Illustrator Jarrett Krosoczka starts his own ripple... The "Joe and Shirl Scholarship"

New excitement in the world of Illustrator do-gooding is going on!
Ripple's own contributor and Illustrator Extraordinaire- Jarrett Krosoczka has created a wonderful foundation to raise funds to provide scholarships for art studies to kids with family challenges.  The "Joe and Shirl Scholarship" honors the gift his Grandparents gave him- the chance to pursue his dreams - by paying it forward.

All of the info can be found HERE   

The auctions went live today.

I am particularly excited by the chance to be a character in a Lunch Lady book. Ripple had lots and lots of wonderful librarians supporting our cause- I know, in part because of the faboo illustrators who gave original art- So, Come on Back now ya hear? - Seriously, what better thing to do then find a way to give back what we can - especially when we feel so lucky ourselves to be where we are. Give a kid an opportunity to explore art and get some great art at the same time. It's a win - win!

Pour a Tofurkey- pardon a bird , Happy Thanksgiving!

The Sketchables celebrate Thanksgiving traditions!

ahh Life...

I am burnt toast.

Ripple burnt me out. Since September 19th - I have had to get out
the butter knife and try to scrape off the crusty burnt bits and
get back to work.

40 came and kicked my ass.
I have to concentrate a bit less on art and a bit more on
health.
Funny - just as you start to see the fruits of the hours and hours
spent Butt-in-chair drawing, painting and writing... all of those
hours show on that butt and in your blood test.

So I have started 3 days a week with a personal trainer.
I hate it.
I won't lie.
It bites.

But I'll do it for my  health and my life and for my daughter and
will try to regroup and make myself
golden brown buttery good toast again. (OK smart balance
- heart healthy spread good)

Land HO!!!

I had to do it. I had to doodle Steven Page again. If you've read this blog since it started- or if you go back and look- you'll see him make a few guest appearances.

The last time was when The Barenaked Ladies split.

4 in one direction- 1 out on his own.

It's been a long 2 years.

There is a bit of marital discord in my house- my husband stands with the BNL guys and their musical adventure. Me, I waited and waited for Steve to resurface from his voyage of self discovery.

It was so worth the wait. The first listen to his new cd "Page One" and my ears hollered "Oh Thank You!"

It's really really good. Like "Holy Crap" good. It's all that he was these past 20 years and so much more. It's his musical "This is me." 

I saw him at the Highline in NYC a week ago. Sitting center room, the stage was scattered with cool old stuff. The music stands and the fabric all the same blue of his website and his cd cover. Details like this jazz me so much. He has such an eye. The visual impact is very important and he gets that. His opening act was weirdly great and so perfect for what he's doing now. She energized the audience but left us with a feeling of being exposed to something really different- just what we needed to feel as he walked onstage and started with a new song.

 "A New Shore"

It's my favorite song on the cd. It's as cleverly written as anything he's ever written but it's also a declaration. It 's a song that builds to a climax- Land Ho! Land Ho! sung full throttle. He's got balls as big as Texas - walks out there opens that ginormous mouth and WHAM! - a great show has begun. Every new song is good. I enjoyed them more than the old. The band is a quirky crew that I felt complemented him wonderfully. Song to song- the way he talks to the audience and jokes about the last few years is self deprecating without making concessions or apologies. He wouldn't be here- if he hadn't been there. And that's what it's all about as an artist.

It was the best live show I have seen in a very, very long time. Of course I am 20 years emotionally invested in his career, but I would recommend seeing him to any non BNL fan. See him. 

See a Steven Page show.

opening act http://www.katemillerheidke.com/

Steven Page's website:  http://www.stevenpage.com/