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 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 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 MoreJumpin’ July
A friend recently called July the “ADHD of months” and I agree. So. Much. Going. ON. Normally I make blog posts about individual events, but they have been coming at me too dang fast. Here is the whole jam of July: kids books, talks, classes, travels, friends, family. A bounty of sun and color and amazing humans. I was off to the Friends School for their Story in the Forest program on July 9. I read Ana and the Sea Star and then eager campers played a lively game of Ocean Locomotion. They tried moving like sea stars! They also drew sea creatures in pastel, with gusto. I’m...
Read MorePeaks Festing
Peaks Fest is the Peaks Island celebration of community that happens annually around the solstice. Marvelous Marty Braun has been the whiz behind years and years of Peaks Fest t-shirts. Last year he passed the torch to our daughter, Daisy. This year, both of them were too busy to tackle the annual challenge, so I offered to create a t-shirt design. But what hasn’t already been done so superbly?? I found it mighty daunting. My solution? Keep it simple. I settled on a signature island creature, the cormorant. Who hasn’t seen one drying it’s wings on a rocky perch? I included...
Read MoreAudio File
Between trips to Baltimore, I worked on illustrating the June cover for Audio File Magazine. It’s a treat to do a magazine cover, and double that it’s local, just a few blocks from Casco Bay Lines. The June issue highlights golden voices, the outstanding narrators of audio books. I did a PILE of sketches, since the theme was pretty wide open, and included stars. How about five megaphones? Shout out? Or a fun vintage metaphor? Or the interior landscape of birdsong… Another version, in which the birds circle the ear. Groovy sound waves finding entry… Summer listening,...
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