The November issue of Cricket is out in bookstores. “Loki and the Apples of the Gods” is an Old Norse Tale Retold by Christy Lenzi, accompanied by a whole bunch of cut-paper artwork I was privileged to do.
Making art based on mythology is always huge fun. Being bigger than life, myths are an opportunity to really dig in and use the imagination. At the same time, they are grounded in ancient cultures, usually with distinct art and design I can include or allude to. I think the Norse Tracery style really compliments the cut-paper textures in “The Taking of Idun”.
Picking an expression for Loki was one of the tougher parts. He helped plan Idun’s capture – with nobody around he wouldn’t need to feign surprise. He’d love to gloat, but he knows full well that the moment he steps into Asgard, the other gods are going to beat the everlovin’ tar outta him.
Having grown up with two brothers I can sympathize; thrilled that my evil scheme worked, dreading how I would have to pay for it later.
Other images from the story:
Building Ancient Gods, Pt. 1
Staying in touch with the hometown is always a good thing when living on the other side of the world. My hometown* newspaper, the Warwick Valley Dispatch recently asked me to write a short article about Autumn and the Autumn festivals here in Japan. You can find out more about Warwick and the Dispatch at 
It seems to me that whenever a person finds themselves in a tight spot, the blame starts flying. The trouble with blame is that it has a tendency to boomerang right back atcha. Soon, fingers are pointing every which way; nobody gets out unscarred.
