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 Morecrossing waters
Great news! Tiger Boy by Mitali Perkins is among the books chosen by Waterbridge Outreach, a non-profit literacy organization dedicated to providing both books and water development to under-served areas around the globe. How cool is that? The original illustration for the book jacket is in the exhibit The Storybook Waters of Illustrator Jamie Hogan, in it’s final weeks at the Portland Public Library. If you haven’t seen it yet, please do! Thanks to Fran Houston for this panorama of the show, 20 originals from 7 books, and all involve water. Waters run through much of my work,...
Read MoreSketchbooks on Peaks Island
On Saturday I partnered once again with MECA colleague Judy Labrasca to lead a Peaks Island Sketchbooks Workshop through Maine College of Art’s Continuing Studies Program. Every year the weather’s a little different, the day unfolds at an organic pace, and I meet the best artists with whom to spend a day drawing. Judy meets students at Casco Bay Lines and I greet them on island, where we make introductions and discuss materials for making books. Judy brings such bounty! I brought pre-cut pastel papers. We share the philosophy that sketchbooks are not precious, but vehicles for...
Read MoreDrawing with Color at TEIA
Last week, I headed down the hill to the TEIA, also know as “the club” to lead a 2 day class in Drawing With Color for kids aged 8 – 12. The last two summers, I’ve done this class with adults. Kids’ turn this time. We began a discussion of terms with a color wheel I inherited from my Uncle Roley. It’s one thing to talk color, it’s even better to draw. This is Mia’s curvaceous color wheel. I brought my stash of Color Aid paper so everyone could try their hand at a classic demonstration of the relative nature of color: Josef Albers’ ...
Read MoreStorybook Waters
The Storybook Waters of Illustrator Jamie Hogan opened last week, with a swell flock of peeps gathering to see my originals from 7 picture books, and hear Eva Murray read Island Birthday. It’s not every day two island girls make a book. We both deal with crossing water; I was delayed leaving Peaks Island because of capacity crowds on the Casco Bay Lines ferry. Eva flew from Matinicus, thanks to clear weather. Smiles abound when serendipity brings us together, in the Sam L. Cohen Children’s Library at the Main Branch of the Portland Public Library....
Read MoreBloomin’ books!
This is a super duper first: I have 3 new books recently published! They are written by different authors, and have very different stories to tell. BUT, they have a few things in common, besides featuring my work: Each book has lots of blue on the cover, yup! And there is water involved. And the moon plays a part in every story. Here’s a list of bookish events coming up: June 27 at 10 AM Hello Hello Books Rockland, Maine Author of ISLAND BIRTHDAY, Eva Murray, and I will have our first book event together. Two islanders’ ferry schedules converge, watch out. Eva will read and I...
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