THE BLOG
And a little child shall lead them.
Here is a detail from a watercolor that I just finished. It will be in a show at the Cottonwood Presbyterian Church in Salt Lake City, during November and December. The theme is Isaiah 11:6. This scripture has always intrigued me.I wondered what to place in the little girls arms so I asked one of my granddaughters. Her answer was quick, “a baby lion”. It was a perfect idea. I guess a little child lead me. I’m pleased with how this watercolor turned out.
A Package Full of Thanks
About a year ago I did an artist-in-residence at Greenville Elementary. We were creating art for the “Art in Transit” program. The art from the high schools and elementarys are displayed on and in a bus.
They wanted the art to tie into the curriculum they were studying. The other day I ended up in Logan and was able to catch the bus with the art work. It was so fun to see the students art printed and displayed in the bus.
Sometimes you get a lot of critiquing when you are doing children’s books. My favorite critiquing is done by the students I teach. Here are a few excerpts.
“Thank you for chosing my school for the art thing. I am very thankfull. My favoret thing to do is art so this was fun. From Kaeli
“Thank you for helping us to draw stuff. I really liked it. It was super duper fun.” From Jack
“Thank you so so so so much for teaching us how to do art. You’re AWSOME. Thank you Thank you Thank you Thank you Thank you Thank you.” From Lauren
“Thank-you for coming to my school (greenville). You are very good at art. You are the best art teacher ever. I hope you can come again soon.” From a student Adele
“Thank you for helping us drow and Paint. My favifort thing was dipping the fethers in the colerful water. Thank you for helping us draw the Native Amerians and Paniting them.” From Katelyn
“Thank you for helping us become better dawers. I miss you.” From Lauren
A lot of the cards had portraits of Native Americans and chuckwallas drawn. When students draw, they remember the lesson.
So a big thank you from the students at Greenville for putting a smile on my face.
A little bit of show news, “Old Glory” won the blue ribbon at the Utah State Fair in watercolor.
Handcrafted Scarfs, Hugs and “Emma Jo’s Song”
About 14 years ago, I heard a quiet voice with Southern tones answer the phone. It was Faye Gibbons from Alabama which was so very far away from Utah. I’m not sure what ties us to other people but I felt an instant connection with Faye. Maybe it was the spirit of her story that I had been illustrating, a picture book of family and music and overcoming insecurities. I had six spreads done from “Emma Jo’s Song”. It was right before Christmas and I received a certified letter that said the small publisher was canceling the book. The publisher gave me Faye’s phone number and told me to call and tell Faye.
At that time in publishing, the writer and the illustrator never talked to each other, one of those unspoken rules. Here I was talking to an author. I told Faye the publisher had cancelled the book and she was shocked. She was working with this publisher as a favor. Faye said for me to send her pictures of the art spreads and she would send it to her agent and see if the agent could find a home for the book.
“Emma Jo’s Song” found a home at Boyds Mills Press. The book was followed by “Full Steam Ahead” and “The Day the Picture Man Came”. I stayed in contact with Faye through emails and Christmas cards. I received a photo of her and her husband and their dog sitting on a wood-worn porch. I pinned it up on the wall of my studio under a picture of my husband and an illustration by Michael Hague. The picture on my wall became surrounded by photos from Africa and handprints of grandkids.
Yesterday there was a knock on my door. I ran down to answer it. The Gibbons’ were standing on our porch. I gave Faye and her husband a big hug. Though we had never met, they felt like old dear friends. They had made the long journey from Alabama to Utah. We chatted over Chicken Pot Pie and French Bread, corn on the cob and garden tomatoes. They entertained my family with tales of times past in the Georgia mountains. Faye gave me a hand crocheted scarf. When I illustrated “Full Steam Ahead”, Faye had sent me a photo of some of her relatives if I wanted to use it in the book. It worked in perfectly. Yesterday I gave her that illustration from the book.
I went to a get-together of Utah Authors and Illustrators Saturday and listened to Shannon Hale say that one of the great gifts of writing and illustrating is the relationships we form with other people. As I watched Faye and her husband drive off down the road, I agreed with Shannon. Here was someone who lives on the other side of the country, and a picture book story and illustrations brought us together.
www.newsouthbooks.com
Ten Things I learned while hiking the Inca Trail
1- It’s good to have a guide: Someone who has hiked the trail before. Someone who knows when to lead and when to bring up the rear. Someone who can rub a little Inka medicine in your hands and with a deep breath in, get rid of nausea. Someone who can tell you to start early because it will be a hard day.
2- You can plan on what to carry but that might change after you hit the trail: You can do research and try to figure out what to bring in your back pack but once you are on the trail at high altitude, everything is heavier. Do you plan for cold weather and if so how cold? How much water can you drink. Do you carry that big camera that takes the nice pictures. Do you carry your sketch book. Half way through the hike you may feel like sending it flying.
3- Do you use the hiking stick or do you get down and use your hands: Sometimes the trail is so steep that you can put your stick in your pack and use your hands to climb. Nobody else may be doing it but it might be the safest way, up and down.
4- Honor the Porters: You don’t carry the entire burden: There were porters on the trail. We would yell, “Porter coming” and get out of the way. They were carrying tents and pots and pans and food, back packs that towered over their heads. Old men and young boys who would steady up the trail past you when you could hardly move. Porters carrying big packs and running down the rocky stairs.
5- It’s nice to have something to share: One of the guides we had before we hit the trail said she had hiked the trail. She told me you need some coca leaves for energy and she had me buy a small green bag from a man with a face wrinkled by the sun. She also showed me how to use the leaves. You take three leaves put them together and rip off the stems. You roll them up and chew them three times and then just leave them in your cheek and about 5 minutes later you chew again and then keep it up. It’s suppose to give you energy. I tried it hiking up to dead woman’s pass. Hiking down the trail we met porters done with their job hiking back up the trail. One asked for coca leaves. I smiled and said, “Why yes I do.” I reached in and pulled out the leaves and handed him the whole bag. He was grateful. I also reached in my back pack and pulled out an orange and handed it over. I made a new friend on the trail.
6- It’s not whether you fall but where you hit: As the porters ran down rocky steps past us we asked our guide if they ever fall. He said, “No, Every morning the porters throw a rock and say a pray. I should have thrown a rock. Rocky steps mixed with misting rain equals slick trail. I was watching my step and I watched my feet go out from under me. Down I went in the soft dirt at the side of the rocks.
7- Take some time to listen to the frogs: We were hiking in a cloud with just enough sight to realize the trail dropped off forever on the left. We had our ponchos on because it was raining. On either side of the trail was a cacophony of frogs singing. It was magical. (Haven’t you always wanted to use the word cacophony in a sentence?)
8- In a pinch take your carry on luggage: If you didn’t bring what you need, use what you have. One of my friends didn’t bring a back pack big enough so his carry on with back straps, wheels and handle made the entire hike.
9- Sometimes it takes a little faith to get the right shot: The last day we woke up at 3:30 so the porters could pack up and make it down to the train. We were hiking to the Sun Gate which would be our first view of Machu Pichu. We arrived at the sun gate but clouds surrounded our view. I put down my back pack and reached in and pulled out my big camera. I had about time to adjust the lighting when the clouds lifted and there was Machu Pichu. I took some shots before the clouds closed in again.
10-Good friends can be the best thing to take on your journey and the best thing to bring home with you.
Getting Ready for Capitol Reef
Check the Utah Watercolor Web Site for information on the Competition and the workshop I will teach at the Cougar Ridge Ranch, Torrey, Utah. Come down and watch the watercolor artists in action June 10th through June 13th.
http://utahwatercolor.org
Paintings Traveling Down to the Sear Museum Gallery
“Wind Blown Sand” 22″x15″ original watercolor will be displayed along with “Navaho Sandstone” 22″x15″ at the Sears Museum Gallery for the Dixie Invitational Art Sale and Show. The opening will be February 13, 2015 at Dixie College, St. George, Utah. Last day of the Invitational will be March 29, 2015 You can check out their Facebook page and the other artists at https://www.facebook.com/SearsMuseumGallery