Here's The Blue Wild...

Blue Wild - Hardcover Collector's Edition and Softcover Edition available.  Art by Jen Walls.  Poetry by Mary W. Cox.  8" x 10".  Ready to read.  Click here to purchase this item on etsy.  (note: current shipping time is 2-3 weeks)

Two years ago, at a gallery crawl, I met an incredible woman.  Tiny, with sparkling eyes and a quick wit, she enchanted me. I didn't know her and she didn't know me.  And yet our creative spirits called out to each other and then ran off to play together like lifelong friends.  I believe this book was born in that first magical meeting when the universe winked at us.

Our lives are separated by miles of highway and disparate stages, and still we found a way to play.  Our canvas was Facebook, which we painted with pictures and words at odd hours and on staggered days.  I'd post a painting, then she would post a haiku to illustrate the painting.  And one of those little masterpieces moved me so much - it became my creative mantra and the perfect introduction to my art:

Here's the blue wild, where
tiny dreamers ride beasts, speak
bird-song, hold the moon

Somehow, some magical way, this poet managed to help me understand my own art, my own creations and my very own creative soul in a way I never had before.  I was gobsmacked and dazzled, and I wanted more.  So I invited her to collaborate for a gallery show, and she agreed.  We made more magic, this time displayed together for others to see.  And the response was phenomenal.  There is something about the combination of her provocative haiku and my quirky creations that just sings.

The universe wasn't quite done flirting with us yet, though.  In another serendipitous moment, I met the Art Godmother (doesn't every artist need an art godmother?), an easy going, calm creative spirit with a twinkly smile and a huge talent for marrying technology and the creative process.  She did the thing we thought no human could do - take our pile of art and poetry and upload it to the cyber gods and effortlessly transform it into this outrageously beautiful glass slipper that we now hold in our hands reverently, awestruck.  Magical midwifery.  Blue Wild was born.

Between these pages lie thirty-three paintings and their poetic illustrations.  A wild outpouring of exuberance blended with a little philosophy and a nudge- nudge wink- wink of humor.  It is what happens when creative spirits meld and inner children come out to play.  We are tickled.  We are delighted.  We hope you will be, too.
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Note: self-publishing is made for the brave, the fearless, the thrill-seeker and the cliff-jumper!  With an Art Godmother, it wasn't nearly as terrifying.  :)  Self-publishing does, however, require a significant financial investment by the artist and writer.  When you buy your copy of our little beauty, please know your purchase supports our investment in our art and poetry, and allows us to continue creating without limits.  There is no greater honor than to know this book is held in your hands and viewed by your eyes.  From both Mary and me - thank you, from the bottom of our ever playful hearts.

This creation was designed by Susan Nicolai of EyeSusan. Susan's business is digital storytelling for artists, and she specialized in books, ebooks, interactive content and videos.  And we believe she has a magic wand.  Here is her website.  Check out her video story about our project below.