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The Tomie dePaola eNewsletter By Bob Hechtel, with Tomie dePaola Yesterday afternoon, a moose wandered into Tomie’s yard. It stood under a tree and ate a few leaves from the branches above it. It walked along one of the flower beds, but I couldn’t tell if it ate anything. Then, it ambled to the tree line and disappeared behind the solid fence that’s in front of the trees. This past Sunday afternoon, a raccoon wandered into Tomie’s courtyard, the area between the house and the barn. It walked along the foundation of the house, stopped long enough to stand on its rear legs to look inside the house by the front door, and then headed off to the neighbors’ yards. Maybe the heavy rains of the last few weeks have disturbed the animals’ normal routines and habitats. Now that it’s June, Tomie spends most of his days working the “back 40” tending to his crops. Well, in this case, the “back 40” is a 3’ x 3’ wooden planter that is raised 3’. He grows parsley and lettuces in it. The first time he used the planter, he laid out several rows with sticks and string and planted the seeds. I was so amused by his rows of little sticks and little strings that I went to the local toy store and bought little farm animals and equipment to place between the rows. He’s actually been spending most of his days working on artwork for his Cove Gallery show that opens on Cape Cod in late July. Two days ago, Sherry Litwack came to the studio to pick up 52 small paintings for the Cove show. Sherry handles artwork sales for us. FYI, Sherry has updated the list of artwork that is available for sale from Tomie’s books. The best way to access the list is to go to http://www.tomie.com, click to enter the site, click HOT! NEW! FRESH!, and then click “marketplace.” Tomie heads to Minnesota on Friday to participate in the 27th Annual Children’s Literature Workshop, sponsored by St. Cloud University in St. Cloud, Minnesota. Because St. John’s University is near St. Cloud, on Sunday, he hopes to see the Saint John’s Bible, “the first handwritten, illuminated Bible in the modern era.” Kathleen Norris (THE HOLY TWINS, written by Kathleen, illustrated by Tomie) had told Tomie about the Bible. After learning about the making of this Bible, he was keen to see anything he could when he visited the area for the Children’s Literature Workshop. Tomie saw CHRISTMAS REMEMBERED, in final book form, for the first time, at the booksellers’ and book publishers’ convention (BookExpo America) in Washington, DC in mid-May. He was thrilled, and a bit relieved that the production of the book was so perfect. He called the art director, Cecilia Yung, from Washington to share his excitement. When Tomie returned from Washington, he handed me a copy of the book. I was stunned when I read the dedication: The book is beautiful… with or without the dedication. My days are spent in the gardens. Today, as I was getting ready to leave our local and wonderful garden stand (http://www.springledgefarm.com) with another truckload of plants, I noticed an older woman walking to her car with a four-pack of impatiens. I imagined they were the perfect color she had been seeking. I also imagined they were the only flowers she needed. I wistfully imagined. Years ago, I became the head flower gardener when Tomie realized he needed to devote more hours to his studio work than to the gardening. Tomie artfully mixed perennials and annuals when he planted the gardens. I, on the other hand, blindly place truckloads of plants in the gardens and hope for the best. Two flower beds done, more hoping and planting to go! Until next time, best wishes, http://www.tomie.com UPCOMING EVENTS OF INTEREST Thursday, June 8 Saturday, June 10 Book Signing at Monday, June 12 Wednesday, June 14 – Sunday, July 2, 2006 Friday, July 28, 2006 Saturday, July 29, 2006 Thursday, September 14, 2006 Saturday, December 2, 2006
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