Pace Yourself, Class of 2019
What good fortune to chaperone the Illustration MECA field trip to Stonington along with fearless Department Chair Mary Anne Lloyd! Maine College of Art’s Pace House is a splendid destination even under overcast skies. Our troop arrived in four vehicles, 13 students in all. After grilled cheese sandwiches and soup, they set out for the nearby Lily Pond. A downpour brought them dashing back, where they gathered around a toasty wood stove to dry off, sketch, and play games, surrounded by Stephen Pace’s paintings. Nothing finer than breaking bread together! I made a couple of MECA...
Read MoreMoto Scotia 2018
Today is National Grandparents Day, and I dedicate this post to my grandfather, Roland Bell Hogan, who himself was the grandson of Patrick Hogan who left Belfast, Ireland to settle in Young’s Cove, Nova Scotia in the mid- 1800’s. Our recent trip to Nova Scotia was all about connecting with family and friends. I’m ever grateful to be part of the Hogan clan! After Marty and I boarded the CAT ferry in Portland, Maine we got out our sketchbooks. Here’s his opener: The trip was about two hours longer than advertised, thanks to debris clogging one of the ship’s jets....
Read MoreCharm City History
A week ago today we drove our island girl back to Baltimore. Last glimpse of Fort Gorges for awhile. After the traditional stop at Holy Donuts for road fuel, we made it to St. James Court in about 9.5 hours. Whew! It was looking very Ivy League outside her bedroom window. Marty and I checked in at Hotel Revival. We stayed here in it’s previous incarnation when we brought Daisy to begin freshman year. It seems like the blink of an eye, but this is SENIOR YEAR. Yup. The hotel had closed the last two years for a major facelift under new ownership. We delighted in the contemporary art...
Read MoreSeeing Stars in Fairfield
I was warmly welcomed last Thursday to the lovely Lawrence Public Library in Fairfield, Maine. With the help of Children’s Librarian, Alyssa Patterson, I set up my pretend beach in the cheerful children’s reading room. Thanks to Library Director Louella Bickford for this shot of me reading Ana and the Sea Star. Kids tried the locomotion game with their sea stars in hand, and then colored a pocket for keeping. I brought some sanded pastel paper, like I used in illustrating the book, and invited everyone to try it. Stella gave me her drawing! Thank you! I also brought a large pad,...
Read MoreWaite’s End
Last Monday afternoon, we left the hurly burly of Peaks Island for Waite’s End, our friend’s place on Androscoggin Lake in Wayne, Maine. Kathy’s father, Jack Mahoney, built his retirement home on family property that overlooks a cove on the northern tip of this grand lake. She has lovingly freshened up the house and gardens for seasonal rental, and we made a brief but heavenly visit before she departs for home. We drove the hour and fifteen minutes from Portland under soggy skies that just barely cleared as we arrived. What a delight to meet Phil, her daughter’s...
Read MoreSome Illustrator!
My illustration orbit has been downright full of goodness and it’s only June. On June 5, MECA’s Illustration Department Chair Mary Anne Lloyd and I brought our art student daughters to see Melissa Sweet and Martha White discuss Melissa’s latest book, Some Writer!, about Martha’s grandfather, E.B. White. It’s always a joy to hear Melissa talk about her research process, and about the bounty of artifacts she was able to work with, thanks to the generosity of Martha White’s family archives. They both talked about what drew E. B. White to Maine as well as...
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