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.

touristas

It's a little known fact, even among my island neighbors, that I ride a motorcycle.

As my husband and I get older, the bikes wind up in the barn more often than not. But every summer, we blast off. The first trick is making it onto the ferry. 

Our pair of Hondas make a tidy fit next to the freight.

Our first stop was Hallowell, where we visited the heavenly Hubbard Free Library.

You gotta love a library that feels like a sacred space, and one in which the children's section is at the very front. A divine place for reading if ever there was one!

I entered a raffle for this bear carved with a chainsaw by Dan Burns.

 

We hit the back roads again, passing a herd of belted Galloways.

And, another friendly crowd up close.

We made it to the Wings Hill Inn a little drenched by a sudden shower.

 

Any getaway is not complete without some art viewing. We found a unique exhibit, "Humanity in Nature" at the L.C. Bates Museum in nearby Hinckley. The art was hung amongst the most curious of displays, between taxidermy, busts, and historical artifacts. The black and white piece on the left below is by Michel Droge, graphite on paper.

These turtles, cast in concrete, by Elliott Katz, were almost camouflaged among the various specimens. Not a great photo, but can you see the turtles shell backs are corporate logos? Titled "Ornaments of Paradise" they made an indelible impression of the human imprint our world makes on nature.

The museum has room after room of ducks, birds, owls. I had never seen a lyre bird before.

Back on the bikes, we passed fragrant fields of corn and hay.

We even found a perfect spot to renew our vows, 24 years later.

 

Lakes and lakes and lakes mirroring billowing skies....

All the way back, as satiated tourists, to our own destination island.

Just in time to draw a bit of scenery in my back yard.

 

This will be for sale in the upcoming Art on the Porch, the annual event held at the Fifth Maine on Peaks Island.

Motorcycles back in the barn, and time to draw.

And GUESS WHAT? I won the bear!