Autumnal greetings! As you read this, somewhere, leaves will be slipping off their boughs, berries will roll or go no redder and ...

...I am in the process of creating some new designs. My brief (given by myself, to myself!) is to make them small-scale and illustrative; suitabe for books. The type of things that are emerging (so far) are: monograms (designs fusing two or more initial letters) and illustrations that work both ways - i.e. are the same upside-down. The first design was a monogram for a good friend (the letters SH combined):

The fusion and overlay of these letters suggested the theme (of rotational mirroring and inversion) which, in turn, led to the second illustration: on the subject of tawny owls. These have been calling and crying from a nearby patch of woodland during the twilight hours. Often I hear a high-pitched 'kee-wick' followed closely by the archetypical 'twit-woo' - a very haunting and magical sound. It is no wonder that owls have become entwined in their association with magicians!

Too much talk without pictures means: it's time for another picture!:

This design is taken directly from my little black (moleskein) sketch book... with more to come. When finished, this series would form part of a very engaging book. If you are publisher and would like to be engaging - please contact me.