Book display
Food table
Art & book display
If you’ve never visited this delightful little book store in Santa Monica, you are in for a treat! Bill and I had a wonderful time in the store’s warm, cozy atmosphere filled with young adult and children’s books. Author and illustrator James A. Owen arrived early and we enjoyed talking with him and admiring at his art prints. I especially enjoyed his prints of The Last Unicorn graphic novel … which unfortunately was canceled. However, James created a couple pages… of the unicorn overhearing the hunters discussing unicorns in her forest, of her gazing at her own beautiful reflection in a clear pool of water… drawings of King Haggard, Prince Lir, Schmendrick the Magician, Molly Grue, Mommy Fortuna, Lady Amalthea…. As a Last Unicorn fan, I was completely enchanted by James’s renditions of Peter S. Beagle’s characters.
Now now, we were not there for me to drool all over James Owen artwork, inclusively. We were there to celebrate the publishing of the 3rd book in his dragon series. “Here There Be Dragons” being the first, the second was “The Search for the Red Dragon” and the third is entitled “The Indigo King”. All three book covers are gorgeous and they are filled with amazing illustrations.
James speaking to kids
James shows the kids his book
James explains to kids about art and books
The children loved James. In moments, they were captivated as he shared the twists and turns of his drawing career. The first major obstacle in his life was literally to survive childhood. James spent a long time in the hospital, and as other patients died around him, he found inspiration from Superman comics. In one story in particular, Superman believed he was dying, but his father Jor-el told him he would live, and young James drew a lot of strength and courage from it. James eventually overcame this hardship, but years later, while working on the graphic novel “Starchild”, he was in a terrible car accident. Splaying his hands, one of which will never be completely flexible like before, he told the children how his drawing hand had been crushed and doctors told him he would never draw again. After many months of physical therapy, mostly with a bolt and a block of wood, screwing and unscrewing the long bolt into the wood for hours upon hours, James was finally able to hold a pen again. How very fortunate, for us all!
James shows the first steps to drawing a dragon
James drawing more of the dragon
Final dragon drawing
Close up of dragon
After James passed around his “how to draw a dragon” instructions, it wasn’t long before one of the boys gave it a try. Pretty good, wouldn’t you say!
James took the time to draw a dragon in each of our books. And what a pleasant surprise, Cornelia Funke walked into the store and joined in the fun!
While James signed books and drew dragons, we all relaxed and chatted amongst ourselves on the cushions and chairs in the reading area. Topics milled around our favorite comic characters, books, movies, artwork… basically anything thought that crossed our minds. Bill waited until all the kids were through the line and he gave James his books.
Bill talks to James
James signs Bill’s books
Bill had one book inscribed to us…. we love what James wrote!
James always strikes me as a soul who is living in our time, but is from another, one more eloquent and quaint. He is kind to everyone, soft spoken and easy to be near. Every time we’ve seen him, he’s wearing a classic vest and pocket watch, and complimentary clothing, like a dress shirt with a clerical collar. Maybe when a person has had to fight for their life, and then for the use of their hands to pursue their hearts desire, they don’t take life or other people for granted. Maybe this is why James seems to have such an open, gentle aura about him, and why he finds inspiration all around him. In turn, he inspires others.
It was a lovely afternoon, but it was time to depart the pretty book store and head home. As we made the short drive east away from the sparkling Santa Monica beach in the green dragon Pathfinder, the sun set quietly on the horizon behind us.
Until next time…
P~
