learning curves
With a relaxing and friend-filled holiday break over, I began my re-entry to school circles by visiting King Middle School last week, for their annual World Language Expedition Kick-Off. King always provides thoughtful beginnings and culminations to their learning trips; inviting local artists to speak to students before they begin an art project is one way to spark the mind. I brought my books, blank paper, and pencils. It’s fun to see what gets left behind. One artist, Gabi, drew a very fine polar bear. From there, I headed to Maine College of Art, where I spied a wondrous display of...
Read Moretidings of comfort and joy
When December drives the shopping on demand, I find my fa la la gets fairly fried. There are seasonal moments, though, that do bring comfort and joy. Art, music, and lights. This illustration for Portland Stage Company’s A Christmas Carol is all serene, merely hinting at the drama within. We finally saw the show on Dec. 23, and Portland felt like a parallel universe, without the snow. The silhouette of architecture repeated inside the theater, with windows ablaze. Bear with me, we couldn’t resist getting in character. Silly, I know. Dickens’ classic replays well in...
Read Morea short Long studio visit
I love visiting illustrators’ studios. After the frenzy of the Holiday Sale and the magic of Willow the Wonder Pony, I marched my class down to visit MECA alum Liz Long in her studio. Not that long ago she was working in the MECA Illustration studios, when she created a whimsical body of work for her thesis last spring. Remember this dreamy installation at Longfellow Books? Liz and her classmates visited my studio before graduation, and I found this portrait of me that Liz left behind. I drew a portrait of her for my Portland zine, which I brought to ICON8, held in Portland, OR this...
Read Morewarm wishes
Perhaps I worked at Hallmark in another life. I love greeting cards. Making them, buying them, sending them. With the advent of e-cards, I’m even more determined to snail mail something that is handsomely crafted and lovingly decorated. While still pondering what this year’s holiday greeting might look like, I re-purposed some old postcards, with a circle cutter, a glue stick, and some fun handmade papers I bought. Paired with colorful envelopes and scraps of old wrapping paper, off they went to the Peaks Island Post Office. The arctic fox illustration is from A Warmer World by...
Read Morewillow the wonder pony
The Illustration Department at Maine College of Art believes in drawing, big time. This year (almost) every class began with observational studies during the first fifteen minutes. The arrival of Willow the Wonder Pony on Tuesday brought the semester to an epic finale, complete with hay. Meaghan Martin and illustration senior Molly Blyth-Olson brought their miniature pony from the Gorham Equestrian Center to a third floor drawing room via the freight elevator. Willow calmly munched while students drew from all angles. Molly said, “Willow’s 10 years old, and we rescued her from a...
Read MoreMECA elves
Once again, Maine College of Art is holding their annual Holiday Sale! My junior illustration majors have nimbly lept from working on Summer Ale packaging to the Holiday Sale project, in which they are making illustrated products to sell at the Illustration Showcase table, located on the 3rd floor, right outside the elevator. Taylor Mirabito has her lovely cards all wrapped up. And she’s busy assembling her Nutcracker ornaments. Jesenia Santana‘s got a series of playful cards. Ashley Palmer is adding final touches to delicate watercolors. Senior Dee Weigand is felting up some...
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