preview of new artwork for arabic pastry cookbook!

very delighted to present a preview of the artwork i recently completed for the cover of an arabic pastry cookbook to be published next spring. so far the response to it has been very positive; and i am so pleased with it as well! accomplished in record time to boot!

soon i will begin twenty five illustrations for the interior of the book...one of which was previewed pre-completion in an earlier post in august. what fun!

sawaya in illustration invitational show opening this week in portland

an illustration exhibition called DRAWING ATTENTION will open this sunday, september 12th at the Doll Gardner Gallery in portland, featuring primarily children's book illustrators. if you are in town on sunday from 12:30 to 2 p.m., stop by the gallery on sw oleson road for the opening reception with the artists. hope to be there myself! it looks to be a fun show.

i will be exhibiting original paintings from my two children's books: How To Get Famous in Brooklyn and The Little Ant/La Hormiga Chiquita. the show will be up through september 26th.

in other news, i'm going to be in an art show in long beach, california in october...watch for upcoming posting about this with all the details.

and i have just finished the cover painting for the arabic pastry cookbook. hope to post that image soon after getting the publisher's okay! it is quite a lovely piece done in record time.