Review of "Little Black Ant on Park Street"

I finally received my first sample copy of my newly illustrated book "Little Black Ant on Park Street" from Soundprints the other day.


Then I found this great review...Click here to read it!

Just Because...

For all of you freelance artists out there whose studio companion has 4 legs and a waggly tail, this is for you...

Tulips as BIG as my Head!

It is finally springtime in Chicago! I picked these tulips today to brighten up my studio. Wanted to share them with you.... Who wouldn't be inspired to make great art with these colors all around them?

Book Signing in Pacific Palisades

Book author Teresa Anne Power and me at the John Thomas Dye school in Pacific Palisades. It went very well! We sold lots of books and the kids had a blast!

Kate at the Easel

...where I am happiest.

so very unimpressive...

©KathleenRietz
Whenever prompted by certain blogger groups to post photos of our studios, I cringe. Mine is nothing all that impressive, really. Sure, I'd love to have a beautiful expensive easel, hardwood floors, a skylight, track lighting and an awe-inspiring sound system. But I don't. Truthfully, I can't even afford an iPod these days. My easel is cheap...I bought one of the cheapest ones Blick carries and used a 40% off coupon. My rickety old metal closet doors (circa 1972) have been replaced by beige drapes from Wal-Mart. My computer desk (unpictured) has a broken leg and is supported by a thick old book. But this is where I paint and draw and write. Sunshine is happy with the arrangement, and I am glad to have her here to keep me company.

Update on yesterday's "Happy Birthday to Me " post

©KathleenRietz

I found my "cake limit" tonite! Thanks everyone who stopped by to wish me a happy birthday.

I hope everyone has a Merry Christmas, a Happy Hanukkah, or whatever else you may be celebrating! Be safe.

Happy Birthday to Me!

...and my twin brother Patrick, too!

I plan to go out and find my "cake limit" again tonite! Some things never change.

Summer is a Memory...

© Kathleen Rietz

playing in the snow...

For all of you bloggers in Australia, New Zealand and South Africa...happy summer!

Recycled.

A few years ago, I began recycling my recyclables...
(The photos are definitely worth clicking to see 'em larger, IMO.)

Jelly jar is now a candle holder. And an iced tea bottle is now a pretty bud vase.

Drug store votives are dressed up and reused.

Your trash is my treasure.

I'm a Foodie!

Besides art, 2 things that make me happy in this life are eating and cooking. I love food. I take after my mom. She was cheerful to cook for the people she loved and everything she made was a little masterpiece sitting on a plate. She also was a fabulous watercolor painter and a gardener, but that's another story.

My sister has been bugging me for 3 years to write a cookbook. The problem is, all of my culinary creations are instinctual. In other words, I never write down a recipe or measure anything. I find that ingredients (such as tomatoes) taste different depending on the season in which you find them, so I make adjustments to my dishes according to what tastes, smells and looks good.

But I have decided to start writing down my recipes from time to time and adding photographs to accompany the recipes (when my camera cooperates).

In the winter, I crave fresh juices and smoothies, probably my body's response to the darkness of cold and flu season. So in the mornings, I have been blending my fruits and veggies. Then last night I stumbled across Jo Fong's blog, and found an instant kinship! So in honor of healthy eating and Jo's blog, I decided to post this morning's smoothie. I also made oatmeal-blueberry pancakes from scratch, but they were gone before I could photograph them.

In the future, I will be posting my food photos and recipes on my Potluck Sunday blog (my collaborative blog with Joan Yoshioka), but for now I will give you a little taste:


Blend ~
1 lime, peeled and wedged
1 tangerine, peeled and wedged
1/2 large Rome apple, cored and peeled
1/2 banana
3 generous handfuls baby spinach
3 icecubes

Blend until very smooth!

Tastes of the Season

Yes, I know this is my art blog and you want to see more paintings of kids hugging their puppies or demonstrating yoga poses for the upcoming children's book I am working on. BUT - it is my blog and I can do what I want. So yesterday I baked between paintings and sketches, and I just wanted to share this other creative side of me with you all.

Roasted Sweet Potatoes with Soy Honey Glaze (from the cookbook Japanese Light)

Shortbreads (the specks are cacao nibs, which I buy from a specialty spice shop in the city.)

Also, if you haven't visited my Moleskine blog in a while, feast your eyes on this.

Photos ©Kathleen Rietz

Look Again

I visited the nature sanctuary again today, probably for the final time this year. These critters camouflaged themselves so well....I would have completely missed the praying mantis if it had not scurried as I walked past it. We seemed to have startled each other.


praying mantis (the colors are amazing!) The praying mantis was about 5 or 6 inches (approx. 13-15 cm) long.



grasshopper (I see you!)

It was nice to break away for a little while....I took Leon with me after hitting the gym. I am working at home on the children's book illustrations and a small side project this weekend. I am hoping to find a little bit of time to draw in my Moleskine tomorrow. My growing interest in nature photography and my new Moleskine have been great outlets to help me to relax lately.

Autumn's Treats

Today's weather was so beautiful, you'd have to be inspired. It actually got my mind off the world's gloom-&-doom economic crisis, the sadness of the war, the upcoming election and my shrinking investments and how I am going to pay to heat my home this winter....I forgot about all of that for about 5 seconds.

I finally captured this spider with my camera today, something I have been trying to do for about 2 weeks. It lives in a peach tree near my house. It usually comes out after dark, but today when I was out walking, I spotted it having lunch. It eventually dragged the morsel back up its web and retreated into the leaves where it spends most of its time.



I also saw these interesting berries....which I am beginning to think may actually be related to some sort of peppers.


Love the textures of the berries and leaves against the fence.


I saw beetles...


and bees.


I even took Sunshine so that she could enjoy the warm autumn air. There were all kinds of good smells out there today.


And when I returned home, the postman had delivered a package for me today....these Halloween cards and envelopes arrived fresh from the printer!


All of that autumn air has me feeling generous. Leave me a comment on this post, and on October 13th I will draw 3 names. Each name I draw will win a free Halloween card with envelope!

These cards (and 8x10" prints) are also available and on sale through the end of the month at my online shop. If you buy any 8x10" print, you will also receive a free card with envelope while supplies last!

Ghoul'ed luck!

Aloha from Chicago!

Happy Friday everyone! Here is a little pic of my blogger buddy and fellow artist Joan Yoshioka and me in the city last week. In just a few hours I will be driving Joan back to the airport and she will be heading back to Hawaii. We are both sad to say good-bye. It was so fun to have her come and stay with me at my house. These past 2 weeks was like a mini vacation for the both of us because we got to go exploring like a couple of tourists in my very own city. I'll be posting more photos soon. For now we just wanted to say "Aloha"!

In Line

©Kathleen Rietz

...waiting...

Read my new article in the SCBWI-IL's The Prairie Wind. It's all about surviving the dreaded professional "dry spell" freelancers face. I am now officially a regular contributor to "Illustrator Tips".

Tuesday's Tidbits

Ok, here's a teaser for you. I cannot post the book cover I am working on...not yet anyway. But here is a tiny tiny section of it in progress. The book cover illo is almost 25" wide, so this really is just a peek. That's all I can dare show you, though. Once the book is showcased in a catalog in September, I should be able to reveal the entire cover.

Also, I would like to thank Ginger and Monica for bestowing this award upon me.

Everyone knows I love my Sunshine girl. Here we are working in our studio. Do you like Sunshine's summer haircut? I did it myself.
In turn, I will pass on the award to Diane, and her little beast Basha.

Okay, back to work!

Fly Free, Little Hatchling!

Anyone who regularly visits my blog has figured out by now that I love nature's little wonders...


...which is perfect since the book I am currently illustrating for Soundprints is all about the life of a little black ant.


I can't show you any illustrations for the book yet...


...so I'll continue to post photos from my yard instead.

Gardening Pal

Today while I was pulling weeds I spotted this little guy keeping watch over my garden.

©Kathleen Rietz

That inspired me to add this fine art print "Symphony In The Pond" to my growing online shop. You can see all of my designs available by going to my website and clicking on my shop page.

©Kathleen Rietz