Sherry Meidell's Blog, page 35

A Package Full of Thanks

Pein-Air painting Bountiful Main Street

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.

The Art in Transit 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.

Student art inside 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

Student art displayed in the bus

“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 cards

“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.

Blue Ribbon award winner “Old Glory” received 1st place in the watercolor division at the Utah State Fair.

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”

“Emma Jo’s Song” and the hand crafted scarf.

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.

“Pucketts singing and making all kinds of music”

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.

“We told the Pucketts, the Deals, and the Hamricks.”

“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.

pinned to my studio wall

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.

Alabama and Utah Meet

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.

Faye signed a couple of her books for me.

www.newsouthbooks.com

Ten Things I learned while hiking the Inca Trail

Our Guide

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.

Sketch from sketch book second night.

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.

Spiral staircase

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.

Porter on the trail.

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.

Selling Coco leaves

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.

Steep slick Inca Rocks

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.

Hiking in the clouds

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?)

Carry on luggage in a pinch.

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.

The first view of Machu Pichu emerging from the clouds

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.

Arrival at destination Machu Pichu

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” 15″x22″ Orginal Watercolor by Sherry Meidell

“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

Oh the Places you Go and the People you Meet.

“Emma Jo’s Song” by Faye Gibbons illustrated by Sherry Meidell

The first time I heard Faye Gibbons voice was when I read her words. They were typed on a 8 1/2��� by 11��� sheet of paper. It was the manuscript for ���Emma Jo���s Song���. Her words captured my imagination and I immediately saw pictures in my head which is what you want if you are going to illustrate a picture book. I loved her story and had great fun coming up with the illustrations.

There are a lot of unwritten rules in children���s book publishing. One of those rules is that writers and illustrators should not communicate, it might interfere with the illustrators creativity. But with a twist of fate, I called Faye Gibbons and heard her voice on the other end of the phone, a nice gentle southern voice. I felt an immediate connection and count her as one of my friends. I was lucky to illustrate two more picture books by Faye, ���Full Steam Ahead��� and ���The Day the Picture Man Came��� all three books were published by Boyds Mill Press.

I was very excited to hear that Faye had sold another manuscript to NewSouth Books ���Halley���. This book is a young adult novel. I couldn���t wait to read it. I was not disappointed. I was transported back to the Georgia mountains and the hard times of the depression. The story tells how one young woman rises above the the death of a father and the hard times that she finds herself in. It is a great read. It kept me captivated to the very end. If you would like to hear Faye Gibbons voice, I recommend you get the book and read it. You can get it at New South Books or Amazon.

Getting Ready for the SCBWI New York Conference Portfolio Display

Here is a link to a video I made http://youtu.be/FORuJwitMbE I’m getting my portfolio ready for the Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators New York Conference.

Illustration for “Ghost Train”

A Week of Fourth Graders, Paiutes and Chuckwallas

Edith Bowen at Utah State

I drove down into Cache Valley and even though my heater was cranked, the temperature in my car dropped. The cold seeped in around me. 11 degrees. First stop Edith Bowen Elementary on the Utah State Campus to visit three different classes, fourth and fifth grade, second grade and 1st grade talking about the life of a children’s book illustrator. But first I had to make my way into the school. I dragged my suitcase across the ice about half a block from the parking terrace to the school. The cold bit into my hands. Just keep walking and hurry. I made it to the school doors and read the sign. “For the students safety these doors are locked. Please enter through the north doors.” I thought I was going to freeze to death before I found the right door. I found the right doors and the right classes and the students were great. Day one down.

Evergreen Elementary

The rest of the week was at Greenville Elementary as Artist-In-Residence. The fourth graders learn about the five Utah Native American Tribes and the teachers wanted me to integrate that into my visit.

 

 

 

Watercolor Demonstration

I walked the students through a portrait of a Shoshone. We talked about the Southern Paiutes and listened to a bit of the Paiute language. The fourth grade art was amazing.

 

 

 

The Students at Work

The students concentrated and drew carefully. The room was absolutely quiet except for the sound of pencil to paper. The teachers were very supportive and the art specialist jumped in with some great help with logistics.

 

 

 

Great support from the art specialist and the Cache District Arts Coordinator

Here is a picture of the art specialist and the Cache District Arts Coordinator. They were great.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Amazing fourth grade portraits

I saw one of the students sitting in the back and holding his portrait so no one else could see it. He was looking like someone had just ordered him to eat the rest of his over cooked broccoli.

 

 

 

 

 

 

I went back to him and said, “That is a mighty fine portrait of an Indian.” He held up his feather that we were suppose to attach to the portrait. He had cut off the hole punch. I told him to bring it up front and we would punch another hole. I told him that is such a good portrait that he should give me a nice big grin. He stretched his lips thin but neither end curled up.

 

 

 

Chuckwallas

 

The next day we worked on drawing and watercoloring chuckwallas. He brought up his finished chuckwalla to show me. He held it out for my inspection and asked, “Does this look like a lizard?”

I said, “That does not look like a lizard. That looks like an amazing CHUCKWALLA!.” He gave me a genuine, full faced grin.

 

 

 

Using Japanese Dyes for Feathers

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

That is what these visits are for, sharing with students the joy that comes from creating art and letting them be the artist in charge of their own work. It was a great week.

(Thanks to Aurora Hughes Villa for many of the photos.)

It’s the Little Things

The Bountiful Davis Art Center Holiday Show

Is it “Hockey” or “Hake” Brush

The Utah Watercolor Society and Intermountain Society of Artist.

The Utah Watercolor Society combined with the Intermountain Society of Artist for their meetings to watch me do a watercolor demonstration applying the John Salminen Workshop to my children’s book illustrations. The crowd started to gather.

Good support from my Mom-in-law.

 

 

It was great to have my Mom-in-law there.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Putting on the apron

 

When I’m working on children’s book illustrations there seems to be inspiration I can use all around. Some of the techniques taught by John Salminen seemed perfect for the illustrations I’m working on now.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Displaying the watercolor from the John Salminen Workshop

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

There are a lot of things you can do to create texture with watercolors but they have to fit the mood and design of the illustrations. Spattering with a bit of miskit can create some great texture and great sound effects.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Masking the illustration with masking tape

I masked out the trees and ravens with some masking tape so I could put a nice wash in the sky.

 

 

 

 

 

Putting in the sky

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Sometimes you have to make your own brush

John Salminen taught us how to use a hockey brush to make a wash.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Photo by Maura Naughton

I told the audience that there was a bit of controversy on how to pronounce hockey brush or hake brush but that Salminen pronounced it “hockey brush” so I introduced them to my homemade “Hockey brush”.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

How to use the Hockey Brush

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I whisked the top of the wash lightly with the hockey brush. The audience was amazed with the technique.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The sky wash

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Sherry Meidell’s water color piantino from the John Salminen Workshop

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Taking the tape off

When the wash was dry I took the masking tape off the paper being careful to pull towards the edge of the paper.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The Atomizer

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

It was a great group of artists

Once the tape was off, I painted in the trees and then used an atomizer to put some atmosphere into the sky. The ladies in the front row got a bit of the atmosphere on there knees. Then like Martha Stewart I pulled the finished illustration out of the oven to show the audience. My illustrations will be better because of the workshop and instruction taught at the John Salminen Workshop.

The evening was great. It was a great group of artists and we had a very enjoyable night.

 

 

 

 

 

John Salminen’s Website

Utah Watercolor Society

Intermountain Society of Artists

Winsor Newton Masking Fluid