Below is a small selection of pages and illustrations from Branches Laden with Wind-Abandoned Snow - A collection of holiday poetry by James P. Bonamy, illustrated by me, and published in 2013.

It all started one fateful Christmas in the 70s when a young man picked a package of holiday cards off a store shelf and felt a poem begin to form in his mind. That man was James P. Bonamy and that Christmas card spawned a beloved tradition that has spanned decades. Every year he hunted for the perfect card, one that inspired or stirred something in him. It could be light hearted and joyful or somber and profound, but the poems are all focused on the holiday season, winter, family, friends, and the little moments we often take for granted.

In 2011, a book collection of his holiday poems to date was proposed. However, acquiring the needed permissions and licenses for years worth cards from various publishers was prohibitive. That’s where I came in. Instead of using the old ones, new images were crafted for the book. Poems that were inspired by cards were now inspiring fresh illustrations. With a few exceptions provided by the author himself, all images are watercolor and pen and ink paintings created by me. This book is the end product of more than two years of collaborative work.

Copies of the book are available for purchase through the link below.