I was in Nanaimo for a week prior to the Nanaimo Chidren’s Book Festival last Saturday May 5th.  I visited great schools and beautiful libraries all week before a wonderful day at the festival.  Nanaimo has always had the best festival and it was wonderful to return for what I think was my 4th time since 1991.

All festivals are great, organized by dedicated volunteers and attended by enthusiastic audiences, but there is something about Nanaimo that sets it apart.  Perhaps it is the location: Nanaimo set beside Departure Bay and tucked in by Newcastle and Protection Island is a beautiful place for a festival.  Or perhaps it is the people like Thora Howell who was the inspiration and guiding force behind the festival 26 years ago.  Like Thora, there is a group of dedicated hard working volunteers who take on the task of bringing such an event to life, too many to mention, but to whom appreciation goes out to from authors and illustrators across Canada.  I’m just one of many lucky enough to have been invited to share our work with young and old, and someone fortunate enough to be invited back.

This week I am charging my batteries on the beautiful far west coast of Canada in Tofino and Uclulet.  Canada is stunningly beautiful from ocean to ocean to ocean.  I wish there were a way to bring children from different parts of Canada to see what we have and to grow up appreciating the enormity and beauty of this amazing land.

Next week, thanks to Canada Council for the Arts and to private donors such as Dr. Alan Murdoch and parent donors of schools I will be visiting, I will be sharing my work once again in Edmonton.  I’m excited to be returning to the library to share my work, meeting the Children’s Roundtable members and doing drawing workshops as well as an evening PJ presentation.  Along with sharing the creative process and my love of books, it will be a time of drawing dragons, wearing pots and any other silly stuff that might happen.  One just never knows.  I guess that’s what makes it so much fun.

(I’ll post pictures just as soon as I get back from sketching on the beach!)

Very careful assistants holding art at St. Charles

On Wednesday October 12 I had the pleasure of visiting St. Charles and Eckoe Central Schools in Glencoe,  south-west of London Ontario.  I’ve been many times to Eckoe over the years but this was my first visit to St. Charles.  Not a big school with just 100 students, but oh what a great feeling in those halls.

Beautiful dragon drawn by Alex Donatis, grade 7 St. Charles

I shared my work with kids from JK to 8, and if I said we had so much fun that it was hard to stop even after almost an hour and half had passed for each presentation, it would be nothing but the truth. I took them into my studio and home with powerpoint, opened my portfolio to numerous pieces of original artwork which they, like kids in all the schools I visit, held with care, and drew, read stories and simply had a wonderful time with them.  We spoke of the challenges of learning to read,  the pleasures of a book, the ways to draw dragons and how to wear an Anti-sky-falling Helmet.

drawings done from the 12 Days of Drawing videosAnti-Sky-Falling Helmet Demonstration

by the students of St. Charles Grades 7 & 8

Last week I had the pleasure of four days visiting 12 schools and the library in beautiful St. Albert thanks to the generous support and sponsorship of the St. Albert Rotary Club.

I met wonderful people, great kids and teachers and an amusing fun loving group of Rotary members  who must be congratulated for their effort to fund yearly author/illustrator visits such as mine.

I’ve returned to a busy week, but once things settle I will post much of the art as well as the drawing tips I shared on my visit.  And of course, as many photos of the presentations as schools will send.  I had my camera along but in the rush from school to school, I failed to get as many shots as I’d hoped.  If anyone from the St. Albert Schools is reading this, please forward any shots you may have. I would love to see them.

Many thanks again for the invitation and for your warm and generous hospitality where ever I went.

Werner