Winter's Nest and New Year's

Wishing everyone a wonderful close to 2010 and light and laughter into 2011!

Winter's Nest is a personal piece that sprung from a vision of a nest high atop a tree overlooking a wintry landscape. But in the nest radiates a golden light, for a magical birth is taking place: a foretold golden owlet is hatching to snowy owl parents. To honor this occasion a wood fairy has come with a gift. =)

Snow = Magic

Today I awoke to a winter wonderland....







Ask anyone who knows me, I LOVE snow. I get absolutely giddy when I see flakes gliding gently though the lamplight out the window.

I think it is wonderful.
I think it is magical.

I feel sorry for the "grown ups" to whom it is just an inconvenience.... for they have lost their sense of wonder.

There are only two ways to live your life. One is as though nothing is a miracle. The other is as though everything is a miracle. --Albert Einstein

And boy I'm glad I look upon snow favorably.... currently our area of Northern VA has a winter weather advisory for up to 20 inches Friday-Saturday! Can you say blizzard?

Winter Wishes and Covey Awards

Apologies for the lack of updates. Like many people around the holidays, I've been busy with all sorts of things both art and not. I've been doing commissions, painting a really nice gift for a certain relative, buying and wrapping presents and getting together a business winter mailing (among other things).

I also saw The Golden Compass a couple days ago. The verdict is like but not love. Visually it was beautiful. Plot-wise I feel like they lost a good deal of the book's depth. A fun and enjoyable movie all the same :)

I got e-mails from the author and publisher on a contest my cover art has been nominated for. Please vote for my cover painting on The Fireborn Chronicles at the Covey Cover Awards. [There are polls vertically along either side of the blog, one for Most Eye-Catching Cover and one for Most Relevant Cover. My cover is #18 for both.] If you have a couple seconds please vote. Let's show up those photo manipulators! ;) Thank you so much.

Oh yes, I also updated my site with the image below... check out the full version in the Children's Illustration Gallery at www.LDiehl.com.


Warm Winter Wishes!