I’m thrilled to be working on a picture book for Tilbury House written by Eva Murray of Matinicus Island. I’ve been a fan of her writing since discovering her columns in local publications, and hearing her speak about Well Out to Sea, as part of the Peaks Island Lecture Series, a few years back. When editor Audrey Maynard asked if I was interested: a story set on an island? YES. By Eva Murray? DOUBLE YES.
It seemed only fitting to combine research with a family field trip. As an islander for 22 years, I have boundless curiosity about other islands, and what huge contrasts between Peaks and Matinicus! Peaks gets 16 ferries a DAY from Portland, a 15-minute trip one way. Matinicus gets 30 ferries a YEAR, a 2-hour trip one way. You can get there from here, with planning, cash, and some groceries.
The Maine State Ferry in Rockland, Maine has day parking, since we were heading one-way. The MV Everett Libby was our vessel.
We passed Owl’s Head Light during a break in the clouds.
Once we left the coast, I sketched another passenger who’s obviously done this trip before.
I drew Marty, too.
Matinicus is a rather flat island upon approach.
The harbor is all about lobstering.
Eva kindly gave us a lift to the Tuckanuck Lodge, owned by Bill Hoadley, a native of Nantucket who also spent many years living on Peaks.
It’s a charming old house filled with antiques of all shapes.
I enjoyed dialing on this rotary.
It’s no small luxury to simply curl up and read amidst the peace and quiet.
There’s no store on the island, so we brought ham, cheese, and apple juice. We set out in search of Eva’s Bakery, passing this sign along the way. Sums up the island ethos, a motto we could all use.
How can a kid resist the real jungle gym at the island school?
Gotta love public art.
We stopped to buy stamps to see what the post office is all about. The old Post Office burned down, and this PO is a couple of rooms in a house owned by the church, where the minister lives.
The real hub is Eva’s bakery, where her sweet goods draw a crowd.
Armed with her bread and cookies, we set off for a picnic, past colorful trees and billowing grass.
We marveled at snowy mosses while nibbling berries along the path.
Sweet reward for finding the Southwest Point:
The clouds parted and we found another trail to follow.
After a warm social hour at Eva’s, we returned to our lodge for a hearty dinner.
There are no street lights on Matinicus, so we strolled in the darkness.
Bill’s call to breakfast is opera music, a heavenly start to a clear Saturday. Each mug at the table features one of his beloved dogs. The current resident, Sandy, keeps Bill on his toes.
Here’s my sketch of 16-year old Emma, a snuffly pug who keeps fellow boarder, Peter, loyal company.
We headed to Markey Beach with our drawing supplies. We had all this beauty to ourselves.
I started a small pastel with a new travel set, but abandoned it in favor of beachcombing.
We climbed around to the breakers sheltering the harbor.
Now and then, the sound of a plane drew our attention. We’d be taking one of them back to Rockland the next day.
Meanwhile, Marty did this drawing.
It was pretty quiet over at the wharf.
We returned to the Tuckanuck for lunch and lolling about.
We decided to trek to the air strip, another scene I’ll be illustrating. Along the way is the church, which also doubles as a phone booth.
Wild flowers are abundant.
The narrow strip faces north towards Rockland.
With no planes in sight, we found another trail. A single fairy house is a good sign.
These are NOT blueberries, but rather an inedible feature of some forest lilies.
Plenty of flora to document.
Planes flew over now and then. Bill said the lobstermen were taking their paychecks to spend in Rockland.
We reached the shore again, and clambered over these cool rocks.
What’s the secret of this ancient boulder?
Back on the main road, stunning patches of dahlias, first brought to the island in 1903, dazzle the landscape.
Drowsy dog and dusty road by the PO..
We got more cookies at the bakery and checked out the cemetery, where stones are adorned with golden lichen.
We made it back to the lodge in time for lobster and more stories from Bill.
With fog rolling in, we browsed his ample library, finding this antique novelty from 1889.
Daisy documented a ton of startling illustrations, such as these.
With no electronic devices for distraction, we retired early and slept like logs. In the morning, after one last trip to the bakery for donuts, Eva’s husband, Paul, brought us to our plane, the cheerful Island Spirit.
This was the one piece of our trip that gave me anxiety.
Yet, it was by far the smoothest and best flight I’ve ever had.
Thanks to Penobscot Island Air pilot, Roger, the 12-minute trip was splendid. Look, there’s the boulder out on West Point.
More islands closer to the mainland:
Upon landing at Knox County Airport in Owl’s Head, we took a Schooner Bay taxi back to our car in Rockland. Heading back down Route 1, we stopped at a favorite landmark, which I included in my sketches for Eva’s book.
The truck is a great icon of that Waste Not ethic on Matinicus, and is the work of amazing sculptor Jay Sawyer. For the first time in our travels, his sculpture garden was OPEN. I sketched this scene.
He showed us what he’s working on in his shop. Seeing his art was the best way to complete our trip.
Now it’s back to work here, with our hearts full of Matinicus magic. Thanks to Eva for delicious hospitality and to the Tuckanuck for sweet dreams.
Owl 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....
read moreEyes open wide
When my Illustration MECA cohort Mary Anne Lloyd asked me to drive senior students on a field trip, I didn’t even blink. Tony DiTerlizzi?!!! Mary Blair?!! Beep beep beep beep YEAH! The closer you get to Amherst, MA, the more you feel in the middle of the woods. It’s a serene feeling, honest. Meeting House roads are all over New England, as my passengers noticed. We arrived at the home of Tony and his partner, Angie, right on time, and were in for a major treat. This pretty much captures the wonder we all felt. Angie made us...
read moreWake up Alice!
I am thrilled to have this piece in the current exhibit now in the Lewis Gallery at the Portland Public Library, Wake Up Alice! I love adding collage bits, and photographed cards for inserting into my drawing done with charcoal pencil and pastel on cut paper. I’m pleased to see my fierce little Alice hanging among such esteemed company! To the right, my former MECA student, Declan McCarthy, created a corner chock full of the entire adventure told in comic vignettes he drew on the wall. Here he is before his arm fell off. To my...
read moreIllustration Research Symposium
The 6th Annual Illustration Research Symposium hosted by the Illustration Research Network and Rhode Island School of Design was a total blast of ideas and great presentations. Thanks to Maine College of Art for sending Illustration Department Chair Mary Anne Lloyd and me to this international gathering of illustration academics. I filled my MECA sketchbook and more. Thursday evening upon arrival at the RISD ISB Gallery, we were warmly greeted by Susan Doyle, Department Head of RISD Illustration at the opening of the conference exhibition,...
read moreCharm City Circles
No matter which route you take, Portland to Baltimore is a solid 10 hour roadtrip. But how warm the welcome! We arrived at the home of Donna and Peter, just in time for some local craft beer and chicken roasted on their deck, with the Natty Bo sign winking a few blocks away. They have a wide collection of art, but this oil painting of Peter as a young man is my favorite. We headed in the morning over to MICA’s Parents Weekend, eager to see our new freshman. Let the hugs begin! We stopped at MICA’s Print Lab. Nice to have such...
read moreRISD by Design 15
There’s no harder evidence of time flying than considering your 35th college reunion. Whaaat? Upon finding my RISD 1980 yearbook, I wondered if I’d find any former self at RISD By Design 2015. I headed to Providence in time to meet up with classmate Rika Smith McNally. Hadn’t seen her in five years, since the last reunion. We headed over to the Inauguration of Rosanne Somerson, the 17th President of the college, and the first alum. What a graceful, thoughtful, and moving ceremony. I was delighted to spy MICA’s...
read moreMoto: Fundy!
This post wraps up our motorcycle adventures in Canada, I promise! We returned to Nova Scotia via Tidnish, and rode along the Northumberland Shore in late afternoon sun, at one point parallel to a herd plodding towards their barn. We stopped in Pugwash to buy a bottle of zin for later, and found out there were lodgings in Tatamagouche. Man, we lucked out with the Train Station Inn! The rail cars offer accommodations but were already booked. We instead enjoyed a Victorian room in the main Inn, and a delicious dinner later in a dining car that...
read moreMoto: PEI!
This trip was my eighth to Nova Scotia, with family always a destination. We decided to see Prince Edward Island for the first time, with yet another ferry to board (our third, if you’re counting.) We passed this Bay Ferry just after spying a whale spout. The trip was only an hour and fifteen minutes, just enough time to feel the breezes and check in with wifi. The striking feature of our ride from the Wood Islands Ferry Terminal to Charlottetown was the wide-open expanse of fields and coves. It’s hard making high mileage when...
read moreMoto: Scotia!
We did it! Our 1000- plus mile motorcycle trip to Canada is complete. Marty and I haven’t done this much riding since before our daughter was born. Could we do it? Our ambitious route kept us moving every day, and we kept our focus on the road ahead. Much has been written locally about the Nova Star, a too big ship for too few passengers. As it docked in Portland, we were very eager to board. How glittery Portland looked in our porthole! We cruised around the ship, finding various places to settle for awhile before succumbing to a...
read morecrossing waters
Great news! Tiger Boy by Mitali Perkins is among the books chosen by Waterbridge Outreach, a non-profit literacy organization dedicated to providing both books and water development to under-served areas around the globe. How cool is that? The original illustration for the book jacket is in the exhibit The Storybook Waters of Illustrator Jamie Hogan, in it’s final weeks at the Portland Public Library. If you haven’t seen it yet, please do! Thanks to Fran Houston for this panorama of the show, 20 originals from 7 books, and all...
read moreVisit JamieHogan.com
