyurethane, add tiny jewelry findings, print/laminate/cut out the bookmarks, and assemble.

Who Am I?

2019-03-14T13:11:00.002-07:00

A painter? An illustrator? A paralegal? (experiment over) A professional student? An author? A jack of all trades? Seems it changes every other year. Anyway, seven months ago I became an author-illustrator; so while I wait for the release of The Forest in the Trees later this year, I'm researching the ins and outs of book promotion. Posting and tweeting may be an important part of that effort, so here we go.

Society of Children's Book Writers and Illustrators

2019-03-10T20:26:00.003-07:00

In anticipation of my book release (hopefully in September) and after being out of publishing for 9 years, I re-joined SCBWI today. I uploaded three (of 14) books and half a dozen illustrations to the website before the process of entering all the required information totally exhausted me.

Ironstone Vineyards Spring Obsession Show

2019-03-05T07:10:00.001-08:00

“Pucker Up” 8x8” oil on board

I had a great time seeing old art school friends at Ironstone’s reception last Saturday and was surprised by the Judgse Award (basically an honorable mention) for my lemon painting. See other winners on the Ironstone Museum Blog.

Cover Mock-up

2018-10-13T21:27:00.000-07:00

For the next 18 weeks, this will be my life.

Thumbnails

2018-10-08T12:27:00.000-07:00

The mountain has been surveyed, beginning the climb. Finished illustrations due Feb 15, 2019.

Back in the book business

2018-08-28T17:12:00.000-07:00

The Rainforest Grew All Around, illustrated in 2006, became Arbordale Publishing's top-selling book. For a decade, I've had the idea of doing something similar with the coast redwoods. In the meantime, a couple of kids' books on this subject have published. None are exactly what I had in mind, so this month I finally submitted a manuscript.

After 30 years that included13 books, I thought my illustrating days were over; but never say "never." If all goes well, The Forest that Lives in the Trees will release in 2019, and for the first time I'll also be the author. Both books are cumulative verse, but instead of "The Green Grass Grew All Around," mine is based on "The House that Jack Built" and focuses on the micro-forest high in the redwood canopy.

"Deep in the woods near a foggy sea,

There’s a hidden forest that lives in the trees..."

Time to dust off the watercolor brushes.

Lemon Series No. 1

2018-08-27T14:13:00.000-07:00

6 x 6 in. oil on panel

This is my first small painting in two years. "Series" may be optimistic, I dunno--we'll see. Trying for a little higher key, less contrast than my usual.