Happy Easter

Have a good one ... from me and Omelette!

Nami Island International Illustration Concours

Good news — my illustrated book project has been selected for the Nambook Festival (aka Nami Island International Illustration Concours) !!  It has to stay under wraps at present, but I can still show you a few glimpses from my selected project.  You'll get a flavour of what I've been up to lately, even though it's out of context.

The Nambook Festival is a yearly children's book event in South Korea, about 70 km south of Seoul on an beautiful tranquil island with groves of giant redwood trees.  Nambook is affiliated with IBBY (the International Board on Books for Young people), as well as being an official sponsor of the Hans Christian Andersen Awards.... presented to the winners each year at the Bologna Book Fair.

The list of winners is pretty impressive—an array of international talent that includes many illustrators who have also been selected for Bologna, Bratislava, 3x3, Ilustrarte, Sàrmede and other places where children's book illustrations are recognized and celebrated.  The grand prix went to the wonderful Korean illustrator Sung-Hee Kim.  A few of the other names that jumped out are:  David Pintor, Eva Montanari, Sonja Danowska, Rashin Kheiriyeh and Irma Gruenholz. And so many others... I'm looking forward to discovering their work!

The illustration exhibit at Nami Island takes place from 25 April to 31 May.  There will be a catalogue/annual of the art show as well.  And if any of you are going to Bologna for the book fair (from 25 to 28 March, in two short weeks from now!), the Nambook Festival has a stand (A36 / H29). Stop by and say hi!

UPDATE:  For those of you going to the Bologna Book Fair, the Nami Illustration Concours will give a brief presentation at the Author's Café on Wednesday 27 March at 16:30 — jury members and illustrators will be on hand for a show-and-tell session. Wish I could be there, too...

2013!

I want to wish you very happy new year — better late than never, eh? I've been a bit AWOL in recent times but I hope to be more present in the year to come.  Until I return to regular posting, here's an offshoot from something I've been working on, to wish you bonne année, and auguri per tutto— buona vita, buon lavoro, buon futuro...

Can't say better than that!!

Brussels+Montreuil road trip...

Just a quick reminder that Sàrmede's "Immagini della fantasia" exhibit will now be on display in Brussels.  At the European Parliament!  The opening takes place tonight at 18:00, at the ASP area on the third floor (balcony side).  Definitely worth a peek, if you're in the neighbourhood... I wish I could be there too! (more details, here).

And if you still need something more to do— well, you could always drop in to Montreuil: the Salon du Livre Jeunesse begins tomorrow morning, 9:00 sharp! 

Have fun!!

PS.  The beautiful poster/invitation for Immagini della fantasia is by Octavia Monaco

Tales from Russia

I'm very pleased to announce that my artwork has been selected for Sàrmede's Le Immagini della Fantasia exhibit.  The theme this time is "Tales from Russia"— a topic and visual culture that I find especially inspiring.  I chose to illustrate a scene from The Firebird.

The exhibit is a fantastic gathering of talent from around the world —over 350 illustrations by a real dream team* of illustrators! Needless to say, I'm very honoured to be included among them. A big grazie to Monica Monachesi for extending the invitation.

This year's edition of Le immagini della Fantasia is not only the 30th anniversary, but also the grand opening of the long-awaited Casa della Fantasia, a new building which will house the exhibit space and art workshops. So expect even more celebrations and activities than usual — including readings, workshops, and meetings with the artists including Roberto Innocenti, this year's guest of honour.

The exhibit opens on 27 October and runs through to 27 January 2013, after which it will go on tour in Italy and across Europe and beyond. It's well worth a visit — I would go if I could.  Check the site for address and hours... highly recommended!

PS.  *Dream team includes:  Beatrice Alemagna, Joëlle Jolivet, Javier Zabala, Violeta Lopiz, Simone Rea, Morteza Zahedi and many many others, all of them fabulous...

3x3 Children's Show

I've been in summer mode lately, but I just had to pop in today to tell you my news: I just found out that my artwork has been selected for the 3x3 magazine's Children's Show. And not only that, but it was also singled out for Distinguished Merit in its category! It goes without saying that I am stunned, and completely delighted.

The image is one that you may already be familiar with: it was created for Tales of India, and took part in the exhibit Le Immagini della Fantasia of Sàrmede (still touring in Europe).

The annual, No. 9, will be coming out later in the year... I will give you a heads-up when it does. Congratulations to the winners (check out the list, here)— I am really honoured to be in such good company. And many thanks to the jury!

C'est la fête!

*

I'm just popping in to wish everyone a happy quatorze juillet... or joyeux Bastille Day, if you prefer:  a nice day off for everybody!

From picnics and an Amorino ice-cream cone...

Pont Neuf

Pont des Arts

Ile Saint Louis

...then to a nice terrasse..

5ème arrondissement, near rue Saint-Jacques

...and finally, dancing under the lanterns at your local Bal des Pompiers

Robert Doisneau, La dernière valse du 14 juillet 

Save the last dance for me!

As for me, I am still here— but between working hard on some projects and getting spirited away for summer activities (many of which involve being under water and getting my hair wet most of the time), I think I will be posting infrequently until autumn arrives.

So Pause Estivale for now... and see you when I get back!

PS. *Top image is a vintage firecracker package, from my personal ephemera archive.