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When I began this blog I thought I’d write something every month or so…then the months passed by very quickly.  There was work to do, deadlines to meet, my wonderful husband who deserved my attention, cats to care for, a house that demanded attention…the months passed.  Suddenly it was another year.  Really?…What happened?!

So now it looks like I’ll write when I really have something to share with you, and this is one of those times. 

First…a little background...  North Light Books publishes a number of art books and magazines.  Among them is the Strokes of Genius The Best of Drawing series, which is held as an annual international competition.  In 2011 I was very honored to have them select my drawing of our cat, Sleepy, to be included in Volume 6 of that publication.  Last year the North Light publishers decided to look back through the editions of several of their books series [Strokes of Genius (drawing), Acrylic Works (acrylics), Splash (watercolors), and Incite (mixed media works)] and compile a book on animals—Art Journey Animals: A Collection of Inspiring Contemporary Masterworks.  This was quite a lot of work on their part—thousands of artworks--as Strokes of Genius now has 8 volumes, Splash has 17 – I don’t know about the others.  And, yes, you’ve already guessed it—they chose my drawing of Sleepy to be included in the Masterworks book!  There was no submission of a drawing in this instance—it came out of the blue for me—Sleepy was chosen from all those publications.  I had no idea this was happening—they emailed me and told me they wanted to include my drawing!!!!!  Yes, I jumped up and down!  And the book is absolutely gorgeous—some of the artists included are people whose work I’ve admired for years.  To have my drawing included with their work overwhelms me.  So next time you’re in Barnes & Noble or another favorite bookseller, please take a look at it, but you may not be able to leave without it, especially if you’re an animal lover.  Dogs, cats, wildlife, birds, horses…every page is wonderful.  Sleepy is on page 61--see an image of his page here!

I hope you’re having a wonderful, healthy, and happy New Year…as for me, I’m going back to the studio.  Lots to do! 

From Art Journey Animals by Jamie Markle
Here at North Light Books, we see a lot of art. It wasn’t too surprising when one of the staff members asked why we didn’t have a book that showcased the amazing animal paintings and drawings that we’ve seen. It's such a popular subject, I don’t know why we hadn’t thought of it sooner. After looking at thousands of paintings and drawings, we narrowed them down to 207 works to create Art Journey: Animals.
As I selected the pieces for the book, several of the featured artists mentioned some common themes when describing what inspired their work. Here are some of them:
• The special bond that these artists feel to animals, both domestic and wild, is clearly apparent. This bond connects them to nature in a way that relationships with people do not. Capturing this unity with nature is what drives many of these artists to work with animals as subjects.
• In many ways, these works are more than animals as subjects, but portraits of beloved pets or respected wildlife. The artists, through observation and research, have developed specific traits or features of a particular animal to tell a visual story, relay a specific incident or showcase a behavior unique to that particular subject.
• The texture of fur and feathers provides an opportunity for many artists to explore patterns and repetition found in nature. Many enjoy exploring these textures, which can be both challenging and delightful. Artists found some innovative ways to capture a variety of textures, both on the animals and in the backgrounds. …
• Many artists spoke of how they wanted to capture the look found in their subject’s eyes, stating how important this is to capturing the spirit of the subject.
• Honoring animals is also a common theme of inspiration for these artists. For some, it’s the connection to a beloved household member. Others may want to raise awareness for feral cats or shelter dogs. Still others want to celebrate the majesty of wildlife.
Above all, the thing that is most evident (and most important) is that the artists are clearly working with subjects that they love and have put years of painting and drawing practice into their work. As a fellow lover of both animals and art, I hope you’ll feel the same connection that I felt as I selected these pieces for this book. ~Jamie