Hello Readers,

Happy fall. A Horse Named Sky remains on the New York Times Bestseller still. I’m extending thanks to EVERYONE who has shown their support in any way - THANK-YOU! If you’ve ordered bookplates those will go out this week.

It has been a tremendous season for dahlias. The heat stuck around in Michigan and I was able to catch these end-of-season dahlias in my sketchbook. The deep purple are my favorite this year.

My Mom’s garden rarely disappoints with little wonders…

The purple parade extends from the garden to the kitchen. After researching (and a bit of procrastinating) I’m finally fermenting… and yes, surprise, purple. This jar below was all veggies, carrots, cauliflower, onions, red cabbage… and whatever else was in the fridge.

The flavor was tangy and worked well in a rice bowl. Curious to see how the flavor will mellow out over time in the fridge. Seems easy enough to add on top or to the side of dishes. I also tried to ferment some salsa, which took a bit longer. Overall, I liked the flavor and feel more confident about experimenting with more spices. (Maybe from next year’s spring garden?)

I’m focused on doing everything I can to help my gut health, seeing these colors change throughout the project was an unexpected joy. I had no idea how visually creative and inventive the process could be. There’s lots to learn about fermentation I can tell, a new technique for my Living Canvas. (And the lactobacilli takes LIVING to another level.) ;)

Hope the colors of fall feed your heart. When you see the color you love, squeal to spread the joy.

More soon.

Kirbi

I’m feeling a lot of momentum after the release of A Horse Named Sky. On our family trip to Lake Michigan, I packed a few sketching supplies to keep the creativity flowing.

My new basket was perfect for carrying supplies to our spot on the dune. New tools are an important shake-up. On a visit to my illustrator friend’s house, Deb Pilutti showed me some inking supplies I’m getting familiar with. I’m especially fond of this senneliner brush pen. It’s Payne’s grey, I don’t believe a true payne grey but I do like the blue hue.

The pens shown below I learned about from Emmy Kastner. With heat, they erase. Emmy demonstrated with a hair dryer in her studio. I’m familiar with the fabric versions of these pens for sewing but they are also available in the office supplies section.

I thought the friXion pens would be a unquie addition to my supplies pack for the beach. I could sketch moving subjects while the initial sketch lines disappear in the heat of the sun. Kind of like drawing against the clock in figure drawing class…. Fun!

But the wind on Lake Michigan kept my paper cool and the Michigan sun was not enough to make the lines disappear. Good news for those using these for writing.

Sketching on location is never without its challenges. Subjects move. Clouds roll. Some family members are known for their joy of a splashing….

Plenty of time for some drives near the lake shore for some inspiration and a few less distractions.

If you are going to try fricXion pens in your work recommend the ball roller version rather than the gel ones I have shown. The gel damages the paper a bit more with it’s pointy tip but it’s what Amazon could bring to me before we left for the trip.

I don’t mind the colored line holding together the drawing here and there.

A simple pack of tools on location can be a good thing. It isn’t easy with extra eyeballs around you - I try to enjoy being in nature and get in the zone.

I encourage myself to do something daring when I sketch, like drawing a flying bird that was only in view for a second. Go with the flow as they say! I’m not one to mess with a precious resting pup. I take breaks when they come - we are on vacation after all!

Observing subjects closely (whether or not the drawing turns out) is a meditation. Crohn’s has been giving me a heck of a time lately but staying submerged in my sketchbook is a powerful distraction from anything happening physically. This vacation was a much-needed rest!

Hope you get a break this week and try something new.

It’s back to the studio for us!

Last week I received the excellent news that A HORSE NAMED SKY is #4 on the Best Seller list! Thank-you to the book readers, sellers, and librarians who made this possible!

I’ve drawn my horse-loving heart out. Please enjoy this preview of the illustrated novel, A HORSE NAMED SKY published by Greenwillow Books which will release tomorrow. This book includes over one hundred black-and-white pastel drawings and an epic tale written by Rosanne Parry….

Click To Purchase A HORSE NAMED SKY

Click To Purchase A HORSE NAMED SKY

Click To Purchase A HORSE NAMED SKY

If you’ve purchased A HORSE NAMED SKY for yourself, or someone you love or asked your library to add it to their collection, THANK-YOU. Every purchase of A Horse Named Sky directly benefits Rosanne and I (no matter where you buy it!)

Now what should I make??

xox

Kirbi

A special part of my job as a creator of books for kids is that I get to connect with other creatives. The author of THE HURRICANE GIRLS, Kimberly Willis Holt, created a series of videos about THG with her daughter. The backdrop for their interview was in her garden, while Kimberly and I have never met, it was clear watching her videos we had a lot in common, especially gardening.

While watching her interview on Instagram (@kimberlywillisholt) I noticed the beautiful basket she used for her garden clippings. Lightweight, easy to hold, seemed like the perfect thing for me. Needless to say, I’ve been obsessed with finding THE ONE ever since.

Want to learn more about the author of Hurricane Girls? Click here.

At the farmers market in Oakland County, Evan and I went to get “produce” for the week but I was hoping today would be the day I’d find THE ONE. At the market, everyone packed under the pavilion as it was down pouring and we ended up right behind two women, who were carrying…. baskets. I give Evan the look of, “are you seeing this?!”

Unfortunately, there wasn’t a sign of anything even resembling wicker. While scrambling around looking for Evan’s favorite lettuce vendor, I ran into the two women again. This time I had to say something, I told them I loved their baskets and I have recently been inspired to find something like it. They recommend I might find something at plum market and Whole Foods, we had a laugh and they hassled my husband and told him to “get your girl a basket!”

So we headed right to Whole Foods. There she was! I was ecstatic, we loaded her with a few other things from our list and headed to one more stop.

I walked into Zerbos with my basket in tow and I’m grinning huge and feeling like red riding hood. Instantly a woman yelled across the store, “love your basket!” Evan, almost I fell to the ground laughing so hard. She suggested some flowers. It worked terrific for groceries. One thing is for sure, bye-bye, bruised bananas! I hope you too are finding joy in the little things these days.

Our home has been in a constant state of construction since we came here. As we finished these last projects, I’m feeling sentimental and finding the art in it all.

When we got here, we could barely weld a hammer. We’ve learned big lessons with every project about how to work with our hands, our community and our marriage. I loved this composition (created by Evan,) to hold up our window - a living canvas indeed.

In other updates, propagations this summer happened a bit later than usual but my plants didn’t seem too distressed about this.

I was quite concerned that I might loose this one but swift action and the right conditions, I’m going to have this one around for a long time, and some to share!

Did you get to see my article for Muddy Colors? This time, I wrote about drawing horses. To read the article, “Things to Think about When Drawing Horses” click here.

Happy Summer readers!

PS. Did you sign up for my SNAIL MAIL SUBSCRIPTION to get notices about what I’m up to?