tonight, while putting together the slide show i found this painting from an old cicada assignment.
it was for the reprint of a ray bradbury short story called the april witch. it is a magical story, the kind that fills your head up like the memories of a vivid dream do. i was completely overwhelmed at first. did such a story even need pictures? but this thought was quickly followed by the delight that it was my job to illustrate a story that so inspired me. (and a bit star-struck. Ray Bradbury,who like me lived in LA) it also dawned on me that my illustrations would (hopefully) encourage readers to read this story. for them my pictures would come first, the greater thrill of the story second.i delighted in teasing out details from the manuscript and tucking them into my drawing, hinting, hinting at what was in store. (do you see the profile in her hair? don't you wonder why it is there and what they are saying? don't you want to read the story now?)
