papermaker

Growing up in a mill town brought resonance to my illustration for Papermaker by Monica Wood, now playing at Portland Stage Company. J. E. Henry built his mill in Lincoln, New Hampshire back in 1892, but it was in decline by the time I was in high school in the 1970’s. Still, our team was the Lumberjacks.

My most vivid memory was of those smokestacks, a recurring element in all of my rough sketches.

It seemed necessary to collage some newspaper in there somewhere, too. After all, I began my freelance career in newspapers, namely the Boston Globe. The play is set in a fictional Maine town, Abbott Falls, and revolves around a strike that divides the town and two families.

This sketch got the nod for the final poster.

I’d found these headlines online.

My better half, Marty Braun, who I met when he was a designer at the Boston Globe, helped greatly by designing a mock paper so the text would show in the right areas of my cut collage shape.

Here’s how the final worked out, with some smudges for sooty smoke against the pastel red. Designer Karen Lybrand tweaked the color of the newspaper to contrast the strike signs in the foreground. Every poster is a team effort!

I met Monica Wood at Portland Stage’s launch for next season’s line-up, and glad to hear she approves of the illustration. I’m also thrilled to have just completed seven illustrations for the new season. Stay tuned on those!

We’ll be seeing Papermaker this weekend. The reviews are great, and I’m eager to see Daniel Noel in this role. As a fan of his work and Monica’s books, I can’t wait to see this premiere that will surely bring back those mill memories.