Long Island celebration
What fun to island hop for another celebration of summer reading, this time at the Long Island Library. As a long-time member of the Island Institute, I enjoy learning about other islands, but visiting them is too rare. The logistics of going “down the bay” requires first a trip to Portland on Casco Bay Lines and then another ferry to another 4 stops. What would have been about an hour-plus of ferry time became a 15 minute trip on a water taxi instead, thanks to my host. But man, was it a soupy morning. No horizon line visible, and nothing to see in our wake, either. Captain John...
Read MoreOceans away!
Today is World Oceans Day! Now’s a good time to share my recent visit to Portland’s Reiche Elementary School at the invitation of Side x Side, an arts integration program. I felt right at home upon seeing this lively mural: I came to draw ocean creatures with three second grade classes, and talked about using the long horizontal for this illustration in Here Come the Humpbacks! by Caroline Arnold. I brought along my handy humpback toy for reference. This artist made great use of his page area, lower left. Everyone was provided with a line drawing of their chosen creature to look...
Read MoreA is for art school
Is it wise to pick a college during Senior Slump? We shall see. Going to Accepted Student Day events is both entertaining and loaded with portent. As a RISD alum, it was pure nostalgia for me. And there were daffodils! Mosaics are all over the freshman dorm complex. The Met dining hall is more chic than it was in the 70’s. Before the official presentation, we stopped at the Nature Lab, scene of many hours of my studies. I couldn’t resist sitting down to sketch this specimen, the tragulus javanicus. Here Marty takes in the creaky ambiance. The Waterman Building is home to...
Read Moreroadtrip: MICA!
We blasted to Baltimore last week for a college visit with our daughter, who was accepted to Maryland Institute College of Art. It’s a good road trip when your name is on it… We kept our eyes peeled for anything and everything, spotting a black rooster along the Cross Bronx highway, and also this spectacular mural. Baltimore has quite the buffet of mural art, too. This one greeted us when we rolled into town. Our hosts are former Peaks Islanders, award-winning writers, and now educators in Baltimore. Karen teaches at Morgan State and Steve teaches in the grad program at Towson...
Read MoreLong Live Longfellow!
What a blast to visit Longfellow Elementary School in Portland, Maine last week. It’s a great haven for young artists and visionaries. A bust of Henry Wadsworth Longfellow looks over the library where I installed my presentation during three days. Many thanks to librarian Christine Fricke who helped untangle my humpback banner, as only a master knitter could. Kudos to library ed tech Catherine Ferguson for crafting this awesome poster, it made me feel so welcomed. I quickly talked about being an illustrator, sharing the early story board sketches done for Here Come the Humpbacks! by...
Read Morethree cheers for Chelmsford
I knew I was in the right place when I arrived at the Center Elementary School in Chelmsford for two days last week. The halls are alive with color and art on display. I spent Thursday with first grade classes, reading Seven Days of Daisy, talking about how I made the book and shaped the story. I gave them blank booklets to begin writing and drawing their own story. They knew just how to add visual detail. Before moving to another classroom, a few volunteers shared their story. The best part is meeting kids, seeing their curiosity and listening to their ideas. Thanks to Mrs. Mackinnon, Mrs....
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