Patterned Peace: A dream realized

It's funny how things happen ... One Saturday last July I attended an artist fair and my friend Patty, who was bombarded by customers eager to buy her beautiful hand felted creations, had only two seconds to speak to me. She said something like, "Coloring books are all the rage. Your artwork is perfect for it. You should do this." It got me thinking. I had already considered the possibility of creating a coloring book, so this wasn't a brand new idea, but her words got me thinking more seriously about the idea.

The following Thursday, a group of friends attended my art reception at a local restaurant. The next day I received an email from one of those friends, Jack Kosmach, who works for a well established health and wellness publisher, Whole Person Associates, in Duluth. The company was considering publishing a coloring book to add to their already diverse offering in the health and wellness field and he thought  my artwork would be perfect for it. I was thrilled and couldn't believe that within a week of my friend Patty mentioning the idea to me that I was actually approached by a publisher. I said, "Yes!" immediately.

Today, my coloring book is available on Amazon.com. I am particularly proud of this effort because it isn't just a coloring book. Every pattern used to create the 40 pieces of hand-drawn artwork in the book are included in a tangle index with information on where to find visual step-by-step directions on-line so coloring enthusiasts, who may want to draw their own patterns to color, can find out how to do that line by line.

I am hopeful that this book, which is so very different from the others I've seen on-line and in almost every store I visit, is well received and loved by those who choose to own it. Over and over and over again I am reminded that all things really are possible.