Lughnasa
Whenever a moon can make it’s way into an illustration project, I’m happy. And I am over the moon to be working with Portland Stage on their 2015/16 season. In frigid January, I began illustrating all the posters, starting with the season opener, Dancing at Lughnasa by Brian Friel. I played my wee stash of Irish music while sketching, to help me capture the energy and spirit of the five Mundy sisters. These are a few of my preliminary sketches. The above design was chosen. I also visited a moonrise on the backshore, adding to my inspiration. Moon cycles are well observed in this...
Read Morecollecting moons
October is my month, and it’s filled to the brim with everything right now. Today’s full moon coincides with the preview opening of Collect at Maine College of Art, their fall art sale that supports both scholarships for students and the artists participating. I’ve included Seven Moon Sonata just for this auspicious occasion: I also have two pastels done during a residency at MECA’s Pace House, Flea Island and The Pace Barn. While retrieving the original art for Collect, I visited the Jamie Wyeth show in Boston as a guest of Luna Press publisher, Nancy F. W. Passmore,...
Read Moretiger tales and moon shadows
Hear me roar: I’ve illustrated another book by Mitali Perkins, author of Rickshaw Girl, which made the New York Public Library’s list 100 Great Books/ 100 Years. Did the small spot, above, from that book perhaps foreshadow her latest story, Tiger Boy? My mind’s been in the mangrove forests of India for months, dreaming and drawing tigers. The cover illustration took as many turns as the story does. I began with very sketchy thumbnails to show Charlesbridge art director Diane Earley. Villagers living at the edge of a tiger sanctuary wear masks on the back of their heads to...
Read Moremoony blues
It’s my honor once again to contribute to next year’s Lunar Calendar published by The Luna Press. I’ve been part of this fine endeavor since 1983, with it’s moon phases exerting a greater pull over time. I check it daily for the moonrise times, and embrace the swell of full moon energy every cycle. I submitted seven cover ideas to editor Nancy F. W. Passmore, including this one that overlapped my freshly completed project, Tiger Boy, set in India. My head was still full of naukas (fishing boats) and alpanas (decorative designs.) Nancy also provides a bounty of poetic...
Read MoreIn My Studio…
I just finished a cover illustration for the 2015 Lunar Calendar, titled “Seven Moon Sonata.”...
Read Moremany moons ago
On Wednesday, as I was zooming down the highway to Boston, it occurred to me it’s been 25 years since I left. Driving around there with the radio tuned to WERS brings it all back. This is an illustration I did in the early 80’s, a call for art for Peter Wolf’s first solo album. I was so nervous when I met him. I never saw the art again, or him, but it still captures those nightclubbin’ years under a full moon. I met Nancy, my longest running client, at the Boston MFA. She publishes the Lunar Calendar, to which I’ve been a contributor since 1982. As we entered...
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