Seasons Greetings 2024!

A very merry festive season to all my friends and followers!

It’s been a steady, but eventful year here, with some memorable moments, some projects going on I can’t reveal yet, and lots of focused energy! On the production side developing ideas for picture books has been at the fore. Writing for children is a different challenge from illustration, picture books balance two types of storytelling (visual and narrative), author-Illustrators need to be multi-talented to command both disciplines to the same standard, and I make no claims for myself. I’ve always had ideas a-plenty, but this year work to polish these for submission has been solid, with much support from my critique group in London.

My festive card this year taps into the glow of Christmas seasons of youth. For many years when I was in Tokyo I barely celebrated Christmas beyond very humble markers with my own immediate family. Although it’s promoted in Japanese shops, Christmas is not celebrated, at least not in the way many Westerners are used to, festivities are reserved for New Year, a much more important occasion.Thus there was a lot of catching up to do when daughter and I moved back to the UK, in mid December no less, and found ourselves in the deep end of UK celebrations. It was all quite overwhelming, and remained so for a few years, even now it astounds me how enormous, and how early the promotions start in this country. Not that I don’t love Christmas - I’m an enormous fan of the heartfelt fantastical side, of the imaginative storytelling, the glow of the hearth, the carol singing, the ghost stories, the companionship and, after 12th night, the wassailing and and the whole magical side marking the onset of winter. As I eventually get into the groove every year (usually well into December!), my heart is always drawn back to the nostalgia of childhood and Christmases long gone that from this point in time seem to have been somewhat more intimate, less commercialised, and profoundly magical. It’s probably as much a rose-tinted flawed memory as any, but it sparks some ideas for Christmas illustrations!

I’m often asked where people can buy my cards - actually I’m not producing these to sell at the moment, but plans are afoot!

In the past goods, prints and stationery from my work was always undertaken by others - usually as add-on developments of bigger commissions - event promotion tie-ins, product-related gifts, exhibition promos and such like. So taking the reins myself, creating artwork specifically for greetings, selling and marketing my own ‘stuff’, e.g. greetings cards, is something rather outside my experience which I want to get more of a grip on. The end of year Solstice/Christmas/New Year season is the biggie! Maybe next year will be the one I finally get on top of goods & stationery!

For now however, it’s time to relax for a few days, and embrace the warmth, harmony, peace and conviviality of the occasion. Despite challenging news, I hope the year for you has been fruitful and rewarding. Daughter is back home from Uni for the season, so we’ll be enjoying all it delivers.

Bring it on! Ho ho ho!!