A Lazy Afternoon at Pete's

I don't remember where the idea came from, or how it began, or the moment I finally signed the drawing at the bottom, but A Lazy Afternoon with Pete has always been a favourite of mine to flip back to.

 

Pete's stranded caravan, surrounded by his many scattered belongings.

 

Woe sometimes spends his afternoon with his dear friend Pete the spider. He is served cup of tea after cup of tea, while Pete excitedly tells the stories about his many adventures in the great big world.

Woe would tell you that the best thing about Pete's house is that there was always a new story to hear with another cup of tea.

Here they are caught in a single glorious and lazy moment in time, simply enjoying each other's company.

That Forgotten Sock

 

 

Oh, the excitement of finding a lost sock, dusty and long forgotten under the bed. I could jump for joy.

Tim's Favourite Pass-time

     Sometime ago, I began to write a story about a boy named Edward who found himself in the clutches of a constant and unending boredom. I began scribbling down the first words into the pages of my notebook, taking the arbitrary thoughts as they came and putting them into sentences and paragraphs. Some pages into the story, I began to peer out of the windows of the house and away from the doings of Edward. I instead looked across the street, where an old man played croquet on his front lawn. I found that, though the discovery of this old man had been an accident, he and his doings were far more interesting than the rest of the story.

His name was Tim, and as I continued to write and rewrite the story, I found that Tim remained unchanged in every draft. 

 

With the story almost complete, I wanted to share the drawing that finally took the character I had written about and put him into a picture, just as I saw him in my mind when I first looked across the street on that dreary day.

 

The Nine Pursue the One

   "The Riders seemed to sit upon their great steeds like threatening statues upon a hill, dark and solid, while all the woods and land about them receded as if into a mist." (The Fellowship of the Ring, Book 1, Chapter 12: Flight to the Ford, pg.278.)

This painting was done some time ago. It was inspired by the corresponding scene in Peter Jackson's film.

Two is Twice as Better

There once was a Mitzu, who lived in Nat’s shoe.

He had white fur, and his feet were covered in poo.

He loved to nap and snore through the entire day;

but then at night he liked to sing and play.

He’d sing concertos and sopranos, for people to hear and rejoice.

For the world to heed and cry at his most marvellous voice.

Crowds would gather to listen, cats would gaze up in stupefaction;

and even the sight of Mitzu would get such a reaction.

Mitzu, you see, was a cat so very white.

His fur coat would shine brighter yet in the spotlight.

Dazing you with his majesty, people have and will,

seen him and cried ‘are you an angel?’

Mitzu was a talented cat. He can be a rabbit, mouse or cat.

Though no matter what he is, he’s always fat. (and in that,

I mean he was stuffed with talent.)

So Mitzu will go down in legend, you see.

As the grandest, greatest, talentesticiest cat, mouse, rabbit in history.

 

Tante Willabee Takes the Cake

 

 

"Tante Willabee, to put it lightly, did not travel light. In fact, even when she was not traveling, she was not very light. Tante Willabee loved frosted cake, especially the extra frosted kind." (Woe's Many Meetings, Professor Joe.)

 

 

Depicted here is Tante Willabee, standing as if in a dream before a slice of tea-time cake. The unfortunate soul who left it unattended will soon return only to find their plate empty.

A Booksdragon's Hoard

It is common knowledge that dragons are hoarders. They collect what they hold most valuable, guarding their treasure for as long as they live. For most dragons, it is gold and gems. But for others, it is books and knowledge which they seek. They are called Bookdragons; they hibernate in their librarian lairs by reading every book and tome from underneath them. These 'Bookswyrms' are rarely seen without a book at hand.

This drawing was inspired by my brother, and I hope that it, in turn, will inspire him.

Heartbreak

A Poem About Heartbreak

There once was a mother,

who went yon suther,

and bought her son some shoes.

She then went back,

with these shoes that were black,

and gave them to her son.

"Your shoes are so old,

those shoes are so bad," she jittered.

"So full of holes, it makes me sad."

"But mother," he said,

"Why must I throw them away?"

She said: "'They make you look like a hobo,'

they'd say."

So the very next day,

her son went to school,

convinced by his mother that these shoes were actually cool.

But he'd been played for a fool, as these had been lies,

and now he walked around with shoes twice his size.

 

Neighbour to a Dragon

This dragon tries on his new pair of shoes, a gift given from his thoughtful neighbours. Though the shoes themselves don't fit him, he is thrilled that at last his new found friends have reached out to him with a token of neighbourship and acceptance. After trying the shoes on and examining his happy self in the mirror, he returns them to their door with a note politely stating that the shoes are slightly too small for him, but he is thankful for their consideration and he really hopes they have a good afternoon.

There is Much To Read

"You must lurk in libraries and climb the stacks like ladders to sniff books like perfumes and wear books like hats upon your crazy heads."

        ~Ray Bradbury                           

Midnight Meetings

A few years ago, I began a series called Midnight Meetings. Since then, I have continued to follow this fox in my drawings, and learnt more about him with each piece. I tried putting his story down on a page, but couldn't get it right. After many attempts, I have now completed the poem. Here is the art piece that finally told me what this sly fox was up to.

Between the Spaces