I am back from my recent trip to New York City to show my portfolio and come away very inspired and hopeful for the near future. Thanks to all who made the time to review my work. I had 24 meetings with 57 people so as you can imagine it was a very full week! I received some great leads and advice. I learned MANY people would like to see more pen and ink work for possible chapter books so I have created two pages of new samples (my second new page is to your left). There is both a color and b&w version. I hope you enjoy them!

Here is my first page of pen & ink samples I created right after my trip to NYC. Any feedback is always appreciated!

I am excited to announce that Nature's Paintbox A Seasonal Gallery of Art and Verse written by Patricia Thomas and published by Millbrook Press has been released! The original title was "Winter, I Think, Is Pen and Ink". It's a poem about the four seasons and I got to work in pen and ink, pastel, watercolor, oil paint, and the computer program Photoshop. A different art medium for each season. It was a dream job!

Art from the book is included in the books and portfolio sections.

"There is a strikingly rare synergy between the poetry and the illustrations in this truly remarkable addition to the pantheon of books on the four seasons for school-aged children." -Kirkus Reviews

"...but it is the illustrations that stand out. Orback presents his illustrations from different viewpoints, looking up into the au-tumn tree covered with orange leaves or viewed at puddle level as spring boots splash along the road. This beauti-ful selection could be used to support seasonal studies, as well as numerous artistic concepts. The strong use of descriptive words would support creative writing activities even for those students older than the intended audi-ence." -Library Media Connection

Great News X 2!- Nature's Paintbox has been named in the 2008 Edition of The Best Children's Books of the Year from the Children's Book Committee at Bank Street College of Education. Also it was picked as a Lasting Connections of 2007 title in the American Library Association magazine, Book Links (January, 2008).

Here is a sneak peek at the art for a book project I recently finished. More details will follow later...

Great News!

Susan B. Anthony Fighter for Freedom and Equality written by Suzanne Slade published by Picture Window Books is one of only 32 books to be selected for the 2008 Amelia Bloomer Project list of recommended feminist literature for young readers. The award is sponsored by the Feminist Task Force of the Social Responsibilities Round Table of the American Library Association.

Art from the book is included in the books and portfolio sections.

Just released is a recent book for Millbrook Press. The book is called Prisoner For Liberty a nonfiction adventure story set during the American Revolution.

Art from the book is included in the books and portfolio sections.

And finally just a quick note about other recent fun Easy Reader and school textbook projects I just finished.

For Houghton Mifflin I illustrated several fun stories that cover subjects such as a young girl's dangerous horse ride in search of a doctor for her mom, two young boys putting on a jazz concert for their grandfather's birthday, and the suprising discovery of a beloved grandmother's secret past as a ballerina. I also illustrated a story about the fun activity of trail orienteering.

For Kirchoff/Wohlberg Inc., I illustrated a Chinese folktale as well as a Leo Tolstoy folktale, both to be used in school textbooks.