Recently
I had the pleasure, albeit a somewhat nervous pleasure, of being interviewed by
my good friend Monica Lee of Smart Creative Women via Skype (nothing makes you more aware of age and weight than knowing you will be on camera). That interview
will go live very soon, but I thought I would share some thoughts that Monica and I never
really got to cover fully during the time we spoke, because time did, as time does in real life,
fly by.
I
have had the good fortune of being able to spend nearly one hundred percent of
my time these last forty years, making art in one form or another. I did take a
few years off when my two oldest sons were little, but when I think back on
that time, I was always dong something creative (and most of it was donated for
fundraising events of one kind or another), just not all of it professionally. Aside from that short break, it
has pretty much been non-stop all the time.
But,
nonstop at what? Well, nonstop at
art. Art in many forms and in many materials for many venues. In
short: I've been a painter, puppeteer, doll maker, soft sculpture
artist/craftsperson, editorial illustrator, children's book author and illustrator,
fabric designer, licensed artist, and now I am also painting again. I’ve also
spent a lot of time decorating houses, but, to be very honest, that makes me
zero money. It only costs me money. But that's OK. It satisfies my soul. It's a medium I have to work in almost as
much as my paints. “House--just another art material and artistic discipline."
But back to business. If I look back over all my years as an
artist, I see one thing: my aesthetic sensibility has not changed much in forty
years. I am still drawn to the same things I was drawn to in
college--characters, details, expressive gestures, and emotions. I love color
and texture and patterns. I especially like narratives. Everything I do tends
to tell a story, and the story is in the details, textures and characters.
I have written about this before and in much more detail. You can read the first accout I wrote years ago for my very first web site. It really rambles and tells the story of the earliest years. Here is the place to read that. I created an abbreviated version for my current web site. You can ready that one here.
I’m sharing some recent art here
at Cats and Jammers Studio to coordinate with the interview. I am also sharing
some of the house and other new art on my other blog, Design Rocket.
What message would I love to give other
artists? This: don’t be afraid to re-invent yourself and try new things. Life as an artist is a wild journey on a winding road. A few
years back, I posted a long post about moving in random directions in life,
seemingly as if by pure serendipity. Well, life is that but it is also by luck
and pluck, and maybe much less by design than we think. Please read that
post, Serendipity + Pluck = Life.
Much of the art here is from my 2011 Sketchbook Project, “Coffee and Cigarettes.” I
loved doing that book. I have done two others since. You can see the digital scans of my book here. And you can see the show opening containg paintngs based on the book here.
Participating in the Sketchbook Projects for the Art House Coop really feeds my artistic soul. My most recent book was titled “Strangers.” In doing that book I dedicated
it to my painting and drawing professor of my sophomore year of college, John
Patrick Murphy II. John was the head of the art department at Rockland
Community College for more than 30 years. On the very first day I met him, I shared
some paintings and he gave me advice that has stayed with me all these years: “Barbara,
draw out of your head.” Meaning, draw from the well within you that has your memories and
your impressions. And that is the way I have worked ever
since.
John very recently passed away. This post
is dedicated to him, because, really, meeting him and getting to know him was pure serendipity and it pointed me along the way on my own artistic journey.
This is so in tune with my pulp fiction covers and Fancy Nancy YA book jacket, that I HAVE to share a link sent to me by my friend Liz for "Vinatge Valentines WTF." And if you these are strange, wait until you see the rest of the fantastic collection.
Simms Tabak was one of very favorite illustrators, if not THE favorite. He very recently passed away and since I find that this blog seems more and more to be about losing artists who have touched me, it would be terribly remiss to not talk about Simms.
Although I got to know his books through reading them to my youngest son, Ben, I actually got to know his art when I first used one of his designs to wallpaper the room of my middle son, Mike. That was more than 22 years ago. Sadly, I cannot find a single image to post to show that lovely wallpaper. And it has been long papered over. It do remember that it was leaping kids, a boy and a girl, doing jumping jacks or something to that effect. If anyone has any left or knows where I can get some, PLEASE contact me!
I just discovered a wonderful video created based on his Old Lady WHo Swallowed a Fly book. It is narrated and the music sung by Cindy Lauper. I think this may be the best video adaptation of a kids' book I have ever seen. It seems that I cannot embed it. But go to Youtube and watch. It is totally worth the time.
I think my very favrotie book was the Caldecott wining, Joseph Had a Little Overcoat.
I think that this book is everything one can want in a children's book. It is has a page turning quality, with a lovely repetitive rhythm. It is fun. It is also beautifully illustrated, without being tight and self important and self congratulatory, not to mention pretentious, which is what so many kids' book art is. Not this book. The art has a wonderful mock-primitive feel that is actually extremely sophisticated and extraordinarily satisfying, from an artist's point of view. Any artist, even in the absence of liking kids' books, would love and appreciate this artwork. The art stands completely on its own. To be honest, a lot of art for kids' books may hold up in the children's book
All photos courtesy of Cakewrecks
Here is the problem when you like to blog and when you also like to read the blogs of others: it all takes time, and on any given day, I seem to have less and less of it. Truth be known, when it comes to choosing between entertaining myself reading what other people have written or attempting to wax poetic myself and share my thoughts with readers, I choose--you guessed it--entertaining myself! Surprise, surprise!
In the blog post before this one, I wrote about getting in my daily dose of pick-me-up at Awkward Family Photos. Love the site. Can't stay away. Can't stop laughing.
But my other, equally enjoyable place to visit and find a smile on my face and maybe even tears of laughter in my eyes is CAKE WRECKS. Cake Wrecks is exactly that--a blog devoted to the so-called professionally done cakes one can buy in a bakery, supermarket, or wherever, that are, in a word, wrecks. As defined by Jen Yates, the genius behind the site and the book that came out of the site:
WHAT IS A WRECK?
"A Cake Wreck is any cake that is unintentionally sad, silly, creepy, inappropriate - you name it. A Wreck is not necessarily a poorly-made cake; it's simply one I find funny, for any of a number of reasons. Anyone who has ever smeared frosting on a baked good has made a Wreck at one time or another, so I'm not here to vilify decorators: Cake Wrecks is just about finding the funny in unexpected, sugar-filled places."
All photos courtesy Awkward Family Photos
Addicted. Totally. And without remorse of any kind. It's my computer and I. It's not just that I love using it as a tool to create art. It's the web. The Internet is my worst vice and my greatest enjoyment. I am always on it. My husband has even said that someday he expects to come home find me stuck INSIDE the monitor, like some sort of Twilight Zone episode.
I can justify it to some extent, because I am not a TV watcher of any significance. I'd rather be on line, checking out everything from eBay to newspapers to blogs by other artists and writers then sitting in front of some mindless sitcom or self important drama. I've even discovered a whole cache of blogs that write about vintage stuff and collecting, which is what this very blog started out as about 5 years ago. There is no end to the kind of information I suddenly find myself interested in. Hey--wanna know more about scroll saws? Ask me!
Lately, however, my addiction to the net has to do with something more essential: getting my daily dose of humor. And my top choice of enjoyment? AWKWARD FAMILY PHOTOS.
It has been my pleasure to get to know writer and illustrator Elizabeth O. Dulemba, or "e" as she is known to many of us on several listservs and chat boards where we all obsess about children's books. Her web site and her blog are chock full of information, book talk, news, activities, coloring pages, and any given number of other useful items. Please make sure to check them out.
Elizabeth has a new book out and I was thrilled to have her visit my blog so I could get answers to a few questions that I had, not the least of which is where she gets all of her enormous energy. Her latest project is called “Paco and the Giant Chile Plant” written by Keith Polette. This is a retelling and humorous variation on the traditional Jack and the Beanstalk tale, only this one is set in the Southwest. It is told mostly in English with a sprinkling of Spanish, but will be out in Spanish only and English only versions come the fall.
The art looks spectacular and is created using very evocative images of the desert and wonderful southwestern hues.
SO, enough of me. On to Elizabeth!
1) I am fascinated by your connection to storytelling in Tennessee. How did you come to be involved, and does it make you want to do some story telling of your own? Writing more? In the vernacular of the country story tellers? I love the storytelling tradition.
It's an odd story (and a bit of a winding one - sorry), but it will make you believe in fate.
Even though I grew up in the Atlanta suburbs, I've always been fascinated by all things Appalachian. I went to summer camp on Lookout Mountain (Mentone, Alabama) and tried to get to the mountains every chance I could after that. (I took up rock-climbing and hang-gliding and later moved to Chattanooga.)
Somewhere in there I learned about the National Association of Storytelling and their annual Festival in Jonesborough, Tennessee ( http://www.storytellingcenter.com/festival/festival.htm ). For my Graphic Design exit show in college, I did a line of posters for the event. And here's where it gets really weird - during my research, I found a book in my own collection dedicated to me by my Grandparents in 1973 - "The Jack Tales" gathered by story-catcher, Richard Chase.
It was at the festival that I first saw Ray Hicks tell the Jack Tales. I used to putter up to Tennessee in my '78 Land Cruiser, pay $6 to camp behind a B&B (and use their shower), and spend the weekend listening to
stories. I fell in love with stories and storytelling, but for some reason, Jack Tales especially seemed to seek me out.
What makes Jack Tales so extraordinary is their evolution. Long ago, Scottish, Irish, and English (Cornwall especially) immigrants moved to the Appalachian mountains, many to continue the mining they did in their home countries. But the region was so remote, a culture continued and developed almost entirely independent from outside influences. (Ray Hicks still spoke in an Elizabethan dialect that was so thick it was
difficult to understand.) Survival was off the land, music from the heart, and stories were adapted from the English "Jack" (of "Jack and the Beanstalk" fame) but became their own unique creations in the Appalachian mountains.
I've dabbled with oral storytelling since then (fully acknowledging that I am nowhere near as talented as some), but really found my storytelling voice through writing. Even my novels (one with my agent, one still in progress) take place in the southern Appalachians. It seems to be ingrained in me and I have no idea why.
2) I would love to her more about creating the art and design for advertising, but I also was to hear about the epiphany regarding the move to focus on children's books.
There was never an epiphany - I've wanted to create picture books as long as I can remember. No lie. I used to devour "The Golden Book of Elves and Fairies" illustrated by Garth Williams. His ability to transport me with his art enchanted me and I wanted to be able to do the same thing with my own art. I've always had a vivid imagination, and stories seeped out of me from a very early age, first through drawings and then through words.
However, I was a young, single girl and needed to keep a roof over my head. Graphic Design provided steady income. (I also had some growing up to do.) And while those skills help with my marketing efforts now (and I'm very glad I have them), I was always awaiting the opportunity to dedicate my time to picture books. When I married, my wonderful husband understood my dream and allowed me the opportunity to chase it.
3) Tell us about how you work. Mostly digital or mostly conventional, or both? I find it hard not to go back and "adjust" real paintings, myself, so now I also work that way.
I still sketch by hand, can't seem to get away from that. But all my coloring and rendering is done digitally. It took years of experimenting to figure out my medium - little did I know I had to wait for it to be invented! But it was like breathing for the first time when I discovered how I like to work best.
4) You seem to loaded with energy!! Where does it come from? And so me a favor: paint the picture of your average, busy day, so I can imagine you in action!
I call this a manic-depressive business because it is filled with such unbelievable highs and devastating lows. The lows keep me up at night, but the highs make me jump out of bed each morning anxious to get going. I have so many ideas I want to get out of me and a measly 24 hours just isn't enough to do it all. I'd resent sleep except I get so many ideas from my dreams. I definitely resent having to shower and get dressed every day - how redundant and what a waste of time!!
I'm not sure it's energy so much as obsession. But I'm usually in front of my computer by 7:30 and I work until something makes me stop. (Dogs need food, if I don't exercise I'll melt, dinner with hubbie, grocery store, Spanish lessons, etc.) I stay unbelievably busy. It's a bit nuts, I admit it.
5) This is my favorite question to answer, and it is also my favorite question to ask: describe your dream project to me--one that you would like to write and/or illustrate.
Oh wow, that's tough. It floats in my head like a mist without sharp, defining edges although I think pieces of it come out in all my work. The idea of transporting the viewer/reader is very important to me. I love creating images of imagination, creatures or scenes that don't have to follow the laws of physics. (It's one reason I love creating friendly monsters - they have no rules.) It's part of why I enjoyed illustrating Paco so much. But ironically, the more I write, the more I see words achieving what I want as well. I think it would be a story in which an inferior-feeling protagonist becomes transported and changed through imagination or outside events - a situation where they become better and stronger, and so does the reader. How's that for vague?
6) SO--what's on the horizon for such a busy gal?
Lots of new projects and I wish I had time for more. First, I'm celebrating the release of Paco! (I'm really proud of this book.) I've been taking Spanish lessons for over a year now in anticipation of sharing it with English and Spanish speaking children. I've also illustrated a picture book for a NY Times Bestselling novelist and will be sending out final art soon. I've just signed on to illustrate the next two books in a parental aid picture book series (the first two come out this June). I'm finishing up some coloring book covers and I'm
busy writing my second novel (and waiting to hear news on the first). I'm also waiting to hear on two picture book dummies I have out (one is the winner of three honorable mentions!) and have written two more
picture book stories which I'm currently tweaking (one is bilingual and one is an adaptation of a Jack Tale). So, while this isn't the busiest I've been, it's certainly busy enough!
Wow, these were fun and intense questions! Thanks for letting me share!
:)
e
Thanks, e, for taking the time to give such thoughtful answers!
