Tag Archives: road trip

Artists take it on the road

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Artist Road Trip to Chicago

This was awhile back but I hope you’re jealous 

So..’m not going to apologize for taking time out of my busy life and driving off to Chicago with two of my good friends. – I’ve been busy – but hey, the guys need a road trip once in awhile. Poor Wayne stayed home there just wasn’t room for the little guy.

Famous children’s book author Rick Walton, the man who wrote Gary’s place, Illustrator Guy Francis, and I drove to the American Library Association Conference back there. We went to promote ourselves to librarians since they recommend books for awards and consumers. It’s an amazing conference/Expo – anything and everything that is used in a library, and a lot of stuff that is not, is being pitched, sold, recommended, hucked, and pushed. From furniture to books it’s all there – and so were we.


We stayed with Eric Rohmann and Candy Fleming in the suburbs the first night – thanks guys for being such wonderful hosts – they invited publicists, editors, authors, librarians, and a few illustrators to a party – Rick gave schmoozing demos.


Rick put Eric’s Caldecott to good use – it was just collecting dust after all.


The view from our hotel – thank you Albert Whitman for putting us up.

We found Laura Seeger signing her books. She is awesome!

My cat allergy wasn’t that bad in Chicago.

Guy finally found a hat that fit.

Rick was almost arrested for public intoxication – we convinced the authorities he was writting a book about poles – a sequel to Holes.


I got to sign in the Albert Whitman booth.


We found Kristyn’s book and took a really stupid picture with it – I don’t really know what the purpose was other than to look really stupid – sorry Kristyn – we un-cooled your cool book. But hey, we pulled off stupid.

If your in Chicago go here – you can start out your day feeling like you just had breakfast, lunch, and dinner.


Why did we go here on a Sunday? and stand in front of this sign? To get our picture taken, why else.


This is why we didn’t have any women in our group!


I got to sign again at a party.


At the Caldecott banquet we heard from Beth Krommes and Neil Gaimon – great speaches on their medals.

Me and Beth – She asked me what I thought of her limited palette – WOW – she….asked me! I hope I said something lever yet intelligent.


Neil was very excited to have yet another photo taken with two strangers – PUT UP WITH IT NEIL!!! HAHA.

Me and Uri Shulevitz….WOW!


We came, we conquered, ….we stopped for nothing!!! NOTHING I TELL YOU!!!
(It’s 1:30 AM)


We thought we had seen it all – then on the drive home…….

Folio Boys go to So Cal

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I am lucky to be Will’s best friend

This video isn’t that great but it is cool to see Will Speaking to Millions of peeps.
Since the California Teachers Association (CTA) loves Will’s artwork for children so much, he has been able to represent the CTA two times so far. So they paid for him and his wife, or if she was too busy or not feeling well or what ever, He was able to take some significant brother. That’s me, Will’s best friend, Wayne. So we loaded up the truck and we went to Beverly, LA that is, swimming pools, movie stars.
Well the next thing you know, Old Will‘s on stage up there, over the weekend he was a celebrity, he got to represent the California Teachers Association again with his Armadilly Chili Book. He had a blast and he even got to say a few words in front of the group. That’s him up there.
I couldn’t believe how they crammed more than a million people in the ballroom.

We SOLD OUT on Saturday afternoon – We couldn’t believe it! Over 500 books! They even made a plush out of Tex the tarantula, – you may still be able to buy it here. Author’s note, Not Terry the tarantula who was slow roasted to death in a jar, but Tex, a character in Armadilly Chili. 

They took very good care of us – too good!

On Sunday we drove down to visit illustrator Steve Gray in Hermosa Beach. He’s a great guy and a decorated illustrator – he won the Grand Canyon Reader award last year for his Coyote book.

Steve uses one of those nifty Cintiq Tablets to render his illustrations. He used to do quite a bit of advertising illustration back in the day and his studio walls are decorated with many impressive and recognizable work.

Pick up a copy and enjoy his wacky drawing and wonderful color and Jennifer Ward’s great story.

You can’t go all the way to the beach without actually getting your feet wet right? I’m the short one on the right.

 

I guess we weren’t the only ones having a good weekend.

No this is not how we found Will’s wife’s car upon our return, they are still happily married. We saw this car outside of “The Mad Greek” Near Vegas, where we stopped for one last overdose of gluttony on our way home.

 

The Folio boys road trip to Las Vegas

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Las Vegas trip

It’s never a good idea to send Will and me to Las Vegas. We went once before and it’s the reason I’m listed in the Guiness book of world records under human appendage modifications. LOL.

We walked around.

The California Teachers Association chose one of Will’s books – Armadilly Chili for their Read Across America book for 2010 and 2011. What an incredible honor! They brought him out there two or three more times that and the following year to speak and to sign his book at their conferences. It’s was so fun to hang out with their committee members in Vegas. And eat.

We learned that the famous Faberge egg company had just gone out of business a few weeks earlier (still don’t know if this is true but the dealer made sure we knew that there is now a supply and demand issue) It would have been a good idea for us to have been rich before this trip. Either way, we came home broke so…

I must not have wanted my picture taken. Or I was just in a stupor of thought, or lack of thought. Or maybe I was trying to “act natural”.