All future blog posts will be on my new and hopefully improved web site

 https://markbraught.com/

CONWAY LEAGUE OF ARTISTS presents MARK BRAUGHT PASTEL WORKSHOP Mark Braught will be our guest speaker at the CLA September meeting on Wednesday, September 11th - @6:30, Faulkner County Library. The workshop will be the following Saturday, September 14th - @9am-4pm, Wesley United Methodist Church.

MARK BRAUGHT PASTEL WORKSHOP Date: Saturday, September 14th, 2019 Location: Wesley United Methodist Church 2310 E Oak Street, Conway AR Time: 9am- 4pm (Lunch:12-1p) Cost: $75 per seat (includes lunch) -Checks preferred, make out to CLA- -Sign up starts this Wednesday, August 14th at the CLA Meeting.- If you have any questions or would like to reserve a seat at the workshop please contact Don at donp4e@gmai

HAPPY HALLOWEEN This is this year's image for the Dawson County Library Campfire Storytelling Festival, traditionally held every time this year. However, after this image was completed & submitted, the festival was moved to the spring of 2018. The theme for the festival will still revolve around scary stories told round the campfire, but will be in the spring, sometime in March. I am really looking forward to creating another image that will better reflect the new springtime setting for this event.
Should be loads of fun and I will definitely post how that progresses.
In the meantime . . . a big BOO to you and yours!

original art 16" x 22", pastel on strathmore bristol, 400 series 4-ply, with some minor digital touches

Just some fun.
This was a piece I did during my visit to Hollins University last summer while teaching a pastels course.
The assignment was to create an image to communicate a message using a bird and two unrelated objects. One organic, one not.
This one addresses the problem, "How does one manage the challenge of eating while maintaining a roof over their head".

DEMO at HOLLINS UNIVERSITY

Last summer I had the privilege of being on the faculty at Hollins University for their graduate program for children's literature and was asked to do demonstration session creating an illustration in pastel. It only seemed appropriate to create a piece that had some relevance to their program based on their famous alum Margaret Wise Brown, the well-known children's book author. It was also appropriate because I thought I could complete the piece in the hour and a half allotted for the demonstration and that their would be ample information there for all the reference needed.

The first step was to do some research regarding Ms.Brown gathering information on her life and career. Like most assignments, I knew very little, beyond the obvious about her.
She led a fascinating and exciting (although short) socialite sort of life, and a very successful professional career as an author, with the highlight authoring, Goodnight Moon.

Co-Chair of the program, Elizabeth Dulemba was present and did a write-up with some photos of the session and posted it on her blog. These are really fun sessions and I hope those present had as much fun as I did.

Interview with Elizabeth Dulemba. 

The last number of weeks I've been in Roanoke, Virginia teaching at Hollins University in their MFA & Certificate programs for Children's Book Writing and illustration. It was a wonderful experience, and I will share much of that in the near future. but in the meantime, fellow faculty member, the wonderfully talented, Elizabeth Dulemba interviewed members of the faculty for her blog. This link will take you to the interview she did with me

While you're there you should really take a spin through her site. It is full of wonderful work, informational things. other interviews as well other KidLit tidbits! 

Just in time for the Holidays!

 My latest, a new childrens' book for the fine folks from Deeds Publishing and author Rosalind Bunn.
A fun story about the imagination of a young boy and what he sees before he goes to sleep.
http://deedspublishing.goodsie.com/whose-shadow-do-i-see