Charm City History
A week ago today we drove our island girl back to Baltimore. Last glimpse of Fort Gorges for awhile. After the traditional stop at Holy Donuts for road fuel, we made it to St. James Court in about 9.5 hours. Whew! It was looking very Ivy League outside her bedroom window. Marty and I checked in at Hotel Revival. We stayed here in it’s previous incarnation when we brought Daisy to begin freshman year. It seems like the blink of an eye, but this is SENIOR YEAR. Yup. The hotel had closed the last two years for a major facelift under new ownership. We delighted in the contemporary art...
Read MoreSeeing Stars in Fairfield
I was warmly welcomed last Thursday to the lovely Lawrence Public Library in Fairfield, Maine. With the help of Children’s Librarian, Alyssa Patterson, I set up my pretend beach in the cheerful children’s reading room. Thanks to Library Director Louella Bickford for this shot of me reading Ana and the Sea Star. Kids tried the locomotion game with their sea stars in hand, and then colored a pocket for keeping. I brought some sanded pastel paper, like I used in illustrating the book, and invited everyone to try it. Stella gave me her drawing! Thank you! I also brought a large pad,...
Read MoreWaite’s End
Last Monday afternoon, we left the hurly burly of Peaks Island for Waite’s End, our friend’s place on Androscoggin Lake in Wayne, Maine. Kathy’s father, Jack Mahoney, built his retirement home on family property that overlooks a cove on the northern tip of this grand lake. She has lovingly freshened up the house and gardens for seasonal rental, and we made a brief but heavenly visit before she departs for home. We drove the hour and fifteen minutes from Portland under soggy skies that just barely cleared as we arrived. What a delight to meet Phil, her daughter’s...
Read MoreSome Illustrator!
My illustration orbit has been downright full of goodness and it’s only June. On June 5, MECA’s Illustration Department Chair Mary Anne Lloyd and I brought our art student daughters to see Melissa Sweet and Martha White discuss Melissa’s latest book, Some Writer!, about Martha’s grandfather, E.B. White. It’s always a joy to hear Melissa talk about her research process, and about the bounty of artifacts she was able to work with, thanks to the generosity of Martha White’s family archives. They both talked about what drew E. B. White to Maine as well as...
Read MoreMoody Point Creative Retreat
A retreat, even one that’s two nights away, can be quite nourishing. I traveled to Wells Beach, Maine last week with Kirsten Cappy to step away from our usual, thanks to the generosity of Lyn Smith‘s family. Each of us starting new picture book projects was the main goal. We arrived under foul weather, but that didn’t stop us from walking to the shore where Lyn got a windy weather report from Kirsten. Back at the Cottage, a little blue bedroom became my work and dream space. I found a nature journal by Lyn’s son, Eric, from when he was 9. It proved the best prompt as...
Read MoreBaltimore beauty
We flew down to Baltimore last week for a delicious dose of our daughter and a shot in the arm of spring. We picked her up at Maryland Institute College of Art and caught up at Tapas Teatro. Our gregarious server, Seth, made us feel welcome and ready to roll. The magnolias are in bloom there! We make the Paper Moon Diner a regular stop, for the milkshakes and the ambiance of over-the-top assemblage. A tribe of sculptures protects the premises, adorned with cutlery, creamers, and coins. I sketched one of them after we got home. Next we went in search of Joyce Scott’s show, Still...
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