Dream City

This is another computer colored image. It is strange how the color changes the feel of the city. It makes it feel much more Dr. Seussish and less perilous.

Having Fun

This is a drawing that I did and I scanned it and colored it with the computer. Talk about fun!

Reading List

A blog seems like the perfect place to keep track of the books I've been reading. Most of the list will be YA novels. I'll read whatever else comes across my path but this is the genre I write and the one I seek out at the library. In case you are wondering whether you should read any further, I will give you a little recap of my loves and hates before we begin.
Loves:
Jane Austen (the whole shebang)
Out of the Dust, Karen Hesse
Eva Ibbotson (you pick)
Shannon Hale
Laura Halse Anderson
Peter Sis (picture books here)
Allen Say (as long as we are talking picture books)
Michael Sowa (illustrator, don't know the stories just like the art)
Edward Gorey (as long as we are talking about artists)
Jacob I Have Loved, Katherine Paterson
Homeless Bird, Gloria Whelan
When My Name Was Keoko, Linda Sue Park
Invisible Enemies, Jeanette Farrell (non-fiction about infectious disease)
Peeps, Scott Westerberg (brilliant companion to above, mixes vampires with diseases)
Sunshine, Robin McKinley (all time favorite vampire book, as long as we are talking vampires)
Thirsty, M.T. Anderson (still speaking of vampires)
Whales on Stilts, M.T. Anderson (I love his humor)
Sharon Creech (in general)
Meg Cabot (I am a sucker for romance and she does it brilliantly)
The Penderwicks & sequel, Jeanne Birdsall
Elsewhere, Gabrielle Zevin
The Watsons Go to Birmingham, Christopher Paul Curtis
Hatchet and Lawn Boy, Gary Paulsen
Very Far Away from Anywhere Else, Ursula LeGuin (a small marvel)
Richard Peck
Ann Rinaldi
Pete Hausmann
Jasper Fforde

I am going to stop now but I know that I have forgotten others that I will kick myself about later. Except for Jane Austen, this is all contemporary which does not mean that I don't like the classics. Lets cut down on negativity and skip the hates which are really more like disappointments anyway.

I've run out of time for the moment so I will post the 2009 beginning later.

If you have read this far, thanks.

Darcy

Night Scene

For Rent, Unfurnished

Another precariously constructed island of individuality in an ocean of glass skyscrapers.

Cityscape

I have always been fascinated by homes that express some sort of obsession. Like a house in our old neighborhood in Chicago that was covered, every inch, in crosses and symbols or the people who devote income and hours of work to decorate for Christmas and now Halloween. My own inclination is just the opposite. In practice, I think I am more aligned with Adolf Loos, if I understood him correctly. I reserve all my self expression for the interior. However, I am drawn in a strong way to the Merzbau's and Hundertwasser's of the world.

First Stop

This was one of my first color versions of my perilous places. This was a promotional "poster" and each building opened to reveal a synopsis of one of my books. You can see the buttons that served as knobs for each door.

Why is this place perilous?

Hello and welcome.

Don't worry, this blog is not full of hazards, at least not for visitors. Since this is my first blog, it feels more perilous to me than anyone else. However that is not the reason. The name has come from my artistic creations for which this blog is created (though I may end up posting other things as time goes on). For most of my life, or at least my young life when everything seemed possible, I thought of myself as an artist, and though in reality my creative juices have taken root in YA novels, I still feel like an artist deep down. I still draw and more often than not my doodling takes the form of fantastic buildings or cities. I don't know why I do this. It's either a rut or a bit of an obsession. Anyway, people seem to enjoy them and I have decided to find an outlet and am starting with this blog. Oh yeah, by the way, my construction methods are a little suspect, creating sometimes cozy but perilous structures.

There is a larger reason that I settled on this title instead of something like Precarious Palaces or Artful Architecture. Though it is not necessarily an original idea, I am convinced that humans crave peril. My husband and I started our own business about five years ago. It has ballooned into two huge endeavors. The first is a piano store, PianoForte Chicago, the other is a not-for-profit, PianoForte Foundation. Both have been rewarding in their own ways but they have also provided their fair share of perils. Why do we voluntarily quit our comfortable life for something so risky. In our case, it wasn't the idea of riches or glory. I am probably too close to be able to identify the reasons objectively but I can identify what makes us feel good about what we have done.

First, the peril makes us push ourselves to find the best we can be and do. It also exposes our inadequacies, by the way. But, though we have failures, the successes are sweet. It also makes me, and I think my husband as well, feel very alive. Struggle is healthy, and peril makes struggle necessary.

There is also the satisfaction of sharing what we have done with others. Finding people who appreciate our efforts makes it seem worthwhile. There is a joy in that connection. It is similar to when I imagine someone reading my words or looking at my art.

There is of course another satisfaction that comes from our work, that of creation. I also firmly believe that we all need to create. Starting a business is like writing a novel in so many ways. It teaches you about yourself: the good and the bad. The project is constantly being perfected and revised. In the end, you realize there is never an end but always a new challenge.

So, thanks for reading, if you have gotten this far. Now I will work on the posting of pictures--my next challenge. I guess doing a blog is a bit like starting a business or writing a novel.