FOLLOWING THE IDEA: MARIA THE HUTIA COLOURING ACTIVITY BOOK

INTRODUCING THE COLOURING BOOK for Maria the Hutia! (art by Hallelujah Truth)

Hallelujah Pilgrims! Welcome to my JOURNEY. I have chosen CREATIVITY as the PATH for my LIFE. It is through my CREATIVE projects that I truly learn about myself in relation to my world.

REACHING FOR THE LOW HANGING FRUIT is the current focus of my joyful, playful art making endeavors. At the end of July, I experienced the first publication of my ART as illustration in Ron Shaklee's children's science conservation story, "The Misadventures of Maria the Hutia."  

HURRAY A MONUMENT CONSTRUCTED ON MY JOURNEY! The publication of this work represents four years of learning how to draw and dedicating myself to a new way of seeing and being in LIFE. The illustrations are the "tip of the iceberg" of my pilgrimage. 

Then on Labor Day at the end of August, I relished the magnificent moment of presenting my work in this book at the 2012 Decatur's Book Festival to a crowd of book lovers, many of which are dear friends of mine!

A HUTIA IS BETWEEN THE SIZE OF GROUND HOG AND PRAIRIE DOG.  Explaining a little bit about the main character in Ron Shaklee's book, "The Misadventures of Maria the Hutia" at the 2012  Decatur Book Festival. How lovely it is to represent a small creature that may disappear from this Earth with few people knowing about it. 

Now, as September comes to an end, I am reaching for the RIPE JUICY FRUIT already present in my life from my illustrative work on the story of Maria the Hutia. "The Maria Hutia Colouring and Activity Book" is forming (colouring is the Bahamian spelling)! When one project ends, another one emerges. Instead of waffling about what is next, I will luxuriate in what is already PRESENT to me: LINE DRAWINGS of Maria the Hutia!

As I developed the drawings for the book, I scanned the "line" drawings that I had made with micron pens on bristol board and saved them in a folder on my desktop titled, "Coloring Book." Then my project expanded after Sandy Voegeli visited me at the end of July and I interviewed her about the San Salvador Sea Camp (see these two blogs: Teaching Children The Science of Looking in Their Own Backyard and The Art of Teaching Science Creatively).

I knew that I wanted to expand my Maria Hutia coloring book to include activities by which all children and interested adults could learn more about the natural environments of the Bahamas. 

Therefore DEAR PILGRIMS I announce to you my next creative intentions--THE MARIA THE HUTIA COLOURING AND ACTIVITY BOOK!

What low hanging fruit will you pluck from your CREATIVE TREE today? Soul blog with me at Coffee with Hallelujah!