1993 I was working a minimum wage job at night I was working on my portfolio.  The story is of a little boy sailing his toy viking ship on the Fen river in Boston,  the main illustrations showed the imagend voyage through the fjords of Norway, at the bottom shows his experience on the river bank. 

Influence by the wood cuts of Rockwell Kent.  I like having frames around the central image, I can tell more of the story in the frame plus it gives me a rule I can break to make a more dynamic image.  Since childrens books are read mulliplle times I hide little things here one of the animated this is on the text page is a cup of coffee which slowly is drunk through the book.  How to show the Northern lights in black and white was a challenge, I painted them in black then flipped the image to white.  

In brain storming its important not to filter and just write down all ideas. 

I wrote in my list "Why Cats Knit"  and thought thats a dead one.  Then looking through the list while waiting for a medical check up. I flashed on an idea of how to write it. and it was so good I had to write it! 

I like frames because it gives me a rule I can break to make  a more powerful image.  

I also added in a little animation for the reader to find on a the tenth reading. 

I was walking home after a very bad meeting, thinking I need a new Job, my cat will need a new job too.  so what will she do? Apply to be a tiger, a lion, a snow leopard, a cheetah, mountain lion and a jaguar.  Then we see  how the reality of the job doesn't match up with the dream.