Well… it’s been a while.

Since my last post, life has been busy in the best and strangest ways possible. I’ve had the chance to work on some wonderful projects, including illustrating How a Moose Helped Santa at Christmas by Phil Riggs, as well as Dory the Doodle: Backpacking in Newfoundland, written by Mark Hiscock and finished by Kelly Traverse. Seeing these stories come to life has been an incredible experience, and I’m deeply grateful to have been trusted with helping bring them into the world.

At the same time, Captain Butterbottoms is still very much alive and stumbling forward. I continue to work away at illustrating The Adventures of Captain Butter Bottoms and the Octo-Odyssey, slowly building the strange little world that first started as an idea between my son Jack and I. The captain still talks too loudly, Krackers is still stressed out, and somehow the adventure keeps getting bigger.

I’ve also recently completed a very different kind of book. Minimal. Quiet. Strange in its own way. It’s currently being sent out to literary agents, which feels both exciting and mildly terrifying. Like releasing a tiny paper boat into the ocean and hoping someone out there notices it floating by while small drooling feral children throw rubber snakes at it.

Life also threw me a bit of an unexpected plot twist. At 39 years old, I underwent open heart surgery. Recovery has slowed me down some, both physically and mentally, and I’d be lying if I said it hasn’t changed the way I see things. But in a strange way, it also reminded me why creating matters to me so much in the first place.

So these days, I’m still drawing. Still writing. Just a little slower now. Maybe a little more grateful, maybe a little more airhead. 🙂

Thank you to everyone who has continued to follow along, support my work, or simply stop by to read these little updates from my corner of Newfoundland. There are still plenty of stories ahead.

Warm wishes,