The idea for "Le Petit Roi" came from a sketch I did more than a year ago. I was at the park, doing a series of gesture drawings of kids and here was this little boy with with a Burger King paper crown and a cape made from an old tee-shirt.
That kid brought me back to a time when I was eight or nine and felt absolutely confident in my ability to take on the world.
I was living in France at the time and enjoyed a great deal of freedom roaming the forests of Central France during the summer and going about the town on foot or by bicycle during the year. I never rowed a boat, as the small hero of this story does, but I have always loved the medieval town of Saint Omer.
The illustration was gifted to Sonny E. of Houston, Texas. Sonny has been a sounding board for this project. He has encouraged me to seek clarity in what I wanted to achieve. A skilled facilitator and tough-love coach, Sonny appeared just when I needed a little extra push with this project. I am grateful for his insight and advice.
This project was drawn in pen and ink enhanced with watercolor on vintage paper. A hand-written copy of the story was included in the final project. The work was embroidered with a mix of silk and mercerized cotton and completed in June 2017.
