Pace Yourself, Class of 2019
What good fortune to chaperone the Illustration MECA field trip to Stonington along with fearless Department Chair Mary Anne Lloyd! Maine College of Art’s Pace House is a splendid destination even under overcast skies. Our troop arrived in four vehicles, 13 students in all. After grilled cheese sandwiches and soup, they set out for the nearby Lily Pond. A downpour brought them dashing back, where they gathered around a toasty wood stove to dry off, sketch, and play games, surrounded by Stephen Pace’s paintings. Nothing finer than breaking bread together! I made a couple of MECA...
Read MoreBen Butler’s Surprise
This is my fourth year of illustrating all the posters for Portland Stage’s season. This time I was asked to provide a cohesive, limited palette as well as hand-lettering for all the posters, to better connect the group as a whole. I admit I was surprised by last night’s performance of Ben Butler by Richard Strand. When I read the play in January, I was dubious about the script, a slice of Civil War history based on actual events and real people but with invented dialogue. Still, I came up with numerous approaches after some visual digging about that period. In one scene, a...
Read MoreLook up, lunatics!
Happy Fall, everyone! When the air is crisp and the skies cloudless, I enjoy wandering the neighborhood on nights like these. The moon inspires my life and art in so many ways. Taking little breaks to witness natural beauty keeps me balanced. I’m pleased to announce the arrival of the 2019 Lunar Calendar, which I illustrated back in June when the dandelions were in full bloom. Do they not remind you of the moon? The publisher, Nancy F. W. Passmore of The Luna Press, sent along an envelope full of poems in May. One by Beatrice Greene titled “ms. dandelion” struck a chord....
Read MoreMoto Scotia 2018
Today is National Grandparents Day, and I dedicate this post to my grandfather, Roland Bell Hogan, who himself was the grandson of Patrick Hogan who left Belfast, Ireland to settle in Young’s Cove, Nova Scotia in the mid- 1800’s. Our recent trip to Nova Scotia was all about connecting with family and friends. I’m ever grateful to be part of the Hogan clan! After Marty and I boarded the CAT ferry in Portland, Maine we got out our sketchbooks. Here’s his opener: The trip was about two hours longer than advertised, thanks to debris clogging one of the ship’s jets....
Read MoreIllustration Parade
This summer has been a marvelous parade of illustration. What a life! On August 14 Ricardo Siri, an Argentinian cartoonist known as Liniers, gave a talk for the Illustration Institute. Even a rainy day couldn’t keep the illo peeps away. He brought his adorable daughters up on the Lions Club stage to sing and warm up the crowd before his presentation. He is well known in Latin America for his cartoon Macanudo which has recently been syndicated and will appear in the US. With the news in Argentina so often miserable, he aimed to feature a little bit of something positive every day. He...
Read MoreAnita Kunz
When an internationally acclaimed illustrator lands on your little island, the sun shines so much brighter. Anita Kunz arrived for a residency at the Illustration Institute in early August and my family eagerly attended her workshop at the Fifth Maine last Tuesday. Anita’s presentation began with the claim “Art has power” and her show of illustrations by others from history and contemporary culture made that point brilliantly. Art can incite violence, recruit people to war, or to resist war. Art can challenge the status quo or invoke worship, provide satire or remind us of...
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