Side x Side at Reiche Elementary
As a Side x Side visiting artist, I made four visits to Reiche Elementary to spark their Moving Oceans program. The kick-off featured Mary Cerullo, non-fiction author and Associate Director of Friends of Casco Bay sharing her books. I was excited to finally meet her! She told a lively anecdote using this critter for emphasis. For the first visits to 4 second grade classes, I showed them my stash of sketches for the cover of Here Come the Humpbacks. I do LOTS of drawings! I also brought along my collection of natural objects, such as clam, mussel, and scallop shells, barnacles, sea urchins,...
Read MoreLand Forms Leap at Ocean Avenue Elementary
In the month since I drew with second graders at Ocean Avenue Elementary, my Side x Side colleague Pamela Moulton had been working with the students on creating sculptures of land forms based on their drawings and research. With every visit, the classes grew more curious about Professor Sneedlebaum. Good news! He would be stopping at the school on his way to a conference in Canada! She worked with the students to create a special celebration of their learning. Here she works out the sequence backstage on April 28 with Mia, intern art teacher and intrepid volunteer. How exciting when...
Read MoreCelebrating Literacy at PIES
It’s a treat to visit schools where literacy is celebrated. But it’s downright spectacular when it’s the island school down the street, where your own child learned to read. The Peaks Island Elementary School invited Scott Nash, Anne Sibley O’Brien, and me to meet teachers and students who read our books and created book reviews, skits, and reports. Teacher Leader Renee Bourgoine-Serio opened the evening with questions from kids. Mainly they wanted to know: WHEN is Scott coming out with a sequel to The High Skies Adventures of Blue Jay the Pirate? And then the Draw...
Read MoreEast End Fairy Tale
Once upon a time, on a cold winter’s day, Red Riding Hood set off through the woods to her Nana’s house. Her basket was full of pencils and paper because she loved to draw. Just for a moment, Red thought she saw a wolf. She decided it was just the shadows in the snow tricking her eyes. She kept going, all the way across Casco Bay to Portland where Nana lived. She climbed a steep hill and heard children’s voices. Red Riding Hood couldn’t resist going inside the big building with so many windows. She gasped when she saw all the welcoming words in so many languages! A...
Read Moreart roaming
The holiday season brought sweet joys: family time, baking, and wonderful things in the mail. I was thrilled to land work from John Muir Wrestles a Waterfall in 3 x 3 Annual 12! My annual arrived just before the Certificate of Merit. YES. Meanwhile, I was in the middle of a surprise commission. A secret Santa asked me to draw my former student/amazing illustrator Liz Long. Such an honor! I drew this quick gratitude for my neighbor Eleanor Morse, who gave us a lovely paperwhite plant. Right after Christmas, we began some art roaming, starting with the 17th Annual Animation Show of Shows at...
Read MoreMICA move
The dust is still settling here after our daughter’s departure for college. I am gladly between projects so I have the time and space to acknowledge what a transition it is. The drive from Maine to Baltimore is a haul, but Maryland Institute College of Art is a mighty welcome destination. This is the Brown Building, but we call it the Iceberg. Daisy’s new residence: Leake Hall. I had visions of struggling up stairs all day with loads of stuff. Wrong! A cheerful orientation team loaded a bin on wheels into an elevator. Meeting the roommates was a sweet moment! She was installed...
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