Dare to Dream

Remember when anything was possible? When everything was possible? That time when dreams came true?

Sometimes there were dragons and witches, but you weren't afraid. You could slay them or befriend them -- depending on your mood. You could hop across the sky on clouds. You could fly with birds and swim with mermaids. You could explore jungles and search for treasure or climb a mountain and stand on top of the world.

When you grew up you would become a movie star or an Olympic athlete ...if you wanted. And you'd have a sheepdog named Max, who'd wear sunglasses and ride shotgun in your sports car. And -- if you didn't change your mind in the meantime -- you'd live in a skyscraper penthouse and park your private plane on the roof.

When you were a kid, life's possibilities were endless.

Remember?

I do.

I think perhaps that's part of the reason I write books for young people and why I frequently feature children in my drawings and paintings. I want to hang onto that magical time.

Recently a friend told me that my art reminded her of Norman Rockwell's work. I've had others tell me that too. I consider that a real compliment, because I love Norman Rockwell's paintings. They tell stories that make my heart swell. His work has been defined as Americana, but I read somewhere that that wasn't really so. He didn't actually paint life as it was, but as he wished it could be. Nothing wrong with that.

Something else I learned about him is that he staged scenes and had models pose so that he could take reference photos for his paintings. That is very reassuring for me, because though I know what I want to paint, I need to cobble together a visual reference to follow while I work. I know how to draw figures and faces and objects, but it's so much easier and realistic to have a an actual visual image to work from.

The Runaway (1958)

Young Lady With A Shiner (1953) Triple Self-portrait (1960)

And from the Norman Rockwell wannabe -- (Click on images to enlarge)

The Goose Herder (2025) Midsomer Murders (2025)

And one last boat to wrap up the summer ...

(The digital art program makes a time-lapse video of each painting. Click the square on the bottom right of the video to see it in full screen. Enjoy the show.)

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As for my Rockwellesque writing, I'm currently putting the finishing touches on another historical novel for middle-grade readers. I've been avoiding wrapping it up all summer.

(Hence all the new art.) I think my reluctance is because if I complete it, I have to hunt for a publisher, and that's a task that seems to get more difficult all the time.

Those Lawler Girls

This is the story of three sisters living in 1918-19 Winnipeg. There is Jenny, aged 12 (the responsible one and also the character through whom we view events), Rose, aged 9 (the peacekeeper), and Louisa, (the free spirit) aged 6. Throughout the course of the novel the girls experience the end of WWI, the Spanish Flu pandemic, and the Winnipeg General Strike. The excerpt below concerns a supper table discussion about the school principal's speech following a playground bullying incident.

(excerpt)

The next morning began with two assemblies. First the principal spoke to the second floor classes in the upstairs hallway and then the primary classes in the main floor hallway. Laura Secord School was pretty new, and though a gymnasium/auditorium was scheduled for construction, it wasn't yet built. So the hallways were used for large gatherings.

Even though the students were packed like sardines on the floor, they took up the length of the corridor and Mr. McArthur had to shout to be heard at the back, which meant those in the front had their fingers in their ears the whole time. Jenny's class was seated somewhere in the middle.

Mostly, Mr. McArthur's speech was about appropriate student behaviour on the playground and the importance of kindness. It seemed to Jenny that he wasn't just blaming Brian Barker and the girls who'd bullied Helen for what had happened. He was holding everyone responsible. He said they all needed to look out for each other, and in the future he expected better of them.

Of course Mama and Papa knew what had happened on the playground, so they were curious to hear about the assemblies when the topic came up at supper.

"We got to sit on the floor in the corridor!" Louisa's eyes sparkled as she described the proceedings. "And I was right next to Norma Messing. She's my best friend."

Mama raised an eyebrow. "I hope the two of you didn't chat through the principal's talk."

Louisa assumed a solemn expression and shook her head. "No, Mama. We didn't. We sat still and we were good listeners."

"I'm sure," Mama said, though her eyebrow didn't relax.

"What was the principal's speech about?" Papa asked.

"He said we should treat others the same way we want to be treated," Rose told him.

"Yes." Louisa nodded vigorously. "Like if you don't want people kicking you, you shouldn't kick them."

"That seems reasonable," Papa said as he popped a piece of potato into his mouth.

"And," Rose continued, "he told us that even if someone is being grumpy to us, we shouldn't be mean back to them. He said we should try to walk in their shoes."

"Not really walk in their shoes," Louisa clarified. " They might be too small and you couldn't even get them on. He meant we should try to find out what's bothering them, because then we'd know how we'd feel if that happened to us. Like if their kitten was sick, you'd know how you'd feel if your kitten was sick, and you wouldn't be so mad at them for being grumpy. I don't have a kitten, but if I did and it was sick, I bet I'd be sad  and grumpy."

"Probably," Mama agreed.

"The other important thing he said," Rose carried on with the summary, "was that we must be good communicators."

Papa looked puzzled. "What did he mean by that?"

Again Louisa took over as interpreter. "It means we can't just think we know what someone else is thinking. Or what they're feeling. Or what they want. We need to ask them."

Yes," Rose said. "If we talk to each other, we get along better, because we're not guessing."

Louisa got in the last word. "You might guess right, but you could guess wrong too, and that's when somebody gets punched in the nose."

There was a twinkle in Mama's eye when she turned to Jenny. "Was Mr. McArthur's speech the same for the upper grades?"

Jenny fought back a smile. "Pretty much. It wasn't quite as interesting as Louisa and Rose's, but the message was the same."

Thanks for reading. Pop by again next month.