making merry

I'm getting back to my Sketchbook Project today. Yes, I really am.

I showed this sketch done a month ago to my colleague, Anne Dennison, at Maine College of Art.
I'd put her adorable niece into my Sketchbook Project 2013, eating a cookie from Katie Made Bakery. My theme this year is favorite shopfronts around Portland.

It gave her the idea to commission me to do a portrait as a gift for her sister.  So I did, in pastel.
Kyler is one very, very cute girl; hope I have captured even an ounce of that. Thanks, Anne!

It was my last "to do" before beginning the whirl of making merry.

Out came the vintage table cloth from my mother and just in time for some new snow.

In a flurry of flour and cookie cutters, I made sugary stars for neighbors.

We put some holiday props on the door.

It was a quiet but magical Christmas day, full of surprise gifts and fuller bellies.

 A clear and calm Boxing Day brought this pair of curious boxers to the island.

 

Gloves off, everyone.

 Nothing like a beach stroll to work up an appetite. We enjoyed pie with some Doctor.

 

Daisy drew this festive Dalek for our guests.

 And we gifted this bold poster by MECA student Miles Cook:

With a good dose of the Doctor, we were ready for the oncoming storm.

What a brilliant day to make tracks. Or, some new lines in my Sketchbook Project.

Happy New Year! May 2013 bring peace, good health, and more merry making for all.

Sketchbook Project at SPACE Gallery

Hooray! The Sketchbook Project was back in town, at SPACE Gallery in Portland, Maine.
We were so eager to hold our own sketchbook once again, like a long lost friend.

The Milan-based collective Carnovsky provided a stunning backdrop, with a wallpaper display titled RGB, which paired well with my fresh Tattly tattoo.

We had our eyes peeled for all things sketchy, and just stare at this Caronvsky bit long enough to be hypnotized: you....WILL....sketch...

 

It had no effect on this viewer.

 Every book checked out gets multiple views though, with viewers sharing.

 This one was a favorite with our crowd, filed under the theme Time Travel.

I fell in love with this sketchbook by Rachel Sofian, filled with graceful graphite drawings of animals collaged into the pages. Who can resist this sloth?

Given the heat, I searched by theme for something else cool: It's Winter Where You Are, and found a lovely book by Rhonda Anderson. This snowy owl charmed me.

In fact, I found another owl but sadly did not write down the artist.

Here's the owl that begins my treehouse book:

Thanks to Prismacolor, there was a drawing table where anyone could send off a quick sketch to a random destination. Drew my compadre, the curious Kirsten.

 

We left quite satiated, but returned for another round a day later, to reunite one last time with our sketchbooks. We met one of the founders of the project, Steven Peterman and his wife, Sara. It's come a long way since 2006.

By the way, Happy 10 Year Birthday to SPACE!!!

You can see Marty's book here, and Daisy's here. Mine is apparently not digitized into the library yet.

Our cohort in sketching, Judy Labrasca, stopped in to admire our books as well.

 

We found even more to like. 

Incredibly fresh line work in this book by Bernadette Moke. Positively electric.

 

I searched Italy and found this elegance by Flavia Dell 'Anna.

You really can go around the world, turning pages.

These two were fun.

On the right, a Heroes and Villains by Min Hyung with line dissolving into abstraction.

The time flies by when you're entranced in a drawn world. It was time for the staff to close up the library, so what else could we do?

Yup, sign up for the 2013, with free sleeping bags for our little treasures yet to be drawn!

pop up show at Charlesbridge

In honor of Children's Book Week, Charlesbridge Publishing had the brilliant idea for a pop-up show in the empty office space two flights below theirs, on Main Street in Watertown, MA.

I bopped down with Curious Co-Pilot, Kirsten Cappy, in dotty style. Trivia question: what are we holding?

I brought along original sketches and my toy polar bear that provided handy reference for A Warmer World.

Some framed pieces were part of an incredibly abundant exhibit of children's book illustration.

I'm thrilled by the company I'm in! Here's one of Rafael Lopez's paintings:

Love this phoenix by Ralph Masiello:

And I was delighted to see a piggy by David Hyde Costello:

I had the honor of meeting several folks, like Hazel Mitchell, Leslie Evans, and Stuart J. Murphy.
And the publisher, Brent Farmer!

Familiar faces not seen in way too long totally made my day: Richard Goldberg, Jim Roldan, Sarah Goodman, Sue Gilzow, and Ina Rubin.

Nancy Wovers brought her talented daughter, Isabelle, who shared her sketchbooks and some recent paintings. Wow, the girl is good!

Keep drawing and painting, Isabelle!

I also saw first proofs for my most recent project, Here Come the Humpbacks, due out next year.

 

Lots and lots of blue, yes.

On a good tip, we discovered a rare breakfast destination before leaving town the next morning.

The Deluxe Station Diner is something out of the past and the future, with stylings by none other than Mark Fisher. He happened to be on the same trolley I took to my first portfolio visit at the Boston Globe. Um, over thirty years ago.

 We gobbled down banana bread under the shiny eyes of this fellow.

Time to hit the road. My trusty co-pilot led the way from our blast to the past back to Maine.

Thanks to Donna Spurlock, princess of the pop-up show, and Charlesbridge for showcasing the joyful labors of the children's book world!

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!