Granville County Museum, NC

Well, it was off to Oxford, NC this week; with a visit to the Granville County Historical Society Museum for a presentation and workshop. With my daughter Maddy on board as my hired assistant (yes, I even had to pay her!), we made our way up I-85- the old textile corridor- to a quaint little town with a rich history in pre-civil war era tobacco farming, among other things. Go to their website to read more about the history of this busy little town: http://www.granvillemuseumnc.org/index.html
I was warmly welcomed to the Harris Exhibit Hall by museum director Pam Thornton, and the nicest group of ladies on her staff who made my visit a real pleasure. Their smiling faces, along with my mug- can be seen in the picture; and left to right are: Valerie, me, Pam, Maxine and Pat. Missing from the photo is Diana Marshall, a museum volunteer and artist in her own right- who is a friend of my mom's, and got this whole thing started- but who was not in town at the time. Now, talk about a warm reception...Maxine had made a cool collage art piece which advertised the cartooning programs in the lobby- images of Hamster Sam and myself with all the workshop details and times. Valerie had decorated the workshop hall with all kinds of Hamster Sam images and Photos of my workshops from previous events- all blown up nice and big and mounted on illustration board and foam core! I felt like a celebrity- These ladies rock!!!
Our Cartooning Program was a big hit for around 30-40 participants, even the young 6 year-olds were drawing Miles the inchworm with the best of them! The workshop that followed was much smaller in size- but a handful of young artists proved to be highly imaginative with their creation of characters, and comic stories. I threw a lot at them in a short amount of time, and they kept up with me and worked hard to create some great comic art. More photos from the event can be seen at the museum's website - but it may take them a few days to post them, as they were already busy setting up the hall for the next program as I was leaving- these ladies don't stop! What a great time Maddy and I had with our new friends in Oxford.

Beaufort County Library Tour

I recently returned from beautiful Beaufort county, SC and a 5 branch library tour where I presented my cartooning and comics programs for kids 6 and up. The summer reading theme this year is "Be Creative at your Library", and I was honored to be invited to take part in teaching the creative art of cartooning. Turnout varied by branch, but each group of young enthusiastic artists was totally focused on making their own characters- and some even brought their sketchbooks to share their collection of cartoon art with me. Pictured here are a few shots from the Bluffton branch...a gorgeous new library that made me feel as if I were walking into a plantation home. Joining me in the colorful children's section photograph along with a giant stuffed bear and "found object" Chinese dragon are Wendy Allen-Youth services director; and Greg Crispell-children's programmer. The hospitality at each branch was fantastic! The little girl statue that awaits visitors outside the Bluffton entrance is "Holding On" by Norman Mansson. The staff of the St. Helena branch deserves a gold medal, as their building is going through severe renovations this summer. During my visit- they were being subjected to the pungent aroma of hot roofing tar, which was being mixed in a huge vat just outside the door. The effect was literally dizzying on me during my brief stay, and I so offer kudos to the staff for their patience and stamina!