Aaron Becker's Blog, page 20

Last week, on a full day’s hike above the Alhambra, my...

Last week, on a full day’s hike above the Alhambra, my daughter taught me something. 

Growing up, my mother often teased as a way of showing affection. It’s what I knew; it was familiar, and when the time came for me to establish friendships, it was a tool I used. To me, my playful words never felt much like making fun of anyone. They were nothing more than an attempt at reaching out.

So we’re out on this hike and I called her a silly name, so inconsequential to me at the time that I can’t even remember it now. But this is what I do remember. She turned around, upset, and said she didn’t like what I had called her. I immediately apologized and told her I had just been joking. And then she went on:

"When you say things like that I don’t know that it’s a joke. I think it’s true."

Of course she does. Of course the words feel like they must be real. Even when we tease. Even when we’re trying to express love and don’t know exactly how. Her wisdom impressed the hell out of me; not just in how she was able to articulate her feelings, but how she used her awareness to wake her dad up.

This must be one of the many reasons we have children.

At our new home here in Granada, there is a nice little...

At our new home here in Granada, there is a nice little collection of books, including this one, “Dear Mili”, an old Grimm fairytale discovered in the 1980s and subsequently illustrated by Sendak. I’m embarrassed to say that I had not heard of this book before, nor seen it, but let me tell you - it is breathtaking, brave, and tender. What strikes me, perhaps, most deeply is how the intensity of both the story and illustrations (Sendak expands upon the story’s themes of death, war, and god with powerful allusions to the Holocaust) does not frighten my four year old daughter. In fact, at the story’s close, when the little girl dies alongside her mother, my own daughter seems to be ready to sink into a calm sleep as she cuddles in more than usual. We’re moved by the tale in a way that transcends normal bedtime fair. There’s something in the utter authenticity of Sendak’s drawings that make this tough material not only palatable but joyous and warm. No wonder that the man effected so many. Sadly, I imagine that this type of content would not get published today.

In the Land of StoriesThere are some places that breathe stories...

In the Land of Stories

There are some places that breathe stories more loudly than others. And of course, depending on who you are, when you were born, and where you were born, these places can be quite different. For me, at least, the fairytales of northern Europe have had the greatest impact on what I see when I close my eyes and begin to imagine a place where magic might be found. When we recently took a trip to Bavaria and Austria over the winter holidays, I was struck by just how viscerally the feeling of old stories seeped from the cobblestoned streets and moss-covered forests. 

But why? After all, it seems a bit arbitrary that rubbing shoulders with the folk traditions of Germany should feel so inspiring. My family’s not from there yet somehow these stories feel like my own.

The problem is that if you really start looking into the historical and cultural circumstances of how a couple of German brothers and another famous fellow from Denmark (to name a few) came to plant this legacy the whole thing sort of loses, well, its magic. I won’t ruin it for you here but let’s just say, at least in the case of the Grimm Brothers, these supposed folk retellings served more political purposes than purely folkloric ones (or in the case of their latest incarnations with Disney - economic ones!). 

For the time being, however, I prefer to turn a blind eye to the circumstances behind the inspiration. The plain truth of it is that I’d rather feel some wonder than have an answer.

Hope you can spend some time this holiday season curled up with...

Hope you can spend some time this holiday season curled up with a good book.

Whenever I get a note or letter from a fan, I’m always so...

Whenever I get a note or letter from a fan, I’m always so moved to know that my work has made a difference out there in the great wide world beyond my studio walls. But when I received this selection of photographs the other day via facebook, I literally had to do a double-take. These amazing shots came from Bridget Parmenter of Shrewsbury, MA. and while, yes, she’s a professional photographer, this mom blogger also knows how to send her kids off on a serious adventure. Her daughter and son wanted to dress up as the kids from Journey and Quest, so she made them a map and colored-pencil-filled bandolier as props for their day out. And they went to a castle.

She wins.

When you walk into the Random House warehouse in Westminster,...

When you walk into the Random House warehouse in Westminster, Maryland, you can’t help but think of the last scene in Raiders of the Lost Ark, when the prized archaeological find is carted away into anonymity amongst endless stacks of crates and boxes. Luckily, that wasn’t the case with the 5400 copies of Journey I signed for Barnes and Noble for their Black Friday event that day. Starting this week, you can find signed copies of Journey, along with 99 other amazing books at their stores nationwide. To be asked to participate was quite an honor, but now that I see the list of other authors and books, it’s downright humbling. Nothing has made me understand so clearly how much this book I’ve made has landed. I am one fortunate soul. Thank you all.

http://www.barnesandnoble.com/u/black-friday-weekend-signed-editions/379004363

Return to the CavesOur daughter, now in her second week of...

Return to the Caves

Our daughter, now in her second week of school, decided this morning that she wasn’t having it. It was of the “my stomach hurts” variety that to me seemed fair enough – the kid has been thrown into a chaotic classroom full of Spanish speakers and she’s been handling it all like a champ. To have one day where she just want to stay home seemed like a good thing.

So I put down my brushes and we went off on a field trip - to the Cuevas de Nerja – the Nerja Caves which inspired me early on during our time here in Spain. I had been planning on gathering some reference at some point for the sequence in Return that takes place in an ocean cave, so I figured today would be a good day.

Usually when I work on my books I start at the beginning and move my way through the final paintings one image at a time. It helps me stay focused on the flow of the story as I work through the time consuming paintings. I was about to start work on a section in the book that takes place at a castle at night, but then I realized “Wait a minute! We’re about to move to Granada in January – into an apartment with views of the Alhambra (a fancy Moorish castle – that they light up at night!). Why not work on the cave sequence now while we’re so close to these terrific caves!” My daughter and I reviewed my sketches from the book and studied what sort of rock formations would be good to study. Once in the caves, I handed her my iphone camera while I went around with my Canon. We had the run of the place!

Afterwards, we got some paella down at a nearby beach. And then found some requisite playgrounds. All in a days work, people.

Making the LeapWe’ve all dreamt of packing it up and moving off...

Making the Leap

We’ve all dreamt of packing it up and moving off to some exotic locale. When the kids arrive, it gets harder to hold on to these notions. Unless, that is, you happen to have just moved to the East coast from California and the prospects of living through another winter rekindles the fire of living abroad. We’re about a month and a half into our year in Spain now and I can safely say we have landed.

My Spanish is evolving, albeit slowly. Our daughter is now in school here. We have a car (so much for our dreams of walking anywhere we needed to go). And I’ve just finished work on my ninth painting for RETURN – the cover, no less! I’ve been giving myself the freedom to take as long as I want to work on each piece – I figured we worked pretty hard to make this trip happen so there’s no point in rushing through my work here. Half the time, I’ll finish a painting only to realize it’s time to start over - after three or four days of inking and painting. It is true what they say about making mistakes – it’s the only way to learn.

 And that goes for just about everything since we arrived here in early October. We hadn’t realized that the home we rented was at the top of a very tall hill and that we’d spend twenty minutes walking straight up to get home from any excursion into town (thus the car). We hadn’t known that children here from age 3 (our daughter is 4) are gone all day at school from 9-5 and that random playground encounters with other parents weren’t going to happen unless we got her into the school system here (thus our daughter’s enrollment). And most importantly, I hadn’t realized the extent to which not knowing any Spanish would be such an impediment to finding my ground here (thus my Spanish lessons).

 So thing have evolved. And like my paintings, they continue to. One can hope, anyway.  ;)

QUEST has landed in the semi-final round for the goodreads...

QUEST has landed in the semi-final round for the goodreads CHOICE AWARDS! If you care to, you can vote (once per round) here:

https://www.goodreads.com/choiceawards/best-picture-books-2014

Thank you all!

From my post today at picturebookmonth.com:Why Picture Books...

From my post today at picturebookmonth.com:

Why Picture Books Are Important

The picture book physically connects a child to their world through story. It provides an elemental platform in which storytelling can find its way into the newest members of our planet and provide a moral compass, or at the very least a subtle whisper: “You are not alone. You matter.” When we share a book with a child, an exchange is taking place: a passing-down of wisdom, adventure, joy, and even love. The pictures take on a special significance here. They become the vehicle of communication – the path upon which a young child can walk on, or better yet, to meander through, as they discover which way they want to go. As the world changes, we must ask ourselves what we’re losing in this transition from books to glowing entertainment devices. The fear here, I think, is that without the quieter paths of a shared book, we might all end up lazily building houses made of straw, or worse yet, turn into the big bad wolf himself, searching for the next best thing to eat up.

The picture book is a physical object that demands our engagement and attention. It does this without beeps or whistles or touch screens or promises of something faster, better, and more efficient. It tells us we can take our time. The pictures, within their bound pages, allow children to formulate their own stories; to find their own way. But the picture book also suggests something greater – that the world is a place we might have an actual connection to. In the arms of a parent, a child hears and touches and feels that connection through the simple gift of story. All they have to do – all WE have to do – is slow down and listen. I’ve yet to find an “app” that does this very well.