Where have I been for the past 3 odd weeks or so? Well, I got my illustrations done enough so that I was able to package them all up in a pdf and send them off to my publisher for a look-over, and in the meantime, take off to Kaua’i for two weeks to recoup, rest my eyes and sit on the beach in the sun hike in the mud, and snorkel and go photo-walking in the rain. I watched lightning storms, saw flooded roads, and waves stained red with dirt from swollen rivers. And then I came home to rainy Vancouver where it’s been mostly sunny (between the little snow flurries and hail storms).
Living in Vancouver, one has to make the best of the rain, or one would never leave the house. So despite the wild weather in Kauai’i, I spent as much time outside as possible – rain or shine (the difference being the almost-constant pleasant temperature of 23°). There were plenty of creatures to seek out and keep me occupied: daily sightings of humpback whales, spinner dolphins, loads of green sea turtles, impressive albatross, and little colour-changing anoles. One of the many highlights was going snorkelling and seeing some of my recent illustration subjects in the wild: threadfin butterflyfish. Super neat!
Illustration detail | jellies and threadfin butterflyfish
Anole | photographed in the National Tropical Botanical Gardens, Kaua’i
Kirsti Anne Wakelin | picture book illustration 