Hello

Due to family issues, this blog has been on hiatus. I am pleased to return with interesting interviews and some catch up posts here and on my general personal blog. A new post appears July 12th. Thanks for your patience.

ART- The Artists of FAIRY TALES EXHIBIT

FAIRY TALES

Illustrations by the Children's Book Illustrators Group 
On view in the Youth Wing at 

Brooklyn Central Library

10 Eastern Parkway, Brooklyn  tel: 718.230.2100

June 11 - September 25, 2015 

exhibiting members:

Angelique Anderson, Lisa Cinelli, Deborah Cuneo, Maria Madonna Davidoff, Diana Ting Delosh, Nancy Doniger, Laura Goetz,  Amalia Hoffman, Melissa Iwai, Yuko Katakawa, Kitty Leech,  Marie McCann, Virginia Law Manning, Jennifer Merz, Donna Miskend, Christine Mix, Annie Raulerson, Roberta Rivera, Karen Romagna, Vicky Rubin, Wallace West

guest speaker: Michael Patrick Hearn
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ALL ARTWORK COPYRIGHT INDIVIDUAL ARTISTS AND MAY NOT BE REPRODUCED WITHOUT PERMISSION

Ugly Duckling, Yuko Katakawa

DM: Why did  you choose this fairy tale to illustrate?

I like both stories: The Blue Bird and The Ugly Duckling were telling us, “ Be true to yourself, Look no further, an answer is right there with you.”    -Yuko Katakawa

The tale of Snow White is gruesome but sweet, heartbreaking but hopeful. And who hasn't felt like a wicked stepmother is out to get him or her? It's cathartic. I wanted to capture that sorrowful moment where Snow White feels that all is lost, right before seven little saviors prove her wrong.- Wallace West 
I'm a devout animal lover and in reading through potential fairytales to illustrate, I found a story about animals that were "cast away" by their owners, because they were old. Since all my pets have always been shelter "castaways" themselves, I immediately connected with the story. - Deborah Cuneo

I chose the Balinese version of the Hansel & Gretel fairy tale because during one of my

Hansel and Gretel, Maria Madonna Davidoff

regular visits to Bali, I became fascinated and inspired when I discovered that there was a Balinese version of the Hansel and Gretel fairytale. - Maria Madonna Davidoff 

I chose to illustrate a tender love scene of Beauty embracing the fallen beast, because her compassion for birds and animals also resonates within my heart. - Laura Goetz
I decided to do The Spider’s Thread because it was one of my favorite stories to translate when I was a student of Japanese in college.  It was the first story I ever translated and it stuck with me.  - Melissa Iwai 
I have loved this fairy tale since I was a child. The animals who, being too old to be useful to their owners anymore, leave home in search of peace and happiness as musicians in Bremen. - Jennifer Merz

 DM: Did you have a favorite fairy tale as a child? 

The Princess and the Goblin. Christine Mix

The Princess and the Goblin, by George McDonald was one of my favorite fairy tales growing up. As a young girl, I read the story over and over, captured by it's magic. -Christine Mix

I'm partial to anything with a little gore and a lot of outsmarting of adversaries. Hansel and Gretel was always my favorite (an affinity made stronger when Joan Collins played both the witch and the stepmother in Shelley Duvall's Faerie Tale Theatre).  - Wallace West

Cinderella was my favorite. I had two different Cinderella books. The most beautiful I saved well into my adult life. The illustrations were exquisite.  - Marie McCann

DM: Do you still read fairy tales? 

Yes, I like the re-imagined or fractured fairy tales based on the original stories. I’ve also written a few that I’m hoping will find a publishing home.  
- Donna Miskend
Absolutely and I collect fairytales from different countries.- Maria Madonna Davidoff
Yes. I recently was reading some of Hans Christian Anderson’s tales and fell in love with the story of the The Beetle Who Went On His Travels — another extremely rude character, a dung beetle! He has many adventures, thinks everyone else is disrespectful, when in fact he’s very self-centered. The end of the story made me laugh out loud! - Marie McCann
I may not always read them but I am perpetually referencing their archetypes.- Wallace West

Thumbelina, Donna Miskend

DM: Tell me about your illustration process. 

It depends on the medium, but I make rough sketches to choose a composition. I also take thousands of photos of nature and animals for reference. I might make a color story to keep me on target for consistency and flow, especially If I’m working on a full dummy.  If I need to adjust the size I'll scan my drawings into Photoshop for the layout. I work traditionally in watercolor: redrawing on paper, laying on a foundation color like burnt sienna to enhance the colors layered over it, a process called glazing. This technique adds depth to the colors.  - Donna Miskend

I usually create 3D environments but have decided to experiment with 2D imagery.- Angelique Anderson

I first do a lot of preliminary sketches and think about the color I will use. Sometimes I make a "mood board" of the color swatches and inspirational images. I make thumbnail sketches of my composition, then blow them up and refine and do color studies in Photoshop. Then I paint pieces of my illustration in ink and paint and scan those in and then assemble in Photoshop. For more on my process:

 http://www.melissaiwai.com/blog/2015/5/20/fairytales-exhibit-pieces-pied-piper-and-the-spiders-thread 

 - Melissa Iwai 

I read the text with an open mind, jot down character attributes and begin sketches based on those notes. I do a very rough sketch of the page layout and fine tune bit by bit with gestures and expression. I am bananas for texture and patterns so am always on the lookout for textiles, carvings, tile and woodwork that I can inject into my work.- Wallace West

I start my illustrations as rough  pencil sketches.  Then I draw a few sketches for the same image, developing character and composition.  Once I get a strong drawing,  I scan it, ink it and paint it with watercolor. - Christine Mix

DM: What else would you like people to know about you or your work? 

I think of my work as a reflection of my experiences living and producing art in Asia, Europe, and the United States. My hope is to expose children to a global, multi-cultural view of life through my illustrations and my books. - Maria Madonna Davidoff

I am also passionate about Fashion Illustration. I draw in a completely different style, but I enjoy to explore different subjects and medium. - Yuko Katakawa

I am developing children’s book apps and virtual environments for mobile devices coming soon to an iPad near you. - Angelique Anderson

Look for me Sundays this summer at the Morgan Library and Museum where I will be reading to kids from Alice 150 Years in Wonderland during their celebration exhibit of this classic tale. Days/time will be posted on my blog: www.donnamiskend.blogspot.com        - Donna Miskend

LINKS TO ARTISTS' WEB SITES

Angelique Anderson     Deborah Cuneo    

Maria Madonna Davidoff     Laura Goetz   

 Melissa Iwai     Yuko Katakawa    Marie McCann
Jennifer Merz    Donna Miskend 

  Christine Mix    Wallace West 

*******************

 Brooklyn Central Library 

HOURS mon-thurs 9am-9pm Fri-Sat 9am-6pm Sun 1pm-5pm

event: Saturday, September 19 at 2pm: The Magic of Fairy Tales, a conversation with Michael Patrick Hearn, children's literary historian and curator, Donna Miskend

Free and open to the public

Thank you to the Brooklyn Public Library for hosting us. And a special thank you to Barbara Wing, Mgr. of Exhibitions! 

This exhibit is underwritten by the Brooklyn Public Library 

UPDATE re guests June 2015

MASTER STORYTELLERS EXHIBIT has been extended through June 27, 2015.
read the interview with the artists here on this blog click HERE.

Michael Patrick Hearn, guest speaker for the show is scheduled to speak at the Brooklyn Central Library for the show I curated on Fairy Tales, Sept. 19. Fairy Tales, a CBIG group show will be on view June 11- Sept. 25, 2015 in the Youth Wing.

Elizabeth Sayles, children's book author/illustrator co-curated an exhibit that included her father's artwork for the WWII Ghost Army. The exhibit The Ghost Army of WWII, will be on view at Salmagundi Club in June click here and read my interview with Liz on this blog here.

ART - Artists from the Master Storytellers Exhbit

MASTER STORYTELLERS

illustrations inspired by Hans Christian Andersen, the Brothers Grimm, Kenneth Graham, Shakespeare and more master storytellers. Curated by Donna Miskend.

On view at 

Poe Park Visitor Center

2540 Grand Concourse, Bronx 

through May 30, 2015 EXTENDED THROUGH JUNE 27, 2015

CLICK here for a schedule of events or call the gallery 718. 365.5516

Yuko Katakawa 2015, Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs

DM: What story did you illustrate and why did  you choose it?

Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs. I thought it might be fun to show this popular story in a different cultural context (Japanese).                         - Yuko Katakawa

Humpty Dumpty. I grew up with Mother Goose rhymes and this one was fun to add a twist to. Humpty is an egg who had a great fall, so he should be covered in yolk!     - Clare Pernice

I chose Red Riding Hood because there is just so much drama and tension happening throughout the story. As a child reading this story, it's impossible to forget the moment when you realize this little girl in red is about to be eaten by a wolf. The color red is also so intense and iconic (Good marketing strategy on whoever chose the colors) that it just becomes extremely memorable.    - Hyo Taek Kim

The story I did my illustration for is The Nose by Nikolai Gogol, because it's such a strange, memorable, and inspiring story. It's sad, but it's so funny, too. For this, I was thinking back to graphic artists who did satire, such as England's William Hogarth, who lived in the 18th century, and New York's Thomas Nast, who lived in the early 20th century. The story of the nose pokes fun at corrupt bureaucrats and shows great sympathy for the poor.Those artists did the same thing. Artists and writers have been doing that throughout history, and continue to.  - Vicky Rubin

Sonnet 147, Dave Kopka 2015

I chose The Dead Wife from The Yellow Book by Andrew Lang. Despite the clearly morbid title, I really enjoyed that it was about a man and woman who worked together and existed as irreplaceable partners for each other that they could each rely on. I always felt that small stories such as the ones from Lang's fairytale books had a hint of something quietly magical about them, where strange things happened in a world not unlike our own. The Dead Wife had something poignantly sad that reminded me of a Greek tragedy, and it was this simplicity that I wanted to convey.  - Candace Lee

I illustrated The Reluctant Dragon, By Kenneth Grahame. In the story the little boy was able to communicate and understand the dragon. I chose this because I used my imagination to create my own pictures.  - Robin Meeks

The Dark Lady Sonnet 147 by Shakespeare. I felt that this particular sonnet of the series would present an interesting and engaging challenge if I were to reinterpret the words. The man who is writing the sonnet is no longer the victim of this woman's taunting allure, but rather the victim of his own poorly-chosen actions. - Dave Kopka

DM: Did you read the story as a child, in school or as an adult? 

Hyo Taek Kim 2015, Brazilian Red Riding Hood

As a child growing up in Brazil, then as an adult here in the states. In fact, I always thought it was a Brazilian story up until a few years ago, but I guess not.
- Hyo Taek Kim

I read (or was read to) the story as a child. I remember being puzzled by the tale of not so friendly animals, with their absurd designs and schemes, as they are trying to arrange Thumbelina's future for her. - Delphine Hennault

I read Jack and the Beanstalk as a child, over and over again - the giant's world always fascinated me.  - Candace Lee

I actually hadn't heard of either story until my second year in college. There was a History of Illustration course that had exposed me to a good number of fantastic old school illustrators. With that came some of the stories that they had illustrated for, and that's how I happened across Wind in the Willows. The Shakespeare sonnet was apart of another assignment, but the imagery for both stories became sharp enough for me to want to try and make my own pictures for them. - Dave Kopka

DM: Who are the artists that influence your work?

Donna Miskend 2015
How The Leopard Got Its Spots

There are many, but Matisse is one of the most influential. His work is about line, pattern and most of all color. I haven't done collage in many years, but after seeing Matisse's cut paper collage show at MOMA I was inspired to return to it. This series is simpler with a more graphic quality to it versus my earlier collages which were layered with symbolism.  - Donna Miskend

Growing up in France I was most influenced by caricaturists like Honore Daumier, and comic book artists like Claire Bretecher or Herge (the author of Tintin). - Delphine Hennault

I have been influenced by the artwork of Romare Bearden, Jacob Lawrence, Faith Ringgold, Ezra Jack Keats, and Eric Carle, among many others.

- Nancy Doniger

There are so many artists I find inspirational, but to name some: Arthur Rackham, Harry Clarke, Kay Nielson, Amy Reeder, Winsor McCay, Greg Manchess, and Diane & Leo Dillon. Though a few approaches are similar to each other in appearance, in all the work the differences are very noticeable and I find each artist's work moving for its particular reasons. - Dave Kopka

I currently am enamored with Emily Carroll's style of work: she can convey genuinely haunting tales from her comics, and they all seem to have this rich history she creates with her words. Also, in the more traditional vein, Stuart Immonen is an amazing Marvel artist whose characters are so expressive and well-rendered that I hope to absorb some of that in my own work.   - Candace Lee

DM: What else would you like people to know about you or your work? 

Nancy Doniger 2015, The Peacock and the Crane

Sometimes I work with pieces of cut paper, but in this case I chose to work digitally so that I could focus of the relationship of the birds, tweaking the expressions and positions to make their relationship it clear.  I was able to create and change shapes and positions easily while still having 'cut out' type shapes. Next I plan to make a version of the image in paper collage, and also one as an etching with mono print.  

 - Nancy Doniger  www.donigerillustration.com

I make prints, pillows and other things on my spare time, they can be found at www.society6.com/hyos  . . . and my website is hyotk.com  - Hyo Taek Kim

The first book I illustrated, Write Out of the Oven! by Josephine Waltzis a collection of letters and recipes from more than 50 well-known and award-winning children's authors.   I also have one non-fiction short true story, Standing Up, that has been published, in Chicken Soup for the Child's Soul, Character-Building Stories to Read with Kids Ages 5-8, May 2007.  When I not illustrating or writing, I am a teaching artist with the Vermont Arts Council and the New England Foundation of the Arts.  
Visit www.christinemixart.com    - Christine Mix

My first book, Circus Girl was released recently in 2014. It is a story of make-believe and childhood dress up. Currently I'm working on a companion book, Adventure Boy. My second book of fractured rhymes in the same style as Humpty Dumpty is The Real Mother Goose and will be published soon. - Clare Pernice

I have been working on a rhyming picture book written by my uncle, Steve Kopka, a writer currently working on his own YA series (http://www.cometjack.com). I am also involved in private commissions ranging from poster art to portrait paintings, but my main focus has been on building up my portfolio.  There are many projects I am excited about enveloping myself in and even more I am itching to start. - Dave Kopka

The next show I am curating, Fairytales, will be at the Brooklyn Public Library and run throughout the summer. News will be on my blog along with more exhibit and illustration info. In addition to writing and illustrating, I am also a teaching artist on the rosters of Arts Westchester and recently accepted to Lifetime Arts. I work with children, adults and seniors through these programs and in independent workshops. Thank you to all the artists who participated in Master Storytellers, and sharing their thoughts about their work here. Join several of the artists from the show for an artist panel on April 11 at noon, followed by a conversation with Michael Patrick Hearn, children's literary historian about the stories illustrated in the exhibit and our opening reception. 
- Donna Miskend, curator

ART - AUTHOR: Clare Pernice

CLARE PERNICE is a children's Book author/illustrator and we share a passion for children's books. Clare's book, Circus Girl (published by Simply Read Books) just out this year is a must have for little one's who dream big.

DM: What made you choose to pursue children's books?

CP: My childhood memories and reading to my children have inspired me to create picture books. I love books with unique characters and expressive words. I collect picture books of every shape, size and genre. 

DM: What were your favorite books growing up?

CP: There are three that come to mind. Firstly, Babar, it was my father’s tattered copy from his childhood which he read it to me when I was very, very young. Many of the B&W spot illustrations inside were colored in by him when he was little and then more coloring was added by me, we both had an exuberant scribbly style. I loved this story of the little orphan elephant who was taken in by the rich, old lady. When she took him to be fitted for clothes it was so enchanting because he anthropomorphically transforms and he has all sorts of adventures thereafter.

The Necklace of Raindrops was a book that I discovered by myself at the library, I was about 7. I just loved the stories and especially the Necklace of Raindrops. I dreamed of having such a necklace. The illustrations were also intriguing. Alice in Wonderland is the classic that I’ve never grown tired of. Others worthy of a mention would be Wind in the Willows and Pooh Bear stories as well as Everything written by Enid Blyton.

DM: What was your inspiration for Circus Girl?

CP: Circus Girl was especially inspired by my daughter’s love of dressing up and performing. 

   
DM: Which comes first, the words or the images?

CP: I think that both come together. First the idea germinates, I write it down and begin doodling characters. Then I write some words and more images spring to mind, back and forth. It is definitely a partnership of words and pictures.

DM: What is your favorite medium?

CP: I love colored pencils and watercolor paints, pans, tubes and inks. My favorite brands are from Japan and Germany and England. 

DM: Do you use a computer?

CP: I do like my Macbook and I know I could do a lot more on it besides emailing, researching and exercising a couple of fingers but I haven’t found time yet to learn all the amazing design programs available. One day I’d like to but I derive too much pleasure from art materials!

DM: Did your work in film have any influence on your picture books?
CP: Yes, I think that working on a film from it’s original concept through research, production design, directing, editing and the final result have a parallel pace to making a picture book. My enjoyment and satisfaction comes from being involved in the book’s creation from start to finish. 

DM: What are you working on next?

CP: Currently I’m finishing up artwork for my Mother Goose book which will be published next year and I’m working on Adventure Boy, the companion book to Circus Girl.   

DM: What else would you like people to know about you or your work?
CP: Our dog Milo is famous in Weston, he is the mascot for my son Oliver's sports teams. My daughter Mia is musically gifted and is at a school for the arts. Circus Girl was published by Simply Read Books this year and it has been a wonderful experience to do book signings and read my book to children.  I am thrilled to have the opportunity to converse with Donna about being a picture book author and illustrator. Thank you for interviewing me. 

ABOUT CIRCUS GIRL:
When a little girl plays dress up in her leotard and socks she becomes Circus Girl star of the show. read more HERE.
You can learn more about Clare by visiting her web site at www.clarepernice.com

If you're in the Charleston, SC area she will be signing books at Blue Bicycle Books Dec. 6th.

Clare will be speaking on the artist panel Saturday, February 7th in an interview with the artists for the exhibit Dickens: A Celebration In Pictures. Both our work is included in a selection of work from the bicentennial celebration exhibit of Charles Dickens' classic books on view at the Poe Visitor Center February 3 through 21, 2015. Bring your kids and enjoy a Dickens Character Paper Puppet workshop with us too, see schedule for date info. For schedule information CLICK HERE. 

Theater - Robert Greer

Robert Greer is Artistic Director of the August Strindberg Repertory Theatre in New York. He and I met many moons ago at a NYC Ballet production. We were standing next to each other in the standing room only tickets section. Happily, today we sit! 

DM: When did you start directing? 

RG: I studied directing at Emerson College in Boston and began directing Equity casts while still in grad school at CUNY and Columbia, where I kept directing professional casts after finishing my Swedish studies in the early 90s. I’ve belonged to the Stage Directors and Choregraphers Society since 1998. 

DM: What is your approach to directing your actors? 

RG: I was taught that the first three rules of directing are: 

               choose the right play 

               choose the right cast 

               stay out of their way

        To which I would add one more between rules ii and iii - choose the right ground plan

DM: What drew you to Strindberg? 

RG: I bought a paperback collection of his one-act plays less than a week after graduating college and was so struck by his often brutal honesty that I read them all in one sitting. 

DM: What do you think people should know about Strindberg and his work? 

RG: Strindberg is simply the most important writer since Shakespeare and not merely for his plays. He would be still more famous as a novelist had he never written any drama, a fact that is not true of any of his more famous contemporaries.

DM: Strindberg’s work was written in the 19th century Sweden and takes place in that era as well. Your production of Playing with Fire was set in 1920s Martha’s Vineyard in an affluent African American community and played with an all African-American cast. Talk about why you decided to go in that direction. 

RG: The class structure of XIX-century Sweden is even more remote to Americans than the British, to which they’ve had some exposure by way of the BBC’s excellent programming. A direct parallel in American society is the division between the races. I try to make one adjustment, however major, to a script and allow every other choice follow as a consequence of that one change.

DM: Are you hoping to engage a new audience of theater goers by having some Strindberg productions set in more contemporary times and using casts that reflect the diversity of cultures here in New York? 

RG: Absolutely! There is no reason to set productions of his plays in a foreign land – Sweden – nor necessarily in the time at which they were written. When they were originally performed the action took place in the present. That doesn’t mean they have to be played in the New York of 2014, rather that thought must be given to the when and where. 

DM: I’d like to touch on another interest of yours. How does ballet figure into your life?

RG: Until the Strindberg Rep began taking all my waking hours, I wrote about New York City Ballet – and some other – on Wikipedia. I’d been keeping programs and my personal notations and decided to keep them in public instead of in private. Very few people write about ballet on Wikipedia and City Ballet has an enormous repertory, so there was a lot to do. 

Donna Miskend

DM: You used the Pink Pig Ballet company in your production of Strindberg’s Casper’s Fat Tuesday. What was the thinking behind this and is this a direction you’d like to explore again? 

RG: Casper is a puppet play written to be performed by living actors. The connection between dance and mime and puppetry spans cultures and centuries. In European culture, the tie between ballet and mime is particularly tight, so using ballet dancers to play the puppets was a small step.

Donna Miskend 2014

DM: To Damascus will be performed in 3 parts, beginning with To Damascus Part One this season. Why are you telling it in 3 parts?
RG: To Damascus is a trilogy which has not been performed complete in 99 years and never done without major cuts in English. Each part is a full-length play and deserves to be rehearsed and presented as such, not turned into a club-sandwich. 

DM: What is your next production? 

RG: Miss Julie, set in Louisiana in the year it was written, with a mixed-race cast. We will have ballet dancers again as the farmhands who drunkenly storm the mansion’s kitchen, something Strindberg wrote in the original manuscript and which has never been done. 

design, Donna Miskend 2014

DM: What else would you like audiences to know about your production? 

RG: With the sole exception of Miss Julie, it is our intent to perform the plays of Strindberg that have not been done – or done recently – in English. Some – Casper’s Fat Tuesday and Mr. Bengt’s Wife – have never before been translated.

DM: As Artistic Director of the company, what is your vision for the future for The August Strindberg Repertory Theatre? 

RG: Strindberg wrote sixty plays, almost all of which would be of interest to an American audience if brought into its context. We should choose the major works and those unjustly neglected first and see how far we get. 

Visit their web site for a schedule of performances at www.strindberg.org