Lin gave me The Liebster Award!

I was very surprised to find that I was given an award for my blog from Linda Calverley of England, who is an amazingly talented fabric and mixed media artist. Her work encompasses a full range of delights - embroidery, printing, beading, photography, painting, drawing, altered books, quilting, applique, collage, and repeat patterns for fabrics or wrapping paper. Check out her blog for a plethora of visual delights!

 
My apologies for the delay in participating. I'm really tickled, and finally have the opportunity to do my part. The last week or so has been overwhelming, so my Illustration Friday endeavors dropped off. I'll get back on track soon enough!
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What is it?

This award is given to bloggers who inspire you and have less than 200 followers. The Liebster Award takes its name from the German word meaning ‘Beloved, Dearest or Favorite’ so I am honored to receive this award.
 

Here are the rules:
The tradition with this award is that it is passed along to five bloggers who have motivated and inspired. To accept the award, you must ~
* Link back to the person who gave it to you, and thank them
* Post the award to your blog
* Give the award to 5 blogs with fewer than 200 followers each 
   that you appreciate and value
* Leave a comment on those 5 blogs to let them know 
   they've been offered this award.

Below are the blogs to which I give the Liebster Blog Award. Every one of them is a master! The first three are my close blogging buddies, we see each other practically every week since we teach at the same school. We all began blogging at the same time – thanks to Richard's prodding – and we enjoy the support, personal growth and comraderie that Illustration Friday has brought.

Alice Andrieni's (almost) Daily Paintings What inspiration! In just under a year, Alice's artwork has expanded in what seems like a log-rythmic progression ... from tentative baby steps to a true tour de force. Beautiful brushstrokes, compositions and her ability to create art (almost) every day makes her the envy of all.

Richard Ewing's Visual Cogitations I just don't know ANYONE who can push and pull a figure to the extend that this maestro can. His compositions always hit me at a physical level, where I can feel the tensions present in his characters. He kindly prods me along with my efforts, and is downright hilarious in an understated way.

Bill Jaynes Mind Wanderings Light-hearted and whimsical watercolour and ink paintings adorn Bill's blog. His fun and often decorative style always depicts a fresh and inventive approach to the weekly word challenge. His art contains a spontaneity that reminds me that art is supposed to be fun, and not to take things so seriously. Seriously!

Greg Newbold's Life Needs Art Greg is a former classmate and phenomenally talented illustrator who's published an army of children's books, teaches university level art courses, and has his beautiful oil paintings in acclaimed art galleries. He's equally dexterous in oils, acrylic and digital media, and he's a really, really nice guy!

Elizabeth Rose Stanton's Penpaper Studio offers a weekly giggle at wacky animals rendered in a simple, colorful style. Then suddenly, she'll pop in a 'serious' rendering just to keep her viewer's guessing. No matter, the inner soul in all her creations shines through (and keeps me coming back for more)!