have pencils, will travel

My bookish travels have taken me to interesting places. In Skowhegan, I spotted a shop called From Nana to You. I simply had to pull over. Look at the vintage British paintbox I scored.

I love everything about this illustration: the zoomy feel, the Space Station 7, the goofy moon. With 100 colours, anything is possible.

I also found a vintage DownEast magazine from the year I was born. Guess that makes me vintage.
Back before all magazines had to have slick photography covers. The illustration is by Henry Martin.

My destination, the Skowhegan Free Public Library, is a proud keeper of many universes.

I read Seven Days of Daisy and prompted a table of kids to think about what makes their 7 days tick.

There’s an enormous silver shoe in the entryway, an ode to the local shoe industry. There’s got to be a story around it.

Best of all is the lovely painting inside. A treasure, indeed. Thanks to the library!

I left to drive past fields and hills, rivers and marshes, over to Edgecomb, where I was sheltered by Kim, the kind friend who knows how to make me feel at home, with touches like this by the guest bed.

The next morning, I visited the Bristol Area Library in New Harbor.

I found new friends waiting in a charming children’s room. What a welcome sight. Love the mural!

After another reading and drawing, I was on my sunny way back down Route 1, hopefully leaving kids with their own stories taking shape. Thank you, swell library!

When you are crawling through Wiscasset, the prettiest bottleneck in Maine, you should stop at Rock, Paper, Scissors. It is hands down, my favorite shop. Like a candy store for artists.

 

They sell many things, but it’s the books, cards, tape, groovy pens, stickers, wrapping paper, rubber stamps, shall I go on? I bought a pair of scissors, shaped like a long-beaked bird, for my scissor collection.

I was home on Peaks Island just long enough to eat, sleep, and read. The next day as I boarded the ferry, a crowd was lining up for the Peaks to Portland Swim, the 30th annual open water race, 2.4 miles across the bay.

But I headed to Bayswater Books in Center Harbor, NH for a book signing. It was fun to meet a fellow author/illustrator, Marty Kelley. We talked shop in the heat rising from the parking lot. We were joined by local favorite, Karel Hayes, and the author of her recent book, The Witches, Andy Opel.

Indeed, good times traveling with books and art supplies, connecting with old friends, and making new ones.

On Wednesday, I’ll be at the Scarborough Public Library for an Illustrating One World presentation.
Then it’s off to the Maine Lighthouse Museum in Rockland for another book event with DownEast authors this Saturday, July 23.

Meanwhile, I’m at the drawing board today, made in the shade. Best place to be!