Contract Signing Party--Make Your Mark!

 Well, it’s official!! After months of revisions and negotiations, the Chronicle Books contracts finally arrived! Weee! GO RUDY! We celebrated with a contract signing party, and thanks to Tom Hogan for taking such great photos to commemorate the event! I’m continually amazed how this dog has transformed my life–he is truly a “Magical Mutt!”

I’m very excited to work with Chronicle Books! Located in San Francisco, they are one of my favorite publishers! In addition to creating a beautiful new version of the book, I’ve also given them the rights to produce board games, cards, puzzles and other ancillary products AND they will be handling the international rights, merchandising and film/performance/animation rights so watch for Rudy on the big screen someday soon! It’s thrilling!! The release is planned for early spring of 2011. In the meantime, I continue to work on new paintings for future books. In our upcoming blogs, you’ll get a sneak preview of some of the new paintings. Bye for now. Just remember, “You Can Create the Life You Want!”

Question: When is it ok to drop upwards of $25,000 on a designer dog, only to keep him locked in the house without even so much as chew toy for company?

Answer: When the dog is fiberglass, enhanced by a local artist, and auctioned off in an event benefitting vital nonprofit groups around the community.  Dogs of Bark City, a fundraising affair like no other, kicked off last year in the canine-crazy borough of Park City, Utah.  36 Artists from around the state were invited to participate. After being displayed around town for a couple of months, the canine creations were auctioned off at a stellar event at the new St. Regis Deercrest.

Thanks to a lot of hard work and overwhelming support from the community, over $300.000 was raised to support Friends of Animals, Park City Performing  Arts Foundation and Mountain Trails foundation!! BOW–WOW! Check out the latest article in full at http://dogtime.com/dogs-of-bark-city.html.

Rudy has brought so much MAGIC into my life!

I’m continually amazed at how my life continues to be transformed by Rudy. I’m so glad he picked ME as his human! Lots of things have happened since our last post:

• The Tao of Rudy is being picked up by Chronicle Books in San Francisco–one of my favorite publishers! Weee!!! GO RUDY! They produce such beautiful books, so I’m very excited to work with them
• We just formed a partnership with R.E.A.D (Reading Education Assistance Dog’s Nationwide program), so you’ll be able to buy books from their web site and support that worthy organization at the same time.
• Sundance Resort just started featuring the book in their store at the resort.
• Our Art Talk, the Art & Business of Book Design at the Kimball Art Center last month was a success! I’ve been approached recently to do motivational speaking to corporate groups using the book as a tool. More to come on that.

It’s all very exciting stuff! I LOVE my dog, Rudy, my “Magical Mutt!” Start letting some magic into your life today!

Rudy is the model for "Magical Mutt" in "Dogs of Bark City" fundraiser

I was lucky enough to participate in the “Dogs of Bark City” fundraiser. Over 30 artists were asked to decorate fiberglass statues, and Rudy was kind enough to model for me. Rudy has brought so much magic into my life, hence the name of my dog, “Magical Mutt.”

It was challenging to find a medium that I could fashion a cape and magician’s hat that would hold up in our harsh weather, and after trying two kinds of fiberglass mats, then upholstery cloth treated with fabric hardner and acrylic spray, a fellow artist suggested MagicSculpt. MagicSculpt is a clay resin (much more fun than working with fiberglass!), and I was able to find it at a local taxidermy shop in Salt Lake. It dries hard, then you paint over it.

The pack of dogs will be on display around town for the next couple of months and then auctioned off at a big Gala on December 28.  Proceeds will benefit Friends of Animals, Mountain Trails Foundation and Park City Performing Arts Foundation.

The Tao of Rudy paintings are a HIT at Kimball Arts Festival!

Original paintings from the multiple award-winning children’s book, The Tao of Rudy, were released for the first time at last weekend’s Kimball Arts Festival. The 40th annual Park City Kimball Arts Festival is one of the top ten art events in the country–over 800 artists apply and 220 are accepted in this juried show.  The response to the paintings was overwhelmingly positive–people would stop on their way down the street and giggle–and a lot of friends and some of my young Arts-Kids students came by to show support and say hello. I’d  like to thank my parents, Janice & Joe Humphrey, for pitching in and helping with everything from installing hanging hardware, to creating tags, to booth set up and even promotion! Wow! What a team! We had a booth right in front of Dolly’s Bookstore, and we sold 60+ books, a few prints and one original painting, “Wake Up to Love!” Thank you all for your support! It was a great weekend! MOVE OVER Blue Dog! Rudy is a “Mutt with a Message!”

Looks like being silly and laughing a lot has worked well for Corinne & Rudy! Their book, The Tao of Rudy is one of ten finalists for Foreword’s “Book of the Year” award! Weee! Go RUDY! So, on Friday May 29 at 2:00 p.m. EST, please keep your fingers (and paws, and toes, and eyes, and…) crossed for us as we gather round the stage at BookExpo America to celebrate!

We got accepted into the prestigious Park City Kimball Art Festival August 1-2– one of the top ten art events in the country and our first art show. I’m painting furiously trying to get all the paintings done for the sequel, The Tao of Rudy II! Check our web site to see the new paintings and vote on your favorite! Cool!

IPPY Awards Ceremony, Los Angeles May '08

Greetings Everyone! We got some great news last week–The Tao of Rudy is one of ten finalists for the annual “Book of the Year” Award to be celebrated at the international BookExpo America in NYC in May. It’s a big honor to be included with university and independent publishers and other self-published authors.  Editors, publishers and agents from all over the world attend this event, so please keep your paws crossed for us! If we make the cut, it’ll be our second award. (We won an IPPY Award last year for Most Outstanding  Book Design). Rudy is taking it all in stride–he’s taking a nap in his favorite chair.  He has become a bit of a diva when it comes to dining though–he used to be thrilled with tasty dry kibble. Now, it takes a little cheese or chicken or some other tidbit to lure him to the doggie dish. My neighbor Jean, a former chef and restaurant owner, has her dogs Gulliver and Belle, on a raw food diet and suggested I try it with Rudy. Turns out, Rudy and I have the same aversion to raw eggs. :0

My own “Slum Dog,” Rudy, has come a long way since his days of bouncing around between various shelters. We were invited to be guests on Park City Television’s Morning News show this year, and I was so proud of my pup! The lighting was much kinder to him than to me. So, click on the YouTube video below and let us know what you think!

We got some more GREAT NEWS this week–Rudy’s international agent (yes, my DOG has an int’l agent) called, and a publisher in Korea signed a contract to publish the book in that country! WeeeeKimcheeeeee-GO RUDY!!!

Today is also Rudy’s birthday–he’s 6, I think. We celebrated by taking a long snowy hike along the Swaner Nature Trail and by having treats. We hope you’re having a FABULOUS FEBRUARY 14th!

Discover Reading with RUDY

We’ve gotten some great reviews nationwide. In the latest, RJ Fink of www.opera.com of Atlanta writes:

The book, The Tao of Rudy by Corinne Humphrey is a MUST READ for children and adults alike, and if it doesn’t charm you, encourage you, inspire you or at LEAST make you feel warm and fuzzy, then you are stuffed with scratchy wool and sawdust and we shall have to send you back for a refund. Or at least install a heart and a brain.

This book should be required reading in all schools, and given the highest award in bookdom. The Tao of Rudy could change lives. It could save lives. Really. I was kidding before about the wool and sawdust thing, but I am not kidding about that. In this short, colorful picture book, Corinne has illustrated it with her universally simplistic paintings of scenes with her rescue dog Rudy. In a semi-abstract and beautiful way, Rudy bounds across some pages and poses on others. One of my particular favorites shows Rudy on his back, legs pointing here and there, and a little red heart painted on his chest. The caption reads, “Roll With It.” How simple! How profound! How ingenious! In another, a leashed Rudy is “walking his owner” through a beautiful landscape with mountains in the background. Rudy is heading across the road and into the forest. The caption on this great painting is “Don’t Be Afraid to Leave the Path.” Go out and get about twelve copies of The Tao of Rudy. You’ll absoulutely love it, your kids will love it, and your co-workers will love it. Then, you’ll send me an email and thank me.”