On Top of Mt. Picture Book

I'm in the last stages of sending in final art for "My Wilderness". It was a long ascent. I was overly optimistic about my arrival. But the climb was steep to begin with, I knew this! Now I'm enjoying the view. A few more pre-production steps to take, and I'll be finished.

As anyone experiences, the descent of a big project can be tricky, too. With no new work, one can feel lost in the crevasses. With too much work waiting, one can still feel oxygen-deprived. The key may be to have a little of both. I need to feel lost for awhile but I also look forward to the next project in the wings. Always the fine balance on the mountain.

CHILDREN's BOOK WEEK...Something Old....

I'll share today about one of my favorite books from childhood, "Island of the Blue Dolphins", by Scott O'Dell. I know it was THE first young adult novel I ever read. I still remember sliding it off the shelf in my elementary school library, from the "Big Kids" chapter book section. It's an odd detail to recount, on selecting a book, all these years later. Perhaps that's a nod to the important place literature holds in my history, that looking for a book has always been as enjoyable as actually reading one.  

I  re-read "Island of the Blue Dolphins" a couple summers ago for the first time in 30-odd years.  The story line is constructed so animatedly, simply a soliloquy of its virtually soul character, Karana. The story, set on an island off late-19th century California, speaks of interior strengths we all possess but few called to use. Karana could do anything. She is a Katniss of her time. It read as fresh as it must have done the year it won the Newberry in 1961. I urge you to read it, even if only to compare YA novels of today.

I love this cover art by Evaline Ness, from the version I first checked out (I own this one, thanks to Alibris).  I see a gestural strength in Karana's portrait, her resigned but content expression, the graphic punctuation of the round abalone hair clasps against her jet black hair. "Island of the Blue Dolphins" has been re-issued many times since, but I think this classic cover is the best.  

Last August, on our way to Bend in central Oregon, my family and I stopped and picnicked in a beautiful state park at the foothills of Mt. Hood. The trees were already changing from the towering, dense, Douglas fir to the angular, airy, arid-loving pines close to the lakeside where we ate. Lucy, our then 14-year old daughter, poked around the water's edge. Later she showed me a selfie taken of her shadow, an image of wild, wind-whipped hair and sand and shell. I immediately thought of teenage Karana. She could have taken this selfie, too. Two girls, on the edge of adulthood, very separate eras and circumstances, but the same raw material. Literature reveals itself in our lives in many unexpected and wonderful ways. 

Something old...

Children's Book Week!

It's a big week for children's book lovers. Children's Book Week has been sponsored by the Children's Book Council for 95 years and I always look forward to marking this tradition. I personally feel entrenched in many aspects of children's books, in admiration, in their advocacy and in their creation! I hope, however you are involved in children's books, you'll find moments of joy involving children's books the next five days and always. I'll share a daily post of joy here this week to celebrate.

CBC's CBW poster of 1955, by beloved Garth Williams (1912-1966).

May Day

A slow spring emerges, not any less cherished.

Painted Lady

Painting the last steps to the top. It starts out a very civilized process, with clean blotters, clear water, a glass of white wine, mellow evening sunshine, jazz in the background. It soon deteriorates to back-to-back coffee cups, muddled papers, the glare of incandescence, irritating npr hosts...It'll get done, but not before some ochre and crimson gets shed.

In the beginning....

and during.

Model family

My poor family often gets called to model for me, especially when it comes to those tricky hand positions. One of my characters in the wilderness book also plays a flute and I drew it in one of the interior scenes. Just happened to have a flute in the closet (played long ago in high school), so I pressed it into service as well.  Afterwards, I played my flute for the cats. They didn't like it much. Maybe they were mad they didn't get to model.

Drawing from life, indeed!

 

SCBWI conference a sip of creative oxygen

I had a break from final book art work to attend a day session at our Iowa SCBWI spring conference this weekend.  As always, good to connect with fellow writers and illustrators, absorb new ideas and directions, and be reminded that my “Climbing Mt. Picture Book” metaphor doesn’t describe an isolated adventure. Others are there trudging along too, on their own trips with similar tales of success and setbacks to share. Although a crowded mountain is not a good thing on any Everest (see link and photo below!), there is contentment in knowing I am part of a collective who passionately try to create books that children will love.

Now, back to the climb. My creative oxygen is flowing and enthusiasm remains high, but I’m running low on mental energy! Excited to report though, I can see the summit ^ from where I am today.

This is the image I have of fellow climbers toiling up Mt Picture Book. Their backpacks are full of lap tops and manuscripts, portfolios and rejection letters! Some have published books and awards, too but that sometimes doesn’t make the climb much easier. I snagged this photo, taken by mountaineer 

Raif Dujmovits, from an article written by Dujmovits in The Guardian. It illuminates  the very real problem of too many climbers on Mt Everest. Kind of fascinating! 

http://www.theguardian.com/world/2012/may/30/everest-mountaineer-crowding-hobby-tragedy