La Chance
I worked on a really different project this past summer, for Pathfinder International, a non-profit organization based in Watertown, MA. Since 1957, Pathfinder has partnered with local governments, communities, and health systems to remove barriers to sexual and reproductive health services. Together, they expand access to contraception, promote healthy pregnancies, save women’s lives, and stop the spread of HIV infections so young people can choose their path forward. They devised an educational game called La Chance aimed at young female teens in Burkina Faso, West Africa. I was...
Read MoreHot stuff
It’s probably no surprise that our island home has it’s share of nautical elements. After all, it was built by a sea captain, Henry Trefethen in 1844. There’s Marty’s Uncle Jack’s ship in a bottle. print by Kris Johnsen, ship in a bottle by Jack Hinkley I’ve drawn my share of ships, like the beautiful Wendemeen, below. pastel in frame by Jamie Hogan, stone sculpture by Kathy Hanley I was in a nautical vintage mood when I created my valentine card this year. I’d come across an old snapshot, circa 1985, of a ship sailing in Penobscot Bay, as well as a...
Read MoreAlmost, Maine
I worked on poster ideas for John Cariani’s play, Almost, Maine last winter, the perfect season for a love letter to northern Maine. I borrowed a pastel background from another poster (Babette’s Feast) when I mocked up my sketches, which all involved a big night sky. The vignettes in the play involve two people connecting, with many of the scenes outside on a Friday night in the deep winter. I was inclined to add a moose in this one… The rough with the snowmobile got the go ahead. I did some research on Northern lights, which I only saw once in my life, when I was a child...
Read MoreRead to Me
Anyone who knows me well, knows that I am a snail mailer. Always have been. Growing up at the Red Doors Motel in New Hampshire, I befriended girls my age playing in the pool, or at the shuffle board, or during croquet games on the front lawn. Sometimes we became penpals. Letter writing has been a feature of my world, and a correspondence with Marty Braun changed my life. So when Brendan Pelsue’s brilliant script, Read to Me, came along, I was more than ready to tackle the magical realism of letters falling from the sky. The story takes place in a children’s hospital and centers...
Read MoreTis the season
Coming up with an annual holiday card is never a chore. It’s a chance to express my love of winter, long dark nights, and traditions. Ever since we saw a splendid exhibit of Kay Nielsen’s work at the MFA in Boston in October, I’ve had crowns on my mind. seen at the Boston Museum of Fine Arts photo © Jamie Hogan This detail in particular struck me. I became obsessed with these three figures. Art by Kay Nielsen I tried making an owl crown for myself at Halloween, with mixed results. photo by Daisy Braun Midway into November, when the darkness was setting in before 5 PM, I...
Read MoreThe Clean House
Between travels and a new book deadline, it takes a soggy Sunday to return to blogging. It’s a new season at Portland Stage, their 46th, in fact. For the fifth time, I illustrated the whole season of theater posters. The Clean House by award-winning playwright Sarah Ruhl was tricky, as evidenced by the number of ideas it took for me to land the right image to suggest the layers of themes. The story revolves around Lane, a busy doctor whose marriage is in doubt, and her hired help, Matilde, a young Brazilian woman more interested in telling the perfect joke than cleaning. I enjoy the...
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