“I’m so glad I live in a world where there are Octobers.” ~ Lucy Maud Montgomery (Anne of Green Gables)

1. Hello, October, you are the prettiest month! To celebrate, we’re featuring the art of Minnesota illustrator Laura Irene (Chimney Smoke Art).

Laura is all about the warm and cozy, and is inspired by nature, home life and the changing seasons. Love how she captures the beautiful autumnal colors and a slower pace of life. Whether strolling down the lane or baking an apple pie, the people in her pictures seem to thrive on simple pleasures.

Creating her illustrations in a studio right off the kitchen means she’s never far away from the tea kettle. Is that chili and cornbread on the table? You can purchase prints and postcards at her Website Shop or Etsy. For the latest updates, check out her Instagram.

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2. New Picture Book Alert: Officially out today is Slippery, Spicy, Tingly: A Kimchi Mystery by Yangsook Choi (Carolrhoda Books, 2024):

Keo loves kimchi! And he loves Halmoni, his grandmother!

But when Halmoni unexpectedly comes to visit and digs a big hole in the backyard, he’s not sure what’s going on. Could Halmoni be planning to bury a secret treasure?! Yangsook Choi, author and illustrator of the beloved picture book The Name Jar, serves up a tasty new story that’s bursting with heart, humor, mystery, and . . . cabbage!

Wow, that’s a big pile of cabbage on the cover! Since I thoroughly enjoyed The Name Jar and Peach Heaven (updated edition released July 2024), I’m anxious to read this new one. My mouth is watering just seeing the title. 🙂

Both my grandmothers made kimchi. Grandma Yang made it spicy-hot, while Halmoni Kim made a milder version. Their kimchi styles matched their personalities — Halmoni was definitely the calmer, quieter one. I think I know why the Halmoni in Yangsook’s story has dug a hole in the back yard. Kids will definitely enjoy this diverse intergenerational story; who can resist the intrigue of a secret treasure?

Happy Book Birthday, Yangsook!!

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3. Trick or Treat! Yes, Halloween will be here before we know it, so why not treat ourselves to some adorable decorations, sure to get us in the mood for the holiday. When it comes to Halloween, I eschew the scary and spooky in favor of what is happy and fun (think Casper vs. Freddy Krueger).

These ornaments are handmade in Nepal from 100% wool felt. They’re also Fair Trade and plastic free. Each is approximately 4 inches tall and comes with a hanging loop.

I’ll take cute and cuddly over frightened-out-of-my-mind any day. Especially love this mummy (yes, he’s smiling at you!).

There’s also a Halloween Mouse needle felting kit if you’re so inclined.

Check out these and more Halloween goodies at Bees Knees British Imports.

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4. Raise your hats for Paddington: the 70-something resident Paddingtons wanted me to make sure you saw this giant Paddington Bear sculpture located in a Cheshire, England field.

Standing 45 feet tall and made out of straw, the imposing bear was created by engineer Mike Harper and took 1500 hours to complete. Paddington’s construction included welding, stuffing with straw, willow weaving, cladding and painting.

Best of all, the Paddington sculpture was made to raise awareness and funds to support children with a rare condition called mucopolysaccharidosis type III, or MPS 3A. Though the same location has also been home to other giant sculptures (a bee, Peter Rabbit, Dalek), area residents say this Paddington is the largest there to date. Wow, I’d love to see this Paddington in person (look how small the people are in the lower right hand corner of the photo!).

Now all that’s needed is a giant marmalade sandwich. 🙂

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5. Popcorn Time: speaking of marmalade, can’t wait to see the third movie about our favorite duffle-coated bear, “Paddington in Peru.” It releases in the UK November 8, and in the US and Canada January 17, 2025. Yes, it’s still a little ways off, but for now we can whet our appetites with this cool trailer:

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6. Time to fall for this lovely book: Fall Parade by Camelia Kay and Allyn Howard (Harry N. Abrams, 2024):

Celebrate the colorful autumn season with this playful and vibrant ode to the arrival of fall in all its glory from author Camelia Kay and illustrator Allyn Howard.

Here comes fall! Follow Daddy and Baby Fox as they welcome a festive parade of autumn fun, with falling leaves, shiny red apples, acorns, and all of their beloved friends.

A charming picture book companion to Spring Parade, perfect for sharing as part of seasonal lessons and just for snuggling.

This one’s a real beauty; love Allyn’s illustrations (she’s outdone herself)! So joyous and festive. Look at all the adorable animals. Plus, I have a special thing for baby foxes, so . . . *hugs self*.

Can’t think of a cooler picture book to celebrate the best season of the year. Thanks to Camelia and Allyn for creating it!

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7. Ceramics Fix: Love these pieces by North Carolina small batch ceramic artist Stephanie Nicole Martin (Blackbird Studio NC).

She creates decorative and functional mugs, cups, and plates with a vintage, pop culture vibe. She works primarily with earthenware — making hand-built and wheel-thrown objects using color, pattern, floral, and figurative imagery to evoke a feeling of nostalgia. 

She utilizes many printmaking techniques to build the surfaces of her vessels. Digital technology plays an important role in her process – making her own iron decals, and transferring them onto the clay.

Most of the images she uses are rooted in 1960’s and 70’s pop culture. Her work continually intertwines history and memory, and perpetuates her nostalgia of being a young girl growing up in the rural foothills of western North Carolina in the 1970’s. 

This Joni Mitchell wine/tea cup is especially lovely:

Other subjects include Jerry Garcia, Dolly Parton, Kurt Cobain, Bob Marley, and Joan Jett. All pieces are food, microwave, and dishwasher safe. Great gifts for any pop culture fans on your list. See all of Stephanie’s products at her Etsy Shop. For the latest updates, visit her Instagram.

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8. More Maira Love: Hooray, Hooray! The one and only Maira Kalman has a new book coming out October 15: Still Life with Remorse: Family Stories (Harper Influence):

From the critically acclaimed artist, designer, and author of the bestsellers The Principles of Uncertainty, My Favorite Things, and Women Holding Things comes a moving meditation in words and pictures on remorse, joy, ancestry, and memory.

Maira Kalman’s most autobiographical and intimate work to date, Still Life with Remorse is a beautiful, four-color collection combining deeply personal stories and 50 striking full-color paintings in the vein of her and Alex Kalman’s acclaimed Women Holding Things.

Tracing her family’s story from her grandfather’s birth in Belarus and emigration to Tel Aviv—where she was born—Maira considers her unique family history, illuminating the complex relationship between recollection, regret, happiness, and heritage. The vibrant original art accompanying these autobiographical pieces are mostly still lifes and interiors which serve as counterpoints to her powerful words. In addition to vignettes exploring her Israeli and Jewish roots, Kalman includes short stories about other great artists, writers, and composers, including Leo Tolstoy, Franz Kafka, Gustav Mahler, and Robert Schumann.

Through these narratives, Kalman uses her signature wit and tenderness to reveal how family history plays an influential role in all of our work, lives, and perspectives. A feat of visual storytelling and vulnerability, Still Life with Remorse explores the profound hidden in the quotidian, and illuminates the powerful universal truths in our most personal family stories.

Of course you know I adore Maira’s work, so I’ve pre-ordered this one. I like that her son Alex serves as editor and designer (he did for Women Holding Things, and I’m assuming the same is true for this new book). Publishing talent runs in the family.

Treat yourself to a copy and gift all your special friends. 🙂

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9. Beauty in the everyday: recently ran across South Dakota oil painter Lauren Pretorius’s work by lucky happenstance. Her still lifes are positively luminous and I’m totally hooked!

Like how she blends realism with a touch of whimsy. Sometimes still lifes can feel staid, even boring — but Lauren’s pieces have that wonderful element of the unexpected, thanks to charming compositions and a meticulous attention to detail. Her primary themes are animals, landscapes, food, objects, botanical and whimsical.

I’m always in awe of artists who paint reflective surfaces well — like this silver tea kettle, for example. Purty cool!

For lots more, visit Lauren’s Official Website and Etsy Shop, where she sells originals as well as signed, open edition prints in four sizes. Latest updates via her Facebook and Instagram.

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**Bonus Cool Thing: A Fab Four Fall Frolic!! If you’re a Beatles and folk art fan, check out “Songs of the Beatles, a collection of original mixed media paintings/collages by North Carolina artist Barbara Younger now showing at the Hillsborough Visitor Center/Historic Alexander Dickson House through December 5.

Don’t live nearby? Not to worry. All pieces are available for purchase online via Mike’s Art Truck, who’s hosting the exhibit. Barbara’s bright, whimsical paintings are sure to bring smiles to Beatles fans of all ages, reminding baby boomers in particular of innocent days gone by. These pieces are quite affordable and would make great gifts (never too early to shop for the holidays). MAT will ship anywhere in the U.S.

See the full collection here. For more info or to purchase a painting, email the website directly: mikesarttruck@centurylink.net.

It’s a lot of fun trying to guess the songs that inspired each of the pieces. Yeah yeah yeah!!

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Our swoon tune this month is an uptempo version of Irving Berlin’s “Blue Skies” performed by singer-songwriter, composer, pianist and civil rights activist Nina Simone.

When young Kamala was living with her mother and sister Maya in the flatlands area of Berkeley, they would frequent the Rainbow Sign (a cultural center) on Thursday nights. The Rainbow Sign celebrated black art, music, books, and film. It was there Kamala heard folks like Maya Angelou and James Baldwin read, and Nina Simone sing.

As the election approaches, it’s good to keep our spirits up and remain optimistic as we continue to channel blue. In this 1990 video, Simone performs in Paris, France, where she lived following the death of her friend Martin Luther King, Jr.

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HAPPY TUESDAY

HAPPY WEEK

TRY ON YOUR COSTUME

STOCK UP ON TREATS

RAKE SOME LEAVES

CARVE A PUMPKIN

EAT APPLE PIE

BREATHE FRESH AIR

BASK IN BLUE SKIES

DREAM BLUE

VOTE BLUE

BE TRUE

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**Copyright © 2024 Jama Rattigan of Jama’s Alphabet Soup. All rights reserved.