Illustrations from the threshold

OF TALE & THICKET

The beginning of a new piece arrives as a sketch - soft footed and playful, like the imagination itself slipping quietly into The Old Burrow. It's is one of the most precious moments for me. I don't usually begin with a fixed idea. Sometimes there may be a flicker, or a sense of something but more often than not I am silently witnessing the pencil draw before me -a quiet joining of hand and the imaginal realm.

There is a joy in this early stillness that is hard to name. It's soft and spacious, curious and light-filled, and though it passes through gently, like a breeze, it's something I treasure more than I can ever quite say.

What began as a simple idea for this year's Christmas card has quietly grown into the early stirrings of a picture book. Though the tale of The Coat of The Midwinter Child is still taking shape, I'd love to share some glimpses of the first painting as it unfolds. I will tell you more about the story another time...