plunge into the new

2013 is off to a brave and busy beginning, full of stories, students, and creatures with white fur.

Charlesbridge donated a stack of books for the Natural Resources Council of Maine's Polar Dip and Dash on the last day of 2012. Sunny but cold, it was a glorious day to sign books about climate change for the top ten kid winners.

There was a great crowd, including a polar bear looking a bit out of his element, a fitting metaphor for the whole deal.

 

Wait, what's the bride doing here? Oh, it's Beth Dimond, Public Affairs Coordinator for the NRCM, who decided to take the plunge with her entire wedding party before taking the plunge at the altar.

Talk about prenups!

She was kind enough to take this photo of me awaiting the dipping action. Notice I am not in MY bathing suit.

Great spectator event, truly. Here the crowd gathers, those in clothing feeling smart, and those dipping bracing for the water.

 

The event itself is, of course, brief. Wedding dippers in the foreground below:

 

I sponsored my neighborhood polar bear family, Jeanne Gulnick and her husband Mark Green (both professors at St. Joseph's College) and their brave kids, Jonah and Lilah. I shiver just looking at them. Bravo for raising money to combat climate change.

A couple of days later, I encountered more brave kids at King Middle School. I was one of 9 guest artists visiting for their annual World Culture kick-off, an expedition involving making art inspired by a French or Spanish artist. Students begin by interviewing local artists about how culture influences their work, and other pertinent details about being an artist. I always bring pastels, since materials are a major aspect of my approach.

This student made a fast and furious drawing, unafraid to get green dust all over.

Wow, sweet rewards for artists.... Holy Donuts!

I also showed students my current Sketchbook Project, in which I'm drawing my favorite shops around Portland. My own superhero/donut dunker modeled for me. Look, up in the sky!

Over the weekend, I finally saw a performance of the Peaks Island Puppets. I felt like a kid again, totally transported.  My neighbor Stephanie Eliot shines with exuberance and David Handwerker is

sly and silly. Julie Goell made all the puppets and props, and wrote the comical telling of Solomon and Ashmedai. I brought home the materials to make my own. Cool.

I headed back into another school on Monday, Casco Bay High, to help kick-off their week-long intensive on self-publishing. Shared selections from my zine collection and lugged my vintage typewriter.

Meanwhile, I'm sketching away. Everything seems to be a source of inspiration. 

Stopped in at Longfellow Books to see the latest window installation, this one by Gaella Materne, awesome illustration senior at Maine College of Art. She recreated in 3 dimensions the book cover of my neighbor Eleanor Morse's new book, White Dog Fell from the Sky.

Eleanor also posed for me for my sketchbook.

Eleanor will be reading and signing this Friday at Longfellow Books at 6:30. I'll be one of the first in what will be a long line for this amazing book. Come join me!

chilly illo news

Wow! I love receiving my book in a language I can't read! A Warmer World has now been published in Korea. That totally warms my heart.

My illustration from this book also graces Charlesbridge Publishing's holiday card:

 

With winter on my brain, I was inspired to draw a snowy owl for my own holiday greeting this year:

I'm still in the process of mailing out my warm and wild wishes so let me know your snail mail address!

I've been busy with the culmination of the semester at Maine College of Art. My class once again participated in the Holiday Sale, a very practical assignment to develop an item for sale, including packaging, display, and staffing the table in pairs for two days.

Here Maria and CeCe play the elves:

 

Students created original holiday cards, stickers, wrapping paper, prints, and unique items like these "spaghetti yetis"by Declan McCarthy.

Kiah Gardner made felted gnomes all snug as can be.

With the semester complete, now I can seize the holiday spirit. If only it would snow!

Science rocks

Wow!

A WARMER WORLD is on the National Science Teachers Association Outstanding Science Trade Books for Students K-12: 2013 list!

AND it’s on the 2013 Elementary California Collection list!

Cool stuff for a warmish book.

I'm eager to see a new film, Chasing Ice. Even diehard skeptics of global warming are getting the picture. It's a documentary from the Extreme Ice Survey and sure to send chills down anyone's spine.

october fest

October is my birth month, so the opal in my soul shines a little brighter these days. I received a fantastic surprise via Caroline Arnold, author of A Warmer World: my first book trailer!



One luxury is being between deadlines, and having time to enjoy the busy scene in Portland.
Marty and I attended the preview opening for Elegant Enigmas: The Art of Edward Gorey at the Portland Public Library.

Kudos to Scott Nash, who found the sponsors to bring this incredible show to town. Here he recites a few of his favorite Gorey rhymes.

It was a delighted crowd, and one filled with familiar faces, including former students and MECA folks.

I brought my current MECA class a few days later, who marveled at Gorey's fine line work, his meticulous craft of hatching limitless shades of tonality, and absurd characters in morbid settings.
The exhibit includes sketchbooks, unfinished and unpublished drawings, decorated letters, miniature books, handmade character toys, and a bounty of illustrations from Gorey's eccentric oeuvre. SEE IT.

 

The cool thing is the Gorey Shop, where I bought myself his paper theater of Dracula!

It made me wonder if Anita Stewart, artistic director at Portland Stage, has this much fun creating sets.

We saw The Sisters Rosensweig at last! As always, the set is divine. Makes you want to move on stage with all of them.

I laughed at the life imitates art poster in the lobby:

 

I read the script months ago, well before casting. Each actor completely inhabits their character, especially Carole Healey, who plays Gorgeous with total guts. Loved her! The production is fantastic. A complex story with dips of drama and hilarious comedy, it's flawlessly paced by the large cast.

All these invented worlds give me goosebumps. And inspiration. Now to tackle my personal projects, waiting so patiently for that "between deadline" time...

a Brit, 3 bears, and a book group

Some folks think being an artist is like a fairy tale. On certain days, I might agree. Like Wednesday, when I encountered a Brit, three bears, and a book group.

For starters, I met fellow children's book illustrator, Hazel Mitchell, for a chatty lunch at the Liberal Cup in Hallowell, Maine.

Never mind pie, face time with another artist is a really big treat! Hazel hails from Yorkshire, England, but finds the rolling fields of Detroit, Maine much to her liking. Thanks, Hazel, for making the trek! She documented my prize: a carved bear by Dan Burns, a surprise win in the Hubbard Free Library raffle.

I wore my red pants for the occasion.

On my way to another library, I lolligagged like Little Red at the nearby Maine State Museum, where I found Baby Bear out front.

There's a haunting exhibit there now about Malaga Island, a sorry chapter in Maine history.

I enjoyed the various installations evoking At Home in Maine. Could Grandma be waiting for Little Red in this kitchen?

There's an extensive exhibit, Back to Nature, where I encountered a very big Papa Bear.

A quote by Rachel Carson, naturalist and author of Silent Spring, hung in the air:
"In nature nothing exists alone."

That concept is also behind A Warmer World by Caroline Arnold, in which she describes animals' shifting habitats due to climate change. This poster hit the nail on that head. Many species are moving into cooler places all over the globe.

The museum was a great warm-up for my visit to the South China Library, where I met once again with their inspired book group for kids. I brought a few objects for display, several of which were used as reference in illustrating Nest, Nook & Cranny, and A Warmer World.

Each member gets to pick a book and the activity for that book. Thanks, Sedona, for choosing Nest, Nook, & Cranny and for bringing the clay and hay to make little nests!

I brought sketches, the original art for this book jacket, and some drawing supplies.

Love this young artist's squid!

And look, here's my illustration from the book, a hive and Mama Bear.

 

Thanks to South China Library for a fun evening! A sweet time all around.

My next outing will be on Great Diamond Island this Saturday night at 7 PM, the final lecture of the series at Fort McKinley. I'll tell more tales about the life of an illustrator, three miles out to sea.

animal power

 I keep my eyes peeled at all times and a camera in my back pocket. I never know when my image bank will come in handy. I just finished a piece for the 2013 Lunar Calendar, illustrating a poem by Sarah Fuhro that mentions a heron. I found this shot, recently taken during our trip to London, at the Serpentine in Hyde Park. What a handsome fellow.

And here's a sighting on Peaks Island just last week:

I made this drawing, using a bit of collage, and incorporating a feather found on the beach.

Another bit of paper moon found it's way into a card made for my friend, Susan, who makes an appearance in Seven Days of Daisy (on Saturday, of course!)

This little pink turtle came from one of my illustrations in Nest, Nook & Cranny.

Susan spends the winter in Florida, right where loggerhead turtles come ashore to lay eggs. I rely on her for my wisdom about turtles. She sent this photo of turtle prints left on the beach.

She let me know April was a good month for this spread in A Warmer World:

And look who I met on a walk on my island last week!

When I have a rare sighting like this, I wonder. And look at Medicine Cards to see if there's some animal power needing my attention.

According to that book, turtles are the oldest symbol of Mother Earth, and the message is: honor your creative source, and be grounded.

The heron, on the other hand, is about self-reflection, reflecting your spirit's inner goal.

Susan celebrated her birthday last night with a bonfire in her yard, beneath a teepee made from a fallen birch.

Sparks flew up towards the stars, with wishes for good health, grounding, and finding that inner goal.

May the animal powers be with us all, if we notice.

between deadlines

I'm in that delicious place I call "between deadlines" during which I get a teeny bit more sleep, and fill my well. Recently, this meant spending more time in Portland, drinking in the vibe there and being inspired by art and artists.

My illustration class enjoyed an engaging visit from Mike Gorman, who previously taught illustration at Maine College of Art. Now he does web design, and maintains a prolific freelance career.

He shared his formative years working feverishly for multiple regional papers, as well as the process from preliminary sketches to final art for two recent clients. Thanks, Mike!

He also confessed that he believes in Bigfoot. Below is one of his paintings for a show at Sanctuary Tattoo.

Somehow the idea of Bigfoot really made a mark on my, um, brain. I used him as a metaphor in
a brand new site for A Warmer World.

Thanks to Kirsten Cappy, colorful publicist and kids book advocate, the site offers e-postcards for young readers and anyone concerned about our warming world.

We met one gray day in Portland to brainstorm. Spring, anyone?

Portland was our fling over the weekend. Marty and I saw a magnificent documentary by Michael
Maglaras at the Maine Festival of the Book.

The filmmaker opened the evening by saying he fell into Lynd Ward by reading a new edition of his Six Novels in Woodcuts. As illustrators, we were already familiar with Ward's work and know at least a few illustrators who claim him as inspiration. The film proved a fascinating immersion into the historical, cultural, and personal influences that shaped his pioneering art.

From there, dinner at the East Ender and a comfy stay at the Inn at Park Spring made us islanders feel at home. We walked around the immediate neighborhood the next morning.

Portland's got such architectural character. Spotted these in the span of two blocks, my radar always up for a good face, like this knave.

A hearty lion protects this house.

A scholarly profile ornaments the old Baxter Building, current home of VIA.

Baxter was the site of my first class taught at MECA in 2003. Quite gratifying that a former student, Tom Dowling, had his sculpture play a role in Heroes at Portland Stage, which we saw, right around the corner.

The play, an adaptation by Tom Stoppard, is fantastic!

Afterwards, we wound down by walking the labyrinth near the Art Gallery at UNE.

 

Yes, a grand blast of culture now settling into my bones. 

I confess I've done precious little drawing. Just a few sketches for the Sketchbook Project like these.

 

This is my Mum, who's on my mind. Back when she was 18, getting a hug from her beloved aunt.

 

There, my well is filling up, just in time to start anew on another deadline!