Path to Adventure

 

Lost in the Shelves (Colorized)

"Lost in the Shelves", originally colored with watercolor pencils 

and overlaid with some digital colorization via Photopea 

(freeware version of Photoshop for poor artists).

 

Lost Between The Shelves

My favorite place growing up in Hickory, NC was the Elbert Ivey Memorial Library. When I got to the age where I could walk into town on my own unattended by an adult, my mom would let me spend afternoons at the library on my own, after we were done home-schooling for the day.

I made so many discoveries there -- of authors and books I still read and treasure today.

It was there that I first encountered Ray Bradbury ("The Martian Chronicles"), Brian Herbert ("Dune"), Orson Scott Card ("Ender's Game") and Douglas Adams ("Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy").

It was also there that I also discovered real, genuine FEAR -- by way of an anthology of scary stories for children, and ABOUT children ("Young Monsters" edited by Isaac Asimov); and it was there that, barely a teen, I dared picked up Stephen King's "Night Shift" and scared myself out of my wits -- and promptly returned the following day for more.

So many fond memories of those days, spending endless summer afternoons, lost in the shelves.

This piece is a tribute to all the bookstores and libraries around the world, but most of all to that one in particular.

"Adventure Awaits"

Done in participation with the Kew Gardens: A Place Where Art Has a Home" project featuring "Images of Everyday Life in Kew Gardens" -- highlighting the talents of local artists in Kew Gardens, Queens NY. The drawing is currently displayed at Austin Ale House until June 11th, after which point it'll take up permanent residence in the Kew & Willow Bookshop.

Kew and Willow Books -- a community-funded bookstore that opened this past December -- was a natural choice of topic for me given my (nearly weekly) patronage and support. Check out this interview with two of the booksellers on how they brought an indie bookstore to life after a successful Kickstarter campaign. If you're in the neighborhood I highly recommend a visit!