snow splash book bash
It was quite the crowd at the recent Snow Splash Book Bash, in which DownEast, Pineland Farms, and Winter Kids joined forces to bring some outdoor fun and book lovers together. I shared a table with the sunny Karel Hayes, and we both enjoyed connecting with kids at the activity tables. This boy was getting into the pastels I brought, and made a colorful drawing of a big snowplow, thanks to an inspired poster by illustrator Amy McDonald. I also met Benton, who likes to draw owls. He got busy during one of the readings. And he gave me this drawing! Thank you, Benton, it made my day. The day...
Read Morelibrary love
“Most people don’t realize how important librarians are. I ran across a book recently which suggested that the peace and prosperity of a culture was solely related to how many librarians it contained. Possibly a slight overstatement. But a culture that doesn’t value its librarians doesn’t value ideas and without ideas, well, where are we?” — Neil Gaiman This quote comes currently with any e-mail from Moira Steven, the enthusiastic librarian at the Joanne Waxman Library at Maine College of Art. I love books, and thus libraries, and in Moira I’ve found a robust guide and...
Read Morehearty peeps
G Ah, it’s the day to strut my favorite colors: red, orange, and pink, in that order. I love getting out handmade items, such as the felt runner above, made by Kathy Newell. The peeps are a little chewy, perhaps thanks to Valentine products being in stores since, um, the day after Christmas. It’s important to start such a lovey dovey day off right: warm heart-shaped scones for breakfast, one flies out the door with the middle schooler, and another is enjoyed with my heart’s desire. It’s been a week filled with work, events, travel, and as always, love. There are...
Read Moremitten island
The Friends of the Peaks Island Library hosted a morning of book activities around Ice Harbor Mittens this past Saturday at the Doug MacVane Community Room, next to the library. Author Robin Hansen trekked down from Bath, and together we shared our inspirations. Robin met my model for the Josie character. Here is Finn, a good sport, with Robin. Robin brought a well-worn sailing chart and a pair of compasses, to talk about orienteering around tricky ledges in foggy waters. I brought my grandfather’s buoy, which I included in one of the illustrations. That’s a map of Peaks on the...
Read Moresweet slice of MECA
A pie I made for a recent illustration faculty gathering sums it up: sweet things are going on at Maine College of Art. I’m pretty excited about the illustration department, growing and transforming. The ever stylish Alex Rheault hosted a potluck, she’s seen here with visiting illustrator Dave Schlafman. It was a rare but delicious chance to connect over what we care about: making illustration as exciting a field for our students as it is for us. Things just got hotter as the week went on. My sophomore class brought in their love zines, little editions of their take on love....
Read More2 pianos 4 hands
At last! The illustration I did during the summer for Portland Stage Company is now all over the place. I had fun drawing hands many, many times. Nothing like the relentless practicing necessary for the musicians portrayed in the script. I got Marty to pose for one pair of hands. And our neighbor’s son, Jacob, posed for the other pair of hands. Portland Stage gets great coverage for their marketing, which means the visual needs to fit a wide variety of formats. I supplied the art in separate layers; the title font (2 Piano 4 Hands) was one piece, the illustration another, and the...
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