People, here it is: the day we Americans are supposed to feel independent, free, revolutionary, and red/blue/& white all over. Yes, Fourth of July. Where are you? I’m in Vermont, deeply appreciating the lack of fireworks. I don’t know…does that mean I’m unpatriotic? Call me a heretic…or just tired of fireworks. For the past week and a half, there have been fireworks in my NYC Dominican neighborhood, so let’s just say: I’m tired of bang bang POOF!!! in the sky. Don’t only call me a heretic, call me boring. But you know what? I don’t really care. I’d much rather look at my mother’s delphiniums in the dying light of a Vermont summer afternoon. One thing about living in the Concrete Jungle is that it makes you appreciate the countryside…at least, I do. After all, these are my roots, I tell ya, so I can’t help but feel like a little chink gets put back into place – like some big puzzle completed – when I come back here. What can I say but I LOVERMONT.
Anyway, the illustration: couple of things going on…the picture book I helped to instigate and then illustrated during (and after) my residency at Instituto Sacatar in Brazil in 2008 is now published, launched, and out on shelves…in Brazil! Yes, Editora SM has officially sent our (Rogério Andrade Barbosa and I) CONTOS DE ITAPARICA on it merry little way in the world of published picture books. The launch took place two weeks ago, in São Paulo. I was far way, up in the heat of NYC, but of course, I was there in spirit. Someday, I’ll get back to Brazil, hopefully sooner rather than later. In the meantime, I’m in touch via our book. I would post details of how to order this fun folktale book but I don’t know them yet. But soon I will, and once I do, I’ll post so that you can place your orders (gobs of them, I assume…) What a good time to learn Portuguese, don’t you think?
In other news, UTSHEPO MDE/TALL ENOUGH is just about to be published in Portuguese (Editora Peirópolis) and in Swedish (Trasten, an imprint of a small publishing house, Tranan.) This little book truly has a life of its own, equipped with passport and visas that will take it worldwide, it seems. I find it all wonderful, enlightening, and totally surprising. For any of you out there who are artists or illustrators or work in the solitude of your own little spaces, maybe you can relate to this feeling: when you make something purely for the act of making, and for pursuing a feeling or question or challenge and you have no other motivations attached, the work that you produce is something from your deepest little self, but also, removed and, really, is meant for the world. But you don’t really think about where it’s headed, because the important bit was that you made it. But then suddenly, it takes on a life of its own. This is how I feel about this little book. I feel like it’s some dear, distant cousin of mine who keeps writing me letters, telling me what she’s up to, where she’s headed, and what her future plans are. And I’m just kinda’ like: “Yeah, babe, go for it!” So, rock on, little uTshepo, you have my blessings.
Art: I saw the Picasso exhibition and the ‘American Woman’ show at the Met and I highly recommend them both to anyone living in the greater NYC area. I thought I was sick of Picasso. Nope. This show has works I’ve never seen before (what?!) and much to my annoyance, I had to admit that the