Portland Stage Season Launch
Around a year ago, I was scrambling to finish all the posters for Portland Stage Company’s 2015-16 season. On the launch night, Social Media/Marketing Associate, JJ Peeler, and Executive and Artistic Director, Anita Stewart, happily showed my rough sketch for the final show, They Don’t Pay? We Won’t Pay! Called again to create a cohesive look for the 2016-17 Season, I scrambled ever harder to be ALL done. Two shows remain in the current season; I felt complete seeing this one on stage at last. Meanwhile, My Name Is Asher Lev is on stage. Based on the novel by Chaim Potok,...
Read MoreLaunching Land Forms at Ocean Avenue Elementary
Thanks to Side x Side, I had more adventures in second grade, this time at Ocean Avenue Elementary School in Portland, Maine. I’d received an out-0f-the-blue letter from a Professor Amir Sneedlebaum of the University of Papua New Guinea, as did my colleague, Pamela Moulton. He also wrote to each of the second grade teachers as well. He needs their help in creating a model island of diverse land forms, so that his team of researchers can study earth’s changes. Cool! Count me in! I arrived in a costume quite suitable for me, a native of the White Mountains of New Hampshire! I...
Read Morelong live lunacy
Have you heard? There will be a full moon on Christmas for the first time since 1977. I’m well versed in lunar cycles, thanks to my contributions to the Lunar Calendar since 1983. Over the years, I’ve had the honor of creating the color cover several times, always a treat. These are a few of the ideas I presented to publisher Nancy F. W. Passmore for the 40th edition. The calendar is a vertical format with a fold, and I like to cross that, if possible. Nancy is fond of the idea of keeping her moon boat afloat, so she picked the bottom left. I was happy to develop the one idea...
Read MoreWarm wishes
What a full and fruitful season this has been. I’m happy to announce my new website and shop, Jamie Peeps Island! You’ll find select originals, prints, and books that I can sign and ship directly to the darling of your choice. When I saw this at the First Friday event for the Wake Up Alice exhibit, I thought yes, fill my cup please! Besides enjoying a steady swell of viewers to the show, I connected with hearty Tilbury House editor, Audrey Maynard. And she bought my Alice! Thanks, Audrey! The entire weekend was abuzz with holiday spirit. Just the trigger for me to design my...
Read MoreOwl Girl
I illustrated the book jacket for Mary Atkinson’s Owl Girl, a middle grade chapter book about a young girl’s difficult summer at her grandparent’s lakeside camp. As soon as I heard the title, I was intrigued. Holly, the main character, is drawn into the Maine woods by the mysterious call of a barred owl. I tried several variations of this. Same idea, but farther removed. Maybe we need to see more of her face, and the owl shows up on her t-shirt. Or perhaps the owl should be in his habitat, with Holly in as a minor figure. The binoculars play a part in the story. Perhaps...
Read MoreLughnasa
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...
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