Memorial Day at the Beach

I did this painting for my Aunt Fay a few years ago. She lives in paradise; Anna Maria Island in Florida. It is of (from the left) her daughter Diane, my sister Patty and me. I painted this from a photo of course, but as I look at it it reminds me of one of the most influential paintings in my life - The Giant by NC Wyeth. I remember the first time I saw The Giant in a book in college. Simply said - it altered my life. I could not believe that an image had so much power. I have a poster of The Giant on the wall of my studio and it continues to connect me to that very first sense of awe I felt for the power of illustration. My husband and I are both Wyeth fans and have made numerous visits to the Brandywine River Museum in Chadds Ford, PA. Our son's middle name is Wyeth - how's that for a tribute. I can't think of a more fitting memorial today than this painting and all the memories it stirs for me.

On Tour: Kerry Madden

I am pleased to post a series of interviews with Kerry Madden. She is the author of Louisiana's Song, a follow-up to her acclaimed Gentle's Holler.

Louisiana's Song is narrated again by Livy Two. Set in Appalachia in 1963, this heartwarming, and heart-wrenching, follow-up to Gentle’s Holler traces the ups and downs of her large mountain family. Shy and awkward 11-year-old Louise (Louisiana) becomes the reluctant hero as she develops a talent for painting, takes care of Daddy, and shows a surprised Livy Two that sometimes the quietest sibling turns out to be the strongest.

Read more about her at Elizabeth Dulemba's blog , Dotti Enderle's , Alan Gratz at Gratz Industries, Kim Norman's Stone Stoop, and Ruth McNally Barshaw's Ellie McDoodle.

Meet my B-I-L...

We call him Bob, the kids call him Uncle Bobby (lately Uncle Chum, but there is a long story there and it involves eating earth worms...) but you can call him Robert Lee. He is so cool! He makes cool art. He listens to cool music. He goes cool places to do cool things.

I've known Robert since he was fourteen year old obnoxious Bobby. Now at forty one he's come a far piece. He owns his own company, Methane Studios, with his long time college friend Mark McDevitt. They primarily make gorgeous hand screened posters, but also a slew of other rock-related things. Among their clients are Dave Matthews Band, Wilco, Pearl Jam, and they've been featured in Print Magazine's Regional Design annual, CA, and The Art of Modern Rock. I couldn't be more proud of him if I'd made him myself. And he gives me free posters and stuff!

On Tour: Barbara Johansen Newman

On tour this week is author/illustrator Barbara Johansen Newman. I picked up a copy of her book Tex and Sugar, a Big City Kitty Ditty on Wednesday. This book has it all! It’s fun, funny, and has a very satisfying ending. Barb’s cleverly written rhyme is matched perfectly by her exuberant art. One of my favorite spreads shows Rex, a crooning country cowboy cat with a calling for city life. His dreams of becoming a superstar guitar playing kitty have been dashed and he’s working as a dish washer.

“All alone and washed up, sick of bubbles and soap, Tex figured he’d come to the end of his rope."

Everything about this page is clever – the use of the phrase “washed up” as he is washing dishes, a cowboy at the “end of his rope” - to the cheesy grinning snapshots of the cows back home taped to the wall above the sink. One of the many bubbles floating over Rex’s head shows Rex singing and playing his guitar – his dream about to burst. Brilliant.

Let’s find out more about Barb:

KL - Assuming you have a weakness in your art (though I can't see any) how do you work around it?

Barb- I absolutely have a weakness--in fact I have several! My most glaring problem is that I operate by thispremise: LESS IS NEVER MORE, AND MORE IS NEVER ENOUGH. Of course, what else would you expect from a pack ratand obsessive collector? It is also a philosophy I inherited from my grandmother, the queen of clutter. I like details in book illustration. No, I take that back. I LOVE details in illustration. I think it is what defines the character and the story and makes them real--like good set design (lately I am crazy for the set design on UGLY BETTY. Talk about defining details!) My problem is that I can go a little nuts this way, which makes for a very long illustration process, and it can also make my art very busy. I am trying to edit more. But, honestly, I will never be a minimalist. It’s just not as much fun. And it bores me silly. And kids love detail. They like art that they can study, even long after the story has been read. So I do not really see myself changing. But maybe I will cut back a little.

KL - Your illustration style is unique. How did it evolve and what are you influences?

Barb - In my only good year of college I went to an art show that was showcasing the art of the professors. There was work by one of my professors that was full of characters driving around in silly cars and it had lots of color and it made me smile. I think his name was David Levy. I had my epiphany! I did not have to spend years doing tightly rendered serious work. I could make work that would make me happy. And I love Red Grooms. I think he is my favorite living artist. His work is as “serious” as any when it comes to aesthetics, but it is not afraid to have humor or have a little “tongue-in-cheek.” It just makes me smile like a fool. I like artwork to make me smile. My early editorial illustration work was very edgy and sometimes dark, but there was still a funkiness to it. After I had kids, I grew tired of that sinister stuff, and my whole approach lightened up. The artists I most love are Red Grooms, R. Crumb, and Aline Crumb (she makes me laugh like crazy). As for artists no longer with us, I love Ben Shahn and Larry Rivers, and, of course, Warhol. How can you not love Andy? He saw everything coming before anyone else did.

KL - When writing your story do you allow it to flow or do you structure it?

Barb - I let it flow, because I have to be character driven. I cannot come up with the plot before hand.

KL - What is your revision process like?

Barb - I like to hide things away for a while, for both art and words. I have a much better eye to really see what needs to be done, when I can get away from the project. Even when I am painting the finals, I work on the whole book at the same time. Every spread is in some stage of progress, and pinned up all over the studio. While I am painting one piece, I often look up at the others and see things I need to change. I could never paint the books one page at a time to completion, and then move on. I am always adding things and making changes until the art goes out the door. I always find that it is those last touches that make art “pop.” And I have been known to put the last“must do” brush stroke on a piece at 7:45, and still make it to Fedex by 8:30. Thank God I work in acrylics.

KL - What do you do to invite inspiration?

Barb - I shop. Or, more correctly, I go junking. There is nothing like a good trip through a multi-dealer antique shop to get my juices flowing. I have no idea why, except that it must get me into that “zen” mode when I surround myself with the sense of passing time and other people’s discarded stuff. I look for stuff that really shouts the era it is from. Right now I am completely embracing the fifties. In the 70’s when I first started seriously collecting, I used to look with scorn upon anything that shouted “sputnik, spaceage, and modern.” Now, bring on that turquoise and bubble gum pink. I even embrace the early sixties, too. I might start teasing my hair again. Can’t get into the late sixties, though. Not enough time has passed. It seems like yesterday to me. I also like to drive. Long car trips along back roads do wonders for my creative juices. Also a drive through New Jersey, might do that, too. I like old relics of commercial shopping highways circa 1955--things like old motel signs, bowling alleys and gas stations.

KL - How is the creative process different for writing and illustrating?

Barb - Drawing is just much easier for me to do by gut instinct. The less I think, the better my art. Also, I can tell when my art art “works.” I can write something and still not be sure it is doing what it needs to do. I am trying very hard to be better at it.

Want to read more about Barb? Visit Dotti Enderle, Elizabeth Dulemba, Ruth McNally Barshaw, and Kim Norman, in this facinating series of interviews with her.

I'm Crying (but in a good way)

It has been so hard to have an author/illustrator book out in the world. There is nobody to hide behind. If it stinks it's because I did it. If it's sweet - well, same. I've only had a few reviews of ABC Safari but this one from the National Science Teacher's Association made me cry - but in a good way.

This excellent read-aloud for the pre-K through primary audience is richer than the usual ABC book. Karen Lee, both illustrator and author, is not afraid to use a varied and interesting vocabulary. The rhymes, one for each animal, explain an interesting fact about each one without talking down to the audience. Thus we read:“Her fanciful ears fan hot air away from crepe-paper skin that’s wrinkled and gray. Her versatile trunk’s not only a nose, When Elephant bathes, she makes it a hose.”Plenty of new words are introduced this way, painlessly and in context, accompanied by appealing and accurate illustrations. The science allows the reader to introduce ideas like variations and adaptations at a developmentally appropriate level.There is another little challenge added—a boy in a pith helmet and his pet parrot are hidden somewhere in each picture, as they take a “safari” through the list of alphabetically organized animals. This will encourage re-reading at a center. No attempt is made to catalog the animals by habitat, but each one is drawn in appropriate surroundings. The boy and parrot remain blissfully silent, leaving the rhyme and artwork to carry the meaning.At the end, there is a set of pictures to be copied as cards with suggestions for games to be played; this would be another asset for a learning center. The pictures may also be downloaded for classroom use from the publisher’s website. ABC Safari is a fine supplement to the early childhood educator’s library for use in vocabulary development and early literacy using the very motivating theme of exploring for animals.

Reviewer: Ann Rubino Rubino

I love you love you Ann

Blog Book Tour with Ruth McNally Barshaw

This week we are turning our attention to Ruth McNally Barshaw, author and illustrator of the new book Ellie McDoodle: Have Pen, Will Travel. Ruth will bare it all for Dotti Enderle and reveal herself to Elizabeth Dulemba. Get the scoop on Ruth from Kim Norman's Stone Stoop; then Alan Gratz dishes it up at Gratz Industries. Please visit this amazing interview at Barbara Johansen Newman's Cats and Jammers Studio, and last, but certainly not least Greg Fishbone gives us the skinny on Ruth on his blog.

I "met" fabulous writer and illustrator Ruth McNally Barshaw for the first time through an online discussion board. I was drawn to her immediately for her no-nonsense Midwestern sensibility, her big-sisterly support of fellow artists and writers, and her genuine love for children's books. Not long after that she attended the 2005 SCBWI Winter Conference in NY and sketched - prolifically - her entire experience from train ride to hotel room and back. Her sketches gave all of those unable to attend a glimpse of what it was like to be at the conference. But more importantly we all got to know Ruth a lot better and what a treat that has turned out to be for so many. It wasn't long after her return from that conference that Ellie McDoodle; Have Pen, Will Travel came to be.


KL - The exposure from your sketch book gave you a means to see Ellie published - but how did Ellie come to be? How was this doodling girl born?

Ruth -First, Karen, thank you for your very kind words.

In 2003 I wrote an essay, "Summertime Soldier," about family camping during my dad's National Guard camp. At my first SCBWI conference, some writers said it was a great start to a middle grade novel. But I was doing picturebooks, not novels -- novels were a total mystery to me -- so I shelved it. A few years later when other writers suggested I do a kid's book in my sketchy style, I started writing the new book using parts of the old essay.
It seemed natural to make it a person's sketchbook journey.

Ellie is me, at age 11. She went through a few physical makeovers -- she originally had longer, blonde hair, and no freckles. The publisher wanted me to make her look more interesting. It was important to me, though, that she not look pretty. I wanted her to wear geeky glasses. She isn't as insecure as I was, but she has a good dose of angst.

KL - The exposure you got from your now famous sketchbook from the 2005 SCBWI winter conference launched your career to a new level. Obviously you have sketched for years. Can you share what keeping a sketchbook has meant to you?

Ruth - I have a record of my grandson's birth. My grandmother's funeral. My kids' experiences in t-ball, softball, karate, soccer, school plays. Detailed books from Walt Disney World trips. My family's parties on Christmas, Easter, St. Patrick's Day, and family reunion campouts dating back 30 years. My own graduation. My college days, my honeymoon, and life with my kids, from birth to beyond high school graduation -- all because I keep sketchbooks.

Some of the Ellie pages came directly from my sketchbooks, from nature center visits and camp.
For me, keeping a sketchbook has organized my memories. It's helped me on my darkest days and in my happiest times. For a while I worried that my kids would feel deprived, since I don't have many photos, especially of the past 10 years. They said it's ok with them (thank goodness).

KL - You've achieved a new level of success with Ellie McDoodle out on shelves and another book on the way. What part of this has been surprisingly hard?

Ruth - Owning it. Recently I had dinner with a new friend who asked a lot of insightful and unusual questions. I didn't know it, but she's a creativity coach. When she said I deserve this success since I've worked so hard for it, I burst into tears, which surprised and embarrassed me. Obviously I have "issues" with success that need to be worked through.

I used to tell people that someday I would be rich and famous. But then I let life break me down. I made poor choices because I felt unloved and unlovable. For decades I was the kind of person who, at the store, deliberately chose a defective notebook because that was what I felt I deserved. Ten years ago I met some new friends online, opened my soul to them, and started to heal. I've bounced around to a few different groups but always with the same effect: Each time I've healed a little bit more. Eventually I'll be whole. ;)

KL - What part has been surprisingly enjoyable?

Ruth - The revisions process. Although it was grueling -- lots of work, some tight deadlines and difficult personal times -- it was also great fun. I loved knowing that the publisher and agent liked the book as it was, but that I could challenge myself to turn in work that was even better than expected. It became a game, how to improve my least favorite pages so that they might become favorites.

And the other part that's surprisingly enjoyable: Interacting with my editor, agent, and the staff at Bloomsbury. Back when I first sold the book, I didn't think I was going to be allowed to be myself. I thought publishing correspondence was necessarily formal and stiff. My agent says I wear my heart on my sleeve; I like that they don't punish me for it.

KL - Your background is in comics. How is this influencing your work now?

Ruth - I'm always thinking about camera angles, layout, design, contrast, and comic principles like squash and stretch, silhouettes for action, and what's the simplest way to convey a thought. Some pages I redrew many times to get the best view and the best action for the final art.

Ellie is 11 years old, and doesn't have a sophisticated drawing style. Realistically, you can't draw in detail if you're trying to capture what's going on around you, quickly. You can catch nuances but you can't get it all. I try to keep the art simple but aim to capture as much emotion with it as possible. It's a constant challenge.

For other works, where a more sophisticated art style is allowed, I have to push myself a lot harder. My work isn't perfect, but I try to make it the best I can possibly do.

KL - Is there one important thing you have learned that you could share with all the aspiring authors and illustrators out there?

Ruth - Don't get discouraged. Or, if you do get discouraged, like I was at the conference in 2005, keep in mind that if you've been working hard and producing your best work, the turning point could come at any time. Don't give up before you have a chance to enjoy success. If it is your passion, then the path you're on is the right one. Don't let anyone try to lure you off the path that's right for you.

MOBA - don't look at this unless you have a good sense of humor - then only look at it if you don't have a full bladder.

One of my favorite places to visit - the Museum of Bad Art. Positively uplifting.

Lucy In the Field With Flowers -Oil on canvas by Unknown, 24" x 30"Acquired from trash in Boston

This single painting planted the seed that grew into MOBA. The motion, the chair, the sway of her breast, the subtle hues of the sky, the expression on her face -- every detail combines to create this transcendent and compelling portrait, every detail cries out "masterpiece."

Dear Sirs,!Bravissimo! Thank you! "Lucy" is clearly the key work in the collection. As with all great art, extended viewing reveals endless layers of mysteries: What is Norman Mailer's head doing on an innocent grandma's body, and are those crows or F-16's skimming the hills?
Wishing you good fortune in future endeavors,
I remain,
Richard Gleaves
Distinguished Patron, MOBA

ps - please spend some time reading the commentary on this site to get the fullest appreciation of the art in this inspiring collection - KL