1)Wesley Building Dreams Project 2)Dromkeen,Prestigious Award in children literacy

Now, my update.

First, a project for artists with disabilities and their carers. 
1) Wesley Building Dreams Art Exhibition
Wesley Mission (facebook)  has invited me to advocates artists with disabilities. Very happy! I'll mentor them in watercolour class from this week for two months. It will be a pop-up exhibition in Sydney CBD between 2-7 August this year. 


The event, "Building Dreams" is part of a wider disability research and awareness campaign centred on the latest Wesley Report, Give Disability Carers a Break before They Break Down.  Did you know? 

• Over one third of Australian households are involved with disabilities. 

• 4.2 million Australians are classified as having disabilities. 

• There are 2.7 million informal carers of individuals living with a disability in Australia.  (Australian Bureau of Statistics, 2012)

Sadly, what others do not realise is that carers are often forced to sacrifice their own lives to look after someone they love. This project aims at supporting both carers and artists with disabilities.  Sadly, what others do not realise is that carers are often forced to sacrifice their own lives to look after someone they love. This project aims at supporting both carers and artists with disabilities. 

Although there is not an easy solution for the issue, we, mentors and Wesley Mission would like to inspire artists and bring hopes and dreams. I heartily hope this event, at a grass roots level, can make a little difference and a better world! 

Second, an interesting topic for you, "Dromkeen Medal". This Monday at 2 pm is the due for nomination.
2) Dromkeen Medal (*The medal was designed by Robert Ingpen, our great illustrator.)
It is one of the most prestigious annual awards given to only "one" individual who has significantly contributed to Australian children book literacy. Only once in life, an individual may accept it. My blog readers, especially Australians will find familiar names in winners such as, Robert Ingpen, Mem Fox, Julie Vivas, Ann James, Margaret Hamilton, Roland Harvey, Shaun Tan, Libby Gleeson, etc, etc. Yes, they are all big names and key persons in our industry. (*Yey! My mentor's name is in there!! She's a 2002 winner.) 

*Below, my copy of Robert Ingpen's work for practice, 
I added acorns on his origial. 
When I started my career of a children picture book illustrator, 
I collected Robert's work. Still now I'm learning lot from other illustrators' wonderful work. 

Back to the topic. I had been doing research on the Dromkeen Medal for those weeks with my mentor Ann James's help. My interests were two. One is in *editors or **publishers' role in publication, as they are often "invisible." The other is to clarify "continuity and changing" in Australian children picture books. I chose one specific editor and did research.

In contemporary Australian picture books, the researched data certainly shows the changing and the continuity in style, genre, theme and media. The changings go hand in hand with society on the move. Regarding readers/audience, today, picture books attract adults and older boys as well as young children. However, the continuity is in themes universal and common like any other contries. Always old and same themes repeatedly come up such as love and family in Australian picture books. 

BTW, oh, it was really a NIGHTmare to collect massive information to organise bibliographies and to write analyses. It has exhausted me so much. What was worse was really hard to define who edited a picture book from internet.
BUT a great reward ; the research has given me profound and broad knowledge about our industry's history! A great bonus, I could contact some of the most important people in publishing industry directly and indirectly. A great, great bonus, I've reconnected our brilliant and very active sociolinguistics professor Ingrid Piller (*her blog, Language on the Move is so nice! If you love thinking about society and language, go to her blog!).
Although it was a great pain to handle a huge amount of data, I enjoyed this research. Simply because I love reading picture books!!!

Shaun Tan, in particular, has pushed the boundaries of picture books. His work has changed their public image from easy kids’ reading to philosophical books that bear academic discussion on universal themes and social issues, displaying sophisticated art. For example, the Arrival by Shaun Tan, the Australia’s first the wordless picture book and successful graphic novel deals immigration, social inclusion and other issues from a humanistic view. 

I also remembered newspapers' interviewing of Shaun. It was very interesting to read how much wisely Shaun answered mass media and his say changed the acknowledgement of picture books. 
Today, children picture book / literacy is an independent genre, being taught at uni and certainly in visual art. 

**When Shaun did the Arrival book launch at Sydney uni, I sketched him and had a chat. 
I asked him, "Is that cartoon you?" He said, "Yes!" We laughed together. 
Very kind Shaun gave me his graffiti, too. 
It has become my treature!!

If you like, pick up a specific Dromkeen past winner and check the info. That'll be fun. 
The 2014 Dromkeen winner will be honoured at an Announcement Ceremony during a book week, 16–22 August 2014. I look forward to an upcoming winner. 
It's exciting to live my picture book illustrator life in this interesting era in changing and continuity.  

Through art, by art, we can do something for others! 
Thanks millions for warm encouragements. I'll do weekly Monday blogging like before. Thank you for your great cheers and patience. My hands much get healed! The right hand has no pain! 
Friends, Happy Painting! 

NOTE

*An editor works on the book with author and illustrator. 
**A publisher choses what to publish, commissions authors and illustrators etc.










  

1)Wesley Building Dreams Project 2)Dromkeen,Prestigious Award in children literacy