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.
Tis the Season
Did those early snowstorms jump start your holiday spirits? They did mine! I kept thinking about that time I tapped my inner deer… and worked out an illustration for this year’s holiday card. This Deer Spirit is a cross between Ba from Hans Christian Andersen’s Snow Queen and a sister in Babette’s Feast by Isak Dinesen. On a starry solstice night, our wild selves shine on, with some cut paper snowflakes for good measure. Shortly after I sent off my image file to be printed, we gathered for an intimate Thanksgiving here...
read morePastels ici!
I am thrilled to share that my pastel, Regatta, is included in Paintings of Portland by Carl Little and David Little. The book spans two hundred years of art in all seasons featuring my pretty city across the bay. Check it out! I did this pastel years ago for a show on Peaks Island, and it’s in the collection of Bill and Patty Zimmerman, wonderful patrons of the arts. That’s Fort Gorges, which I pass on every ferry trip, and I love seeing it under clouds of all shapes. Pastel studies of seascapes and changing light have kept me...
read morePutting the A in STEM
I was invited to be a volunteer exhibitor at the 5th Annual STEM Expo sponsored by Portland Public Schools and Envirologix last Friday. Since many of my children’s books are nature-themed, I brought my collection of nature objects and some life-like toy models for nature studies with students. The event was held at USM’s Sullivan Gymnasium, and it was like a trade show for careers in science. Over 50 exhibitors, ranging from ecomaine to Maine Total Weather to Engineers Without Borders to IDEXX Labs to the Electro Toy Company drew...
read moreOpossum Tails to Come
I met Wilbur well before I began illustrating a picture book story about opossums! Last October the Center for Wildlife brought him in as a wildlife ambassador to my junior illustration class at Maine College of Art. We were all smitten by his toothy grin. This was my first sketch of many. By the spring of this year, author Lyn Smith sent me her manuscript for What Makes an Opossum Tick? and another journey of illustrating a picture book began. I gathered all I could on opossums and traveled to Moody Point for a creative retreat in late May....
read morePace 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...
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...
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...
read moreIllustration Parade
This summer has been a marvelous parade of illustration. What a life! On August 14 Ricardo Siri, an Argentinian cartoonist known as Liniers, gave a talk for the Illustration Institute. Even a rainy day couldn’t keep the illo peeps away. He brought his adorable daughters up on the Lions Club stage to sing and warm up the crowd before his presentation. He is well known in Latin America for his cartoon Macanudo which has recently been syndicated and will appear in the US. With the news in Argentina so often miserable, he aimed to feature a...
read moreAshley Bryan
It’s not everyday children’s book illustration is featured at a major art museum. Kudos to Portland Museum of Art for their just-opened exhibit, Painter and Poet: The Art of Ashley Bryan. I attended the panel talk on Thursday that was to be between our local powerhouse artist, Daniel Minter, and Nick Clark, Director of the Ashley Bryan Center. But Ashley was there! At 95, he is a living legend, and led the packed house in a rousing recital of a Langston Hughes poem. He did this when I last saw him, at the Maine College of Art...
read moreMarilyn Faison Artist Residency
Many thanks to the Illustration Institute for a week’s artist residency a mere five minute walk from my Peaks Island home. So close, and yet so far away. The dirt road winds up into the woods where tall pines make you forget the summer hubbub that is now Peaks Island. The chance to be in a place apart brings a new awareness for any artist. I found so many objects of affection around the house, and drew some into the little book made in Gregory Christie’s Illustration Institute Workshop. Fallen petals urged me to capture the...
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