Ryan's eyeball - a colored pencil illustration I did for an article on backyard water gardens published in Vineyard Style Magazine.
Today is my son Ryan's 21st birthday! Google "Ryan Bersani", he's really making his mark on the world! Or better yet, pester him ryan_bersani@hotmail.com and tell him I sent you.
This is Big Blue. Simple name, right? She is big and she is blue. She was previously owned by Jerry Pallotta. Today I traded her in for a luscious black Mercury Mountaineer!
I am having a contest to pick a name for my new baby! I'll send an autographed copy of Ocean Counting Odd Numbers to the person who suggests the best name. I'll give it one week from today - February 21. Good luck!
I spent the last four days in New York attending the Society of Children's Book Writers & Illustrators 7th Annual Winter Conference on Writing & Illustrating for Children. www.scbwi.org/events.htm
Barbara and I took the Limo Liner down to the Hilton New York www.limoliner.com on Thursday. Within a half an hour of arriving I heard a grapevine secret whispered to me that Ocean Counting Odd Numbers had been seriously considered for the Golden Kite Award. That set the tone for the weekend! I was thrilled!
Friday was spent attending Professional Illustrators Day events. I watched Caldecott Award winner David Diaz demonstrate one of his painting techniques.
On Saturday I took these photos during the Keynote addresses of David Almond and Marc Brown. Orbs show up on the second photo of each man - all photos were taken with the same Nikon, under the same lighting conditions - each set of photos taken within minutes of each other. Spirits, ghosts, a haunted Grand Ballroom in the NY Hilton? I'll leave it up to your own imagination...
Saturday night:
The Event:
The 4th Annual New York Showcase Children's Book Art Exhibit and Auction. One hundred and seventy-five children's book illustrators submitted an entry.
The Setting:
The Rhinelander Hall at the Hilton New York.
The Drama:
Me, melting into the wall for support when I first saw my painting displayed as one of the Top Ten pieces chosen by the jury. Tears rolled down my cheeks as I called each one of my children to tell them my good news.
The evening only got more dramatic!
Each of the 10 winning pieces received 100. and were then auctioned. The powers that be chose mine to auction off first. I cannot describe what it felt like to stand in front of the audience and watch as the bidding went higher and higher and higher... I cannot describe the joy that I felt having such a large group of my friends standing in the front cheering and hooting and applauding. ...Watching Monika elbowing her way through the crowd as the bidding continued.
When all was said and done and the auction completed my piece had sold for the highest amount, 100. higher than the next.
An absolutely wonderful woman from Brussels Belgium, Sheridan Becker, purchased "The Mouse Trap" for 800. I thank Sheridan with warmest regards!
Mat size 15x20, painted with gouache.
My post card:
The actual image:
And yes! We did some serious Manhattan celebrating that night at Stellas!
My latest book cover features my dear friend and fellow children's book illustrator Barbara Johansen Newman and her eldest son David. This is my fourth book cover for NSTA Press.
I am a children's book illustrator.
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