Wednesday is for walking

 In Seven Days of Daisy, Wednesday is about walking ALL the way to Whaleback.

For a young child, sometimes walking even a little ways is like a safari. Soooo long, soooo slow, and full of either obstacles or wonderment. After all kinds of strolling and carrying devices, walking very far is a stretch for the average American 4 year-old. Having a dog along makes for good company. And taking notice of just about every little thing.

This morning I walked out to Whaleback, a rocky ledge that juts out on the ocean side of Peaks Island.

 

The sun was finally out. Daisies are in bloom above, and a dad and his son were already exploring the spot.

The back shore offers plenty of opportunities to sit or climb, walk or bike. The thing that sets Peaks apart from many other islands is the public access to the shore. Properties are on the other side of the road.

Whaleback has a different shape now. During some recent storm, a big hunk got knocked off the top.

You can see it lying in the middle of this photo.

 

This is a place perfect for examining rocks, tide pools, getting splashed by waves, and viewing cormorants conversing. When you climb out to the very tip, you can almost feel apart from the land.

In the book, Daisy makes up a story about a whale named Wink. I've had whales on my mind lately.

I'll be illustrating a book Here Come the Humpbacks for Charlesbridge next. Hooray! 

Funny how my radar convenes a pile of references immediately.

 

Certain things showed up awhile before, like a postcard from my sister-in-law of a humpback whale, and a lovely sequined and squeezable whale by MECA student Michelle Cooney. This is Amamasu, her Japanese whale of fabled lore.

And then there's my neighbor Gerry's weathervane that overlooks our house.

 Even driftwood can look like a whale. Check out this cottage sign painted by Marty.

While whales can carry us to deep places, making up stories is a magical and necessary thing. 

I'm honored to be in an exhibit at University of Southern Maine's Lewiston-Auburn College, "Tell Me a Story: Folkstales and World Cultures" opens this Friday evening. The Atrium Gallery has gathered works from 13 Maine children's book illustrators including the venerable Ashley Bryant, the stellar Melissa Sweet, and my amazing neighbor, Anne Sibley O'Brien, among others. It will be on view from June 17 - August 12. 

Meanwhile, the countdown continues. Three days to my book launch. I'm getting nervous now.

I'm not really an extrovert! Hoping for sunshine, and maybe a friendly whale or two.

b is for book

 

How better to spend a sunny Sunday than in the swell company of bookish folk? I did that last weekend, sharing a table at the Book Arts Bazaar at USM, with fellow artist and educator,  Judy Labrasca. We became fast friends when I took her Picture Book course at Maine College of Art years ago.

The Book Arts Bazaar featured over 40 vendors with all manner of offerings: hand made paper, bookbinding, zines, comic books, art books, posters, paper sculpture, vintage ephemera...I was in heaven.

Here is Judy, setting up her beautiful wares.

She was next to Allison Villani, art teacher and maker of paper lovelies like these:

It can be awkward manning a table for a whole day. Good to have colored pencils on hand; I did this sketch of Allison to stay busy.

 

Judy took this photo of me, and my books and cards. Had to bring along a few tulips to remind myself that spring WILL come.

Next to me was the very prolific Michael Connor, infamous author and illustrator of the Coelacanthus series. Here he is seriously sorting his groovy oeuvre of collectibles.

There was a steady stream of book lovers browsing and buying, and the day went remarkably fast.
I did this quick profile of another artist, Svetlana Prudovskaya, who had intricate drawings and hand made books.

It was surprising how many other vendors I knew in the room: Scott Mullenberg, who crafted several portfolios for me, had a modern pile of riveting books.

 These made me think of my motorcycle, and then I saw Scott Vile of Asencius Press, a former island neighbor and bike racer.  The Portland bookmaking crowd is a tight one. There was dynamic Rick Lowe of Casablanca Comics, and the inimitable Crystal Cawley, whose delightful book making workshops I've taken, and who continues to inspire me. And of course, the master of book arts, Rebecca Goodale, who spun this whole event into being.

I took a quick swing around the other three rooms, marveling at the diversity of work. Spotted this,
"Imperfect Anxiety," perfectly titled by Solange Kellerman.

The order and color bursts of this display by Purplebean Bindery caught my eye.

I have a weakness for paper dresses, don't you? Nice visual pun by Libby Barrett here.

M is for moon, another of the alphabet cards I made for the day.

And for a marvelous event, that proves the book arts are alive and kickin' in Maine.

In other bookish news, I just found out from author Susan Blackaby that Nest, Nook & Cranny is
included in the 2011 edition of the Bank Street College Best Children's
Books of the Year! Great news, and just in time for Poetry Month.

Now I'm off to Charlesbridge Publishing, to deliver the final art for my latest book project.
Stay tuned on that front.