bugs and birds over and over

Funny how my radar seems to pick up coincidental stuff. As I wrap up my project for Charlesbridge, I keep coming across parallels to my assignment. Just as I was drawing the egg for the jacket, Elena brought us fresh ones from her backyard chickens.



I had to revise a beehive for one of the interior spreads. I made this one by inverting a single drawing, distorting it and repeating it.



Then I went to the Gem Gallery exhibit, Think Pink, Give Love, and saw this assemblage by Carol Cartier.



I also love this contraption by Tim Nihoff, a collector of broken tail-lights and consummate recycler.



Then I got ready to substitute in Illustration 2 at MECA for Mary Anne Lloyd. During the recent valentine fest at my house, she made this ditty.



And so what's the assignment they are working on? Bugs and Birds!!! Each student has chosen a bug or bird and must create 8 versions in various media, such as a black cut-paper silhouette, a collage, a portrait, in habitat, in scale, as a mechanism, etc. All of them done in a limited palette of 4 colors. It's a great exercise in getting to know a subject while exploring different approaches. True to form, not all students were crazy about the assignment, or into each of the requirements. Perfect! This is precisely the kind of resistance that illustrators so often face with client demands. And it's an opportunity to find a way around, or through, the specification that can be a turn on. Easier said than done.

Since this is mostly the same group I had in Illustration 1 last semester, I brought in the deck of cards I had printed from their final assignment. Each student crafted a 3D character and provided character info for the back. The collection of cards is a way for students to see their work published, as part of a larger context, as an example of promotion, visibility, and communication.

There were 24 cards to sort.



Coincidentally, wings on the cover. The cover drawings came from a drawing session in which students posed for each other. I had brought in some black wings. These three are Sheridan, always willing to model. I love the variety. Top right: Alysa Avery, on left, Olli Percival, bottom right, Liz Hardy.



And here's a winged creature by Elaine Smart.



Her name: Francesca. She is "the stupidest demon the devil ever made. Gender is questionable."

Most of the students used Super Sculpey, some used cardboard, felt, or broken Barbie dolls. Never a dull moment with illustration students. After handing out the cards in Mary Anne's class, I circulated among the students and saw their progress on the bugs and birds project. Again, I love the surprising variety.

Lori Stebbins chose a praying mantis, with exquisite results.



Sheridan Cudworth was ambivalent about the whole thing. Her choice says it all: an albatross. There is a deadpan nature to her drawings that is oddly humorous.



Abbeth Russell is a new student who chose an unlikely subject: the mosquito! I loved her quirky line and palette choice. Every piece made me itch.



Nate Plourde wants to be a sculpture major, but with illustrative tendencies.
He began crafting a powerful cardinal from cardboard.



I'm happy the 3 dimensional impulse is alive and well. I saw more evidence when I dropped into the majors studio. This is Dani Evans' signature creature.



I encountered a bit of profane levity in the studio, perhaps a symptom of senior slump, same day as the exhibit forms for the thesis show were due.



And then it was back to my assignment: revising the egg. A little pastel shading and voila.



So, what came first, the chicken or the egg?

free love in Freeport

Look, it's the scurvy knave, Sarah L. Thomson, author of Pirates Ho! getting into the spirit at Sherman's Maine Bookstore in Freeport on Valentine's Day. Four of us came together to celebrate literary love in honor of KidsHeartAuthors, an event hatched by Mitali Perkins. It was all about community, buying local, giving a signed book to your beloved, and meeting the folks who create them.

Here, Jay Piscopo, directs Sarah in the art of drawing a pirate. It's easy!



Illustrator Aileen Darragh described the research process for her book, Give a Goat , about the Heifer International Project.



I made, what else, valentines, to pass the time between browsers, and Jay Piscopo sketched his favorite superheroes.



Thanks to the folks at Sherman's for the opportunity to connect with readers, each other, and spread some literary love. They had great treat bags!

Indie love fest

I'm off to Sherman's Maine Books in Freeport this morning to be part of the KidsHeartAuthors day. Mitali Perkins, author of Rickshaw Girl,
came up with this idea to bring together authors and illustrators on Valentine's Day at independent bookstores, to share love and literary valentines. I always buy a special book for my beloveds on Valentine's Day and today I'll pick some out while schmoozing with cohorts I've never met, like Jay Piscopo, Sarah Thomson, and Aileen Darragh.

There are 44 bookstores all over New England participating, so visit an indie near you.
Happy Valentine's Day!

valentinopalooza

I hosted a lovefest of valentine making with middle school daughters and ladies on Saturday. What a blast of collage, candy, and connections. It dawned on me right before that I actually didn't have enough chairs for everybody, but somehow we crammed in amongst the scissors and stickers just fine. It was parallel fun: girls in one room...





and big girls in the kitchen (where else?)





Some girls made valentines for moms right off. Nothin' like that mother/daughter love, especially now as it gets dicey and delicate in the tween years. It's important to be lovey dovey so girls won't settle for anything less, right?



One girl made a valentine for the dog:



Another made one for Dad about the dog:



And the big girls got crafty. Carol is a veteran scrapper:



Trisha made these confections:



Elena got angelic:



Molly got a bit naughty:



Nancy, the goddess of collage and assemblage, made a handful of pretties:



And Jolene was a blur of 3-D creations, wrapped and sashed with cool fabric bits:



Mary Anne made sweetly animated ones like this cutie:



Of course, I never cleaned the whole house beforehand, dawdling over my stash of stellar cards from years past like this oldie but goodie Love Bug by Mary Anne:



I managed to make a few, one of them with some of Mary Anne's painted papers:



The girls all headed out skating, to work off some of that energy. Oh, to be 12.
I myself would rather not repeat it.



The ice pond is not far.



And even the moon made an appearance, caught in some branches.



After the gang all left, I was inspired to make this with some loot that got left behind.



So, grab some scissors, maps, stamps, old wrapping paper, and heat up the snail mail. You and the recipient will feel warm all over.

blizzard blues

Some people loathe winter. I am not one of them. I love it. Every new snow fall is cause for celebration. Yes, there is shoveling and scraping ice, slogging through snowbanks and shivering in bitter winds. But the rewards! A snow day is a gift from above, a chance to get out.



Hey, I grew up in the White Mountains of New Hampshire, thanks to parents who met in Aspen and wanted to settle near ski areas in New England. Here are the happy ski bums, circa 1955.



I enjoyed a childhood of skiing every spare moment. Family portraits from this chapter would be the line of skis, from small to tall, in the breezeway of the Red Doors Motel.

My first paid "art job" was in high school, doing posters for a local ski shop, complete with hand-lettered prices for hot wax packages. Somehow, I've done precious little illustration on that subject, other than an overly art directed magazine cover for Aspen Magazine back in the 80's which I will not show here.

This, however, is one of my favorite's by Marty, possibly because he did it from reference of me skiing in the Arboretum in Jamaica Plain, MA. It ran in the Washington Post.



I grew up skiing downhill but tried cross country skiing while living in Boston, since it wasn't always easy to get North every fabulous snowfall. Now that I am on Peaks Island, it's amazing to ski out the back door, past the deer tracks, up a hill, down through the woods, and emerge, exhilarated, facing the endless ocean.

My antennae is up about birds and trees since I am finalizing the illustration for the Nest, Nook, and Cranny bookjacket. Here's a reference shot of a stoic crow sitting watch on the recent blizzard.



I've read about how intelligent crows are. They deserve all the acclaim. Later, I noticed a black shape in the tangle of trees beside the trail. I thought it was a stray glove.



When I realized it was a crow carcass, I was struck by the brutal fact of winter. Our society leaves no room for the natural facts. We barely slow down in our constant drill of ambitions while nature hunkers down for the assault. After seeing that vestige clinging stubbornly to the tree, I wanted to go home and hibernate, like we are probably meant to.

On the way, I spotted another sight. A welcome sign at that moment.



I do have a thing for trees. They are speaking to us, if we can listen. I love how dressy the trees are in Portland.



It has me thinking pink. I made this whimsy for the upcoming Think Pink show at the Gem Gallery.



And stay tuned! I am participating in the indie love fest of book signings on Valentine's Day! Where pink, love, and literary valentines will go together.

brilliant new day

This has been a heady week. I'm still feeling light as a feather and enjoying the blindingly bright mornings. It felt like January 20 would never come. Even my sixth grade daughter was excited to be watching the inauguration of President Obama at school. She voted in a mock election prior to November 4, and the school elected Obama in a landslide. This was a good sign. In the cosmic game of tag, youth is IT. All we can do is watch them outrun us, and be glad for the forward movement of the universe.

Having children in the White House again brings an important dimension to the presidency. The Obamas mentor parenting in such a visible way. Children and war just don't go together. It happens, but children are wise beyond our reckoning. While our kids can watch this historical moment and be hopeful, they lack the ugly background that makes it so relevant. They don't really get that part. What's significant is what they DO get: an open and embracing eye on diversity in their lives. They can take it for granted now. And their bottomless belief in peace, in the invisible and unseen forces of fairies and superheroes, will propel this world where it needs to go.

I had hoped to watch the inauguration at the island community center, but the internet link wasn't working properly. I didn't want to watch a little TV in the corner of the room, so we came home to settle in for the big moment.



I had not watched an inauguration since 1992, when Clinton was sworn in. The entire spectacle was riveting. Obama was like a superhero, so calm and sure. The sea of people as far as the eye could see moved me to tears. Afterwards, it felt like that helicopter would never take off. A friend told me she taped it for her husband to watch later and they enjoyed fast-forwarding through Bush's departure.

I had to tear myself away to interview Sharoan Dupont for the Island Times. The light in the ballet studio was turning to gold. Her dance was like an embrace of the moment, of hope.



Sharoan teaches ballet on Peaks Island with all the openness and sense of play that it deserves. Bravo, Sharoan!

I worked on an invitation for an upcoming show at the Gem Gallery, "Think Pink, Give Love." Part of the proceeds will benefit the Cancer Community Center.



I found out an island group, the Prayer Shawl Ministry, would be displaying shawls and a collage of thankyous from recipients during the show. I interviewed the founder and guide of the group, Rebecca Stephans. She also teaches yoga and has been a model for the island life drawing group. Rebecca is an angel in our midst.




Truly, Peaks Island is like a Bermuda Triangle of Love. There is a magnetic force that holds this community together, powered by so many creative and caring people.

I talked to Annie O'Brien after she returned from her trip to the inauguration. She said, "It was so big. I'm just beginning to get it. The state people were in had more of an impact than the ceremony. The crowd was so...openhearted. No defenses up. Extraordinary connections were being made."

Let's hope those who experienced it can bring back that swarm of love and humanity to their communities and spread it around.

And just in time for Valentine's Day! Which I consider a favorite holiday. What better opportunity to let all your beloveds know you care.



Think Pink, Give Love!