A Special “Thank You!” for Readers and What’s Ahead in the New Year!

January 2, 2016 / jrmilson / 4 Comments

A special New Year’s “Thank You!” to everyone who has followed along the past year on the Blog, my Author Facebook Page, on Twitter and with “The Adventures of Little Red Bear” short stories book collection released in June!

A few quick hits for New Year’s. I am not a big numbers guy, not seeking to build great legions of followers for the sole sake of impressive numbers and ego stroking. But when you write or put creative work out there for the enjoyment of others, numbers are a way of gauging whether there is any interest or if your work is fostering the intended enjoyment for others.

So it was encouraging to see that my Blog site continues to grow, having achieved a 60% increase in both visits and followers in 2015, was visited over 4,400 times and reached a new high averaging 20 visits per day in December and now being read in 86 countries! “The Adventures of Little Red Bear” continues to gain new readers internationally, and has been very positively received. Twitter followers are nearing the 10,000 mark worldwide. We keep growing together, one positive message at a time.

To me, this is an indication and further encouragement that there still remains a receptive audience and place for enjoyable clean, uplifting and positive themed information and entertainment of high standards. So for you, readers and followers – Thank You!

Quote- Love and Purpose

Looking ahead, the course will remain the same but hopefully with even more activity shared in the coming year. As always, the focus will be Entertaining, Informational and Educational. In the works for the new year are –

A continued focus on the natural world and conservation issues including the revival of nature interviews and features on the Blog by our assistant, “Rusty the Fairydiddle”, a Red Squirrel Reporter, as only a Red Squirrel can do them. Check out “Rusty Behind the Scenes — The Gray Fox Interview” for a sample.

Rusty the Fairdiddle, Red Squirrel Reporter on the Job!

A serialized Free Story or two on the Blog, similar to the “Ozarks Ostrich Crisis” which started it all a couple years ago.

More Free Reads, Poetry and other Short Works as inspiration and the muses allow.

Little Red Bear finds humans fascinating for one reason or another, so in addition a new series of interviews is planned on the Blog to include not only fellow writers and authors, but other creative and interesting folk as well. The list of those already agreeing to be interviewed include photographers of various disciplines, artists, authors and more.

“The greatest danger for most of us lies not in setting our aim too high and falling short; but in setting our aim too low, and achieving our mark.” ~ Michelangelo

Plans also include sharing more new teddy bears, raggedy dolls and other creations and information on the Blog, just for fun.

Milson, the Steampunk Bear– German Mohair, Glass Eyes, by James Milson, 2014

Roary- Cinnamon Curly Mohair Bear with Wobble Joints, Glass Eyes, Wearing a Rusty Jingle Bell.

Tuffie- Synthetic Faux Fur Bear with Wobble Joints and Picture Jasper Stone Pendant

Grumpy Gus- Synthetic Faux Mohair with an Iron Pyrite, Wire-wrapped Fool’s Gold Pendant

Fisher- Mohair Bear with Wobble Joints, Glass Eyes, and Carved Bone Fish Pendant

Sugar- Mohair Bear with Wire-wrapped Sea Glass Pendant

And — after months of “thinking” and note-making, writing on the next collection of “The Adventures of Little Red Bear” short stories began in earnest the past week. As you may recall, the full title of the first collection of stories was “The Adventures of Little Red Bear: The First Holler!” The next collection will be appropriately titled “The Adventures of Little Red Bear: The Second Holler Over!” Returning the main characters, it will also feature the introduction of some very new and colorful characters as fun and hijinks in the backwoods continues. And with those pesky weasels still around, we’re never really quite sure what may happen. Red and I are working towards a summer or early fall release, so please stay in touch for updates.

So Much Work, So Many Adventures, So Little Time!

Actually, staying in touch is pretty easy. Following the blog is as simple as signing up, with notifications of all new posts delivered directly to your email inbox. It is always Free, never any spam, and features a growing list of Free Reads, Information and Fun Stuff available anytime. Some easy links to follow the Blog and on Twitter are located in the column to the right. Just click here to “LIKE” and follow my Author Facebook Page and on Pinterest. Please join me on my Personal Facebook Page for a steady stream of positive and uplifting messages, recipes, music selections, shared artworks and photography from friends, and other fun.

As we move further into the new year, I expect the general loudness and rancor may increase as we approach the Presidential election in November. My intention is for all of my sites to serve as a mental oasis and refuge of quiet, peace, kindness and love for everyone. You are welcome to visit anytime.

Quote- Kindness Instructions

So, heading off into the new year and next set of Little Red Bear adventures, then. Thank You again for a wonderful and encouraging year! And please remember, the “Welcome” mat is always out, there’s a pitcher of tea waiting and cookies in the jar at all times; and comments, feedback, referrals and sharing are strongly encouraged and very much appreciated. As Little Red Bear is fond of saying — “A shared joy is a doubled joy.”

Hoping to see you stop by and visit often! — Jim (and Red!)

Quote- Kindness- Doing Good

“The Adventures of Little Red Bear: The First Holler!” Short Stories on Amazon. About an uncommonly special bear and his friends!

Introducing the Amazing– “Devon Art Pop!”

June 4, 2015June 4, 2015 / jrmilson / Leave a comment

Sharing a delightful entry and wonderful artworks today from my writer friend Sylva Fae, which appeared on her blog Sylvanian Ramblings a few weeks ago. Sylva introduced me to an amazing group of talented artists who brought themselves together under the umbrella group name of Devon Art Pop.

There are many groups of artists about, but most frequently assembled by field of study– a watercolor artists group, woodcarvers group, pottery group, etc. What struck and impressed me most about the Devon Art Pop was their mix of talents, crossing discipline lines to include not only artists but a poet, leather worker and wood worker among others. I would love to be in such a marvelous group and to be a “Popper!”

I strongly encourage you to visit the Devon Art Pop page and artists thru the links provided. Residents of the UK can check their appearance schedules and meet them in person! Follow their work and activities on Twitter and Facebook. Here is more information, as presented by Sylva Fae and Chaz E Arnold from Devon Art Pop. Beautiful and amazing creative work all around. Enjoy!

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From Sylva- I was introduced to the Devon Art Pop group by my Twitter friend Alan Prince whose amazing sculptures are featured in an earlier guest blog. I was then introduced to their Paignton Poet, Chaz E Arnold, who very kindly helped gather information from the group. In its time, the diverse talents of 20 different artists have been represented, and this is a showcase of just some of those.

Thank you to both of you for your help.

Sylva Fae x

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Devon Art Pop

Devon Art Pop is simply a group of Devon based artists who share conversations via the social media of Twitter and work collaboratively to exhibit our work through pop-up galleries across Devon. The idea is the brainchild of genius watercolourist Jill Griffin. Since Jill’s eureka moment, the concept has grown from strength to strength with new artists joining the happy band all the time.

The aim is to enjoy collaborating and inspire one another and hopefully sell a work of art along the way. The poppers, as the members call themselves are painters, leather workers, sculptures, metal workers, wood turners and a poet. The media used couldn’t be more diverse and include watercolour, acrylic, oil and textile.

Devon Art Pop’s pop up exhibitions are held several times a year in venues as diverse as stately homes and town halls to art galleries and high street shops. Up and coming events and more about the group and its members can be found at their DevonArtPop website.

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Jill Griffin

aka PocketPop

A lifelong self taught watercolourist, influenced heavily by Mother Nature in all her guises. I love to paint a big variety of natural things and particularly I am influenced by the changing of the seasons. From bare trees in winter, to sea shells, from pebbles stacked precariously to fish swirling in a mass. I also like to work in a semi abstract and illustrative styles, where I can use my imagination and hide surprises in my work.
My favourite work had to be a Barn Owl portrait I made called Curious Charlie- I loved his character that came through and his deeply curious stare.

I am represented at Mayflower Arts, Gallery on the Hoe and Homeframe Gallery in Plymouth, and I sell work direct via Artfinder as well as popping up with DevonArtPop.

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Chaz E. Arnold

aka The Paignton Poet and Poet Pop

Chaz is a poet and author and has written many novels, most notably The Hope Saga, a science fiction adventure series set in the 1950’s. He is perhaps better known for his poetry and is inspired by virtually everything but most enjoys writing poetry to accompany artwork. Chaz’s work can be found on Amazon and his poetry pops up in art galleries across Devon and occasionally further afield. He enjoys tweeting spur of the moment verses on Twitter and Facebook where he has built up an appreciative following.

His scifi and poetry ebooks can be found on Amazon and he can also be found on Twitter @PaigntonPoet and Facebook ‘Chaz E. Arnold’

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Alan Prince

aka Made By a Prince and Pair of Pops

I’ve had a passion to create things for as long as can I remember, becoming an approved craftsman and learning many skills along the way, years of wood turning and furniture making followed. Time spent working alongside a model engineer challenged the approach I took to my craft and gave me the insight to see things in a different way. The more difficult the piece the more I was up for the challenge, always striving for that unattainable perfection. Having worked with different medias, I have found my passion in recreating the things that I see around me with “spent items”. My chief sculptures are made from recycled copper and brass, drawing on my experience with wood to make formers to help create these. Being mostly self taught has given a feeling of freedom about my creations and I have now arrived at a point I feel comfortable sharing my efforts.

My sculptures and jewellery are available to buy direct from the Made by a Prince website. My work can also be found at West Gallery (West Putford) and Mayflower Arts.

You can connect with Alan Prince on Twitter @madebyaprince.

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John Fells

aka Woodpop

Working with wood is my passion. I’m predominately a woodturner using UK grown timber and some reclaimed exotics to produce a wide range of products and forms. I can’t help but aim for a fine finish on all my work to reveal the timbers beauty and I enjoy the finer details.

My favorite type of piece is a natural edge form where I start from a log and the bark plays a part in the final shape. (Although spinning tops may overtake soon as playing with physics turns out to be quite a curious activity, both on and off the lathe!)

My main permanent display is in Charlestown, Cornwall where I have a range of work. I also supply 2 galleries in Devon with some pieces; West Gallery (West Putford) and Artisan Homes (Modbury, home of the Devon Moths).
You can also follow my current work on Facebook (John Fells wood) and Twitter (@johnfellswood) and find other details on my website www.johnfells.co.uk.

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James Peter Millward

I am a Plymouth based painter. My love of the natural world is my driving artistic force – having grown up in the beautiful unspoilt valleys of the Howgill fells in Cumbria I was surrounded by nature. In many of my paintings I zoom in on the macroscopic scenes in order to try and capture that intimacy and energy of that moment when a person may stop what they are doing to admire “let’s say!” a ladybird descend a grass shoot, or the immaculate design of a flower. I believe all living things have a consciousness which we can connect with if we empty our heads of the meaningless trash of our consumer driven lives and take notice of this miracle around us, and it is that intimate connection between all living things which I dearly hope to capture in my paintings, macroscopic or standard landscapes, riverscapes and seascapes.

My preferred medium is golden open acrylics, slow drying pigment which act much like oils and whilst the process takes longer than normal acrylics the pigment quality and vibrancy is in my opinion unmatched. I paint in thin layers and build the painting slowly up to a crescendo of colour and detail, I love painting detail on top of diffuse dreamy backgrounds because when our eyes give full attention to a particular subject the world around it defocuses into energy and that is the “moment of attention” which I am trying to capture and isolate in my work. Though I seek accuracy in my work, real-feelism is my goal, not photorealism.

A favourite piece of my own is “Henry the darling bug of May”. I was sat in the heathlands of the beautiful National Trust Saltram Estate enjoying the peace and quiet when I was visited by Henry when he landed on a grass shoot in front of me and began to descend it. I was amazed how his little insect legs supported his big shiny ruby red body and carried him seamlessly down the shoot and away on his journey. Ladybirds are supposed to bring luck and we can all do with a bit of that can’t we? Ladybirds are joyful creatures painted with some of nature’s finest pigments and designs and it was a joy for me to paint “The darling bug of May”

My art can be seen primarily in Mayflower Arts 12 Southside Street, Barbican, Plymouth, where I am the artist in residence. My works are also exhibiting in “The gallery on the hoe” here in Plymouth. I also have my own website with all my works, paintings and abstract sculptures here at www.jimsculpture.co.uk.

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Emma Higgins

aka Lino Pop

I make lino prints from my little cottage studio. Most of my prints are inspired by the South Devon coast and so have a seaside theme. My style is quite simple and many prints feature blues and greys which are colours I am always drawn to using.

‘Coastline’ is my favourite piece at the moment. It is of Blackpool Sands in the South Hams.

Where to find my work:
From time to time I exhibit locally but my prints can always be found online at https://folksy.com/shops/BilletDoux

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Jackie Gale

aka StitchPop

Jackie is a contemporary textile artist who works from her studio in the South Hams. She produces quirky naive artworks using a wide array of recycled materials including anything from wood veneers to rusty nails, merino felt to window film. Along with strong use of colour she uses texture to capture the essence of a place or theme and tell its story. The fine detail in her work as well as the quirky features make it not only uplifting but truly engaging. Each piece can take up to 2 weeks to produce. She likes to research extensively about a place or theme she is portraying and customise her materials accordingly. Jackie draws inspiration from her beautiful surroundings as well as her passion for naive art. She feels she finds something new to capture in textile every time she steps outside her front door.

Since turning professional in 2012, her work has attracted both national and international interest and she was recently awarded ‘Up & Coming Artist 2015′ by the Fine Art Trade Guild. [Congratulations Jackie! Sylva x]

You can connect with Jackie on Twitter (@jackiegaleart) or at her web site http://jackiegaletextileart.com/.

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Theresa Shaw

aka ShawAboutArt, FlowerPop

Inspired by nature, in particular flowers are a constant source of inspiration that help me create bold, contemporary florals and landscapes in acrylic ink for vibrancy and energy. I occasionally use Hammerite and gold and silver leaf for that additional wow and my aim is to achieve multi-layered pieces that are never boring.

Favourite piece at the moment: Crazy Daisy I – I love this piece – the colours, the layers, the little details.

Galleries where you can find my work: GalleryFab, Newton Abbot. Haddon Galleries, Torquay. Mayflower Arts, Plymouth. West Gallery, Holsworthy. The Marle Gallery, Axminster. Art5 Gallery, Brighton. Suki Craft Gallery, Tutbury.
Also online here: shawaboutart.com and artfinder.com/theresa-shaw.

Waiting for Little Red Bear . . . .

June 3, 2015 / jrmilson / 1 Comment

Just a quick update. As you read this, Amazon helpers are working feverishly, fueled by gallons of coffee, hot chocolate and sugar cookies, to get “The Adventures of Little Red Bear” short stories collection set to go for you.

They are busily copying, pasting and stitching together the final formats and links for the Kindle and Print versions, and trimming the seams. One of the bird images apparently slipped out of the print version last night and caused a heck of a mess flying about, but has been put back in place without further incident, thank goodness. Word is a lot of duct tape, Elmer’s glue and staples were involved overnight working to get the two formats put together. As I understand it, the staples are mostly for the various links involved, but might be wrong. I’m not really very technical.

Please stay tuned. We’re almost there. Red has been so excited the past few days he couldn’t sit down and alternated between pacing and paddling around the lake, eventually plopping down for a nap, worn out. It’s best really. Patience and bears frequently tend to travel on different roads.

So please stay tuned. As soon as the Amazon techies finish their work and we get the official okie-dokie, we will have release information and more details to share. We are so close!

Thanks as always for visiting! — Jim (and Red!)

Guest Blog- “Trees” by Neil Giles with Artwork by Emma Childs

April 16, 2015 / jrmilson / 1 Comment

Sharing a delightful nature post combining original poetry and artwork from friends. This enchanting post originally appeared on my friend Sylva Fae’s blog Sylvanian Ramblings. If you love nature and children, I strongly encourage you to visit and follow her captivating blog.

The amazing “Trees” poem is courtesy of Neil Giles, and the accompanying beautiful artwork “Cyclamens at Killerton” created by Emma Childs.

I invite you to meet, connect and follow their creative works. Sylva’s delightful blog is linked above, clicking on the poem tree image will take you to Neil’s Twitter page, and clicking on the artwork will take you to Emma’s site.

Big thank you’s to Sylva, Neil and Emma for allowing me to share their magical creative works with you! I hope you enjoy as much as I did when first seeing their creations.

“The Adventures of Little Red Bear– The First Holler”

February 4, 2015 / jrmilson / 3 Comments

Announcing the official title for the first collection of upcoming Little Red Bear stories– “The Adventures of Little Red Bear– The First Holler.”

The review copy of “The Adventures of Little Red Bear” came back from beta readers with very positive comments. Maybe the most heartening was that they had to continually keep reminding themselves to slow down, edit and make notes because they were simply enjoying the stories so much and reading right thru. So a snip here, a tuck there and it will be ready to go. A serious cover search is now intensified and underway! Progress on the cover will determine a release date, hopefully soon.

“The First Holler” will feature six short stories of varying lengths, plus an Introduction into the Ozarks Mountain Country world of Little Red Bear and his friends.

Meanwhile, I already have one more story than needed planned for the next collection, had another story writing itself in my head waking up at 5am this morning, and then happened across yet another story inspiration I had to sit down and make notes about before breakfast. With recruiting and interviews going on for second collection story characters, I am having trouble keeping up with it all right now.

Speaking of recruiting for new characters– a very pompous, pretentious and imperious Peacock has let it be known indirectly thru a representative that he wants to be included in the next set of adventures. It seems beneath him to go thru the normal application process however. The persnickety peacock returned a blank Story Character Application Form, with only the words “see attached” scrawled over the area for Experience and Qualifications, stapled to a head shot photo. Another item on the list of things to do.

I am having an Ostrich Crisis flashback from last year. What is it about working with large birds? Working with chipmunks is so much easier. Give them a bowl full of peanuts and they are busily happy for days!

But most immediately, the cover for “The First Holler” is the next hurdle. Will update again as soon as there is something more to report.

Thanks as always for following! — Jim (and Red!)

Peacock Headshot Submission
(“Peacock Pride” print by Angelina Vick found on Pinterest)

Story Character Casting Call for Second Collection of “Little Red Bear Stories”

January 30, 2015 / jrmilson / 5 Comments

As you may recall from the Breaking News announcement on Monday, the First Collection of short stories in “The Adventures of Little Red Bear” series was completed and sent out for beta reads a few days ago. My plan was to take a couple months off from writing to focus on new creations and store work, but it seems like everyone else wants to keep it going and get started right away on developing new short stories for the Second Collection in “The Adventures of Little Red Bear”.

Little Red Bear already signed on four new story characters this week, and more seem to be banging on the door this morning! So instead of giving everyone some time off, I decided to make it official and put out a Casting Call for new story characters, and had the receptionist start scheduling new character interviews. Since everyone is on board with it, we’re just going to go ahead and get started right away on the next set of stories and adventures. As mentioned earlier in The Ozarks Ostrich Crisis events, my receptionist is an elderly bunny who needs her job to support her large family, so better for her to be able to keep working anyway. Was going to pay her regardless, but don’t tell her that.

Interestingly, three little woodland fairies have turned in applications to appear in the next collection. Rather unfairylike, the largest of the three is very, very muddy in her application head shot photo, lists under qualifications and experience- “working in a mud kitchen”- and goes on to mention something about a peculiar, one-legged duck on her application. I was unable to read the rest because it was covered in mud. Anxious to hear more about all that and I have put a star by her name on the interview list. Sounds like a story there to me!

Little Red Bear isn’t quite so sure. After his mixed experience with a domesticated animal character in the first story collection, he is a bit apprehensive about working with another in the second set of stories. He intends to sit in on that interview, to determine if working with the mud-covered fairy also includes working with a one-legged duck. Personally, I’m hoping it does. Thinking it might be fun and have already jotted down some story notes! To be determined, I suppose. Not telling Red, but I requested she bring the duck along to the interview when it is scheduled.

And it just goes to demonstrate, Red and I never know who or what may show up at the door when we put out a Story Character Casting Call. Brings to mind the Ostrich Crisis events from the last recruiting push, as a simple process spun wildly out of control last year. So we’ll see who walks, hops, crawls or flies thru the door this time.

Speaking of which and since it is an open Casting Call, if you have a favorite animal, critter, bird, fish, wildflower, tree, agricultural crop, or whatever that you would like to have possibly appear in a future collection of stories, I invite you to mention it in the comments below. No promises, but Little Red Bear is always eager to make new friends. As you may recall, the stories are generally based in the Ozarks Mountain Country of Southeast Missouri, but we have worked with international story characters before too, once the Work Permit Visas are obtained.

Please stay tuned for more updates as the first story collection nears release, new work on the next Little Red Bear stories gets underway and new creations for the store are shared. It’s turning into a very busy year! I’m off now to interview a Porcupine. I hear they can have a rather prickly personality at times.

Thanks as always for following! — Jim (and Red!)