A Questpedition for a Literary Author/Illustrator-in-Residence

Quester on a questpedition.

How does one bottle the vast and varied experiences of an artist-in-residence? My mind keeps going back to the early autumn days on the shores of Martin Lake. Lichen-covered hill, spicy sweet fern, and jack pine breezes. Eagles and large-mouth bass! Aurora borealis and wolf howl in the early morning. Just a few things that will keep my spirit charged through the months ahead.

Looking high and low. Lichen beauties.

I began my U.P. questpedition at the end of July while I was in Marquette exhibiting my books at the Outback Art Fair. There I met Dr. Nancy Seminoff of the Literacy Legacy Fund Michigan (LLF of MI) www.literacylegacyfund.org. An educator and past dean at Northern Michigan University, Dr. Nancy and I discussed creative ways to promote literacy in Michigan. Since I had been artist-in-residence for both state and national parks in Michigan, we both decided to launch a new endeavor, an author/artist-in-residence in the Upper Peninsula. In fact, Dr. Nancy dubbed my stay, my A.I.R. as the Questpedition for Story, based on the title of my latest Holly Wild book and book that was donated to the libraries and kids of K.I. Sawyer.

The quester--hero--must find
the magic potion or cure, to
bring back to the people.

I would stay two weeks at Dr. Nancy's cottage outside of Marquette to create art and poetry for a new book project of mine on wolves. I would in trade for the stay present a program for children in K.I. Sawyer, speak with teachers at Northern Michigan University in Marquette, and fit in a book signing event at Falling Rocks Cafe & Bookstore in Munising. In addition to all of that, I will create a collaged, handmade book for LLF of MI to use as for fundraising at a later date. Whew! That's good, because I am BOOKED (heheh) right now, illustrating for a few clients.

K.I. Sawyer Community Center fun.

So with kayak, guitar, laptop, art supplies, and BOOKS in tow, the Big Blue Bear Track Bookmobile van and I made the trek--questpedition--north. Off to write, draw, and read. Silence. Solitude. Scenery. Yes, all that, but also a blend of meeting and talking with amazing kids, teens, tweens, librarians, counter help, musicians, food service people, teachers, bookstore owners, museum volunteers, and not just listening to, but truly hearing their stories, packing them away into my mind.

Showing the kids "the BIG picture"
of artist-in-residences past.

It is said, and I find it true, that during the creative process one needs to get up and get away and allow images and words to incubate. So I incubated often by bass fishing and kayaking. Taking drives into Marquette (pronounced by U.P. born folk as "market") to the Children's Museum, a quick side-trip to see Grand Island off Sand Point on Lake Superior, and a visit to the Laughing Whitefish Falls--a truly spectacular sight. Then it was back to "studio" time.

The words and art came at first were planned. But they were too predictable. Then the more I got out and away, images and words seemed to fall into place. The land spoke to me. The wind, ever constant (the cottage is named "Breezy Point"). Then somewhere between the flashing red darter dragonflies and sun-bathing painted turtles, I heard my voice. My voice filled the pages of my newly purchased and redesigned sketchbook. This would be a different book, an art book, a book for teens, adults. A story, a meditation--on life--through the eyes of a wolf and young girl. A kind of writing I had not done in a long, long time. It was exciting. The words and art became fresh and I was excited how they fell onto the pages.

How does one bottle the experiences of an artist-in-residence questpedition? They engage all of their senses and record in word and picture--then share it. A sketchbook becomes the magic, elixir, potion that heals and inspires. This treasure that the quester finds and brings back to the village, cures the people and themselves in the act of sharing the gift. So I share my bit of U.P. autumn A.I.R.with you.

Grand Island view from Sand Point.

Laughing Whitefish Falls. Can you hear the whitefish? 

Morning Rainbow from the deck!

Dinner awaits.

Evening autumnal meal overlooking Martin Lake.

Falling Rock Cafe & Books is an amazing place to spend the day! 

The collaged cover of my sketchbook "dummy".
Ephemera from my surroundings, poetry, drawings.

Tracks at the top of Laughing Whitefish Falls

Then two weeks later, in the wee hours of the morning, the day I was to leave my A.I.R., I heard the low, moaning, mournful cry of a wolf outside the cottage window.

The crowning experience, the seal of a mission accomplished. Oh, to bottle the rainbow colors, the flashing aurora, the crunch of dry lichen, the splash of bass leaping among lily pad, the whoosh of wings from the bald eagle overhead, the plop of turtles sliding off the abandoned beaver lodge at my approach. 

But that sound, that wolf song. Ah, to bottle that wildness of spirit. This--this is what I must try to capture not only in my art book but the art book to be donated to the LLF. A gathering of elements to inspire writing and literacy in Michigan. My work has begun, my questpedition is complete.

Last paddle on the lake in front of the cottage.

Sketch of Place. Field notes of my visit.

"My LLF of Michigan artist-in-residency was different than the others I've participated in, as the two weeks spent was a balance of public events where I listened and shared stories with people and the peaceful solitude of nature. During this time, I was pleased to complete a story "dummy", poetry, art, design, and layout for my graphic novel all of which was totally inspired by my A.I.R. stay." Lori Taylor 

Snow Days, Art Days: Building NEW Characters!

The winter months are my creative months. I hibernate and ideas come to light and I work on them. I sketch them and begin building a world and story. And so the story begins from my memory and rabbit raising experiences of over 14 years ago. 

This is Ooglie Haargaard. He is a new character and new protagonist, rabbit hero for a new series I am working on. Made of Sculpley polymer clay, wrapped wire, and beaver and muskrat fur. He wears and old shirt of mine, a leather bag, and weasel jaw necklace and carries an actual beaver chew walking stick.

I decided I wanted to write about this rabbit's struggle. And it was for him from the get go, which is perfect fodder for a story. His story was a life and death struggle to live and then to continue to live. 

We or rather I, had raised pets rabbits for close to seven years. So I had a lot to work with. I sketched and drew my struggling hero first and then last weekend I created him from clay and wire. I glued on hair bits (hare bits, heh-heh) and gave Ooglie (his first name) a mo-hawk hairdo. This sparked creative license as the real rabbit had lost his hair and I thought this would work well in the story. So I gave him patchy fur and he wears clothes because, well, we dressed the real rabbit, Justin Thyme (Just in time :) in clothes to keep him warm when he lost his fur (he did get better).

I recycled materials that I had saved and glued clothing on the maquette, because, yes, I  HATE sewing. Extra Heavy Gel Medium works for what I need this guy for. While he was drying I sat down and recalled the place where we raised our rabbits. Goodrich. I had lived in Goodrich for 15 years so knew the area wildlife and habitats well. From memory I sketched our house, the yard, behind the yard and beyond.

And a story was born.

Now I needed a villain. I made a crow that same day and put him aside. Crow Boss, not a very strong bad guy--more of a trickster type, but a persuasive fellow who leads his crow bunch, Buzz, Burr, and Bob. I let that incubate this past week as I wrote more. 

Now I really despise making predators the bad guy. They do what they do to keep balance. But to another mammal or herp perspective, they are the enemy. So I came u with Danger the Hawk, and Haunt the Great Horned Owl. Still, they weren't really the villain I was looking for.

Then it hit me as I remembered all of the wildlife in the near woods and the most shocking find I had made in Goodrich. A wild boar! And boars are pretty bad dudes and do a bunch of damage.

The day I came across this wild find in Goodrich I was astounded--not what you are expecting to be on a bike path. Someone's car had either hit the boar or someone shot the animal because it died in a small field just off the dirt road. Nonetheless, here lie a wild dead pig that I almost ran over with my bike. As I was investigating the crime scene, a stout, striped critter ran through the grasses pell mell. Now having worked on a pig educational exhibit for the Metropark's Wolcott Farm Museum, I knew that young wild pigs were striped and figured that the young was still out and about. Then I started putting clues together remembered the wallow I had stumbled upon in the woods behind the house earlier that spring as I watched a hawk and her nest in the woods. At the time, I figured deer lived there with all of the tracks I found, and I was more focused on the hawk and the one million swarming mosquitos so left the woods. Then stories of torn and shredded gardens ans sightings came out. Here lie the culprit.

So yesterday, another snowy creative day, I created Baron von Pighoofen! or Baron BoarRegard. Here he is in the building process. I never really know how to start a sculpture, so I began with this big pig's pigginess. His royal snout! Pretty soon I had the head and hooves baking in the oven and ran in search of a boar bod. I repurposed a porcupine puppet (we have two) so the porky became a porker! I glued on hair and cut off hair and so my villain was born.

I now have begun writing the plot and putting together ingredients for the story. I have a world, strong good and bad characters and extras to add in as I go along.

By building the clay and wire critters, it helped me get into the their brain and how they would act and be.

My rabbit hero's name, Ooglie Haargaard, came to me in a dream. I woke in the middle of the night to write down with the name, Ooglie Haargaard. before I knew who he was or would be!
It wasn't until the next day did I decide he would be a rabbit.

I am excited to see where this tale and series will go. It is about released and escaped pets and wildlife living and struggling together in the big, dangerous suburban world. Each trying to survive. And it all began with a dream and clay.

Book Reorder, A 2014 Celebration!

Books I have illustrated and written! www.loritaylorart.com/publications.html

I remember as a child the day that Scholastic book order forms went home. It was always the highlight of my elementary school career and I quiver now when I see my granddaughter's book order form. When the Book Fair came to the school, my heart pounded at the sight of shelves of paperbacks waiting for me, and my heart pounds when I download books onto my iPad. Having a real, live author/poet visit the school in Clarkston was beyond excitement, and I still feel the same today when I visit with other author/illustrators. You see, I have always been a nut about books. A passionist you could say.

When I stop and think about it, I had the love of storytelling--both writing and illustrating--since I was in sixth grade. My teacher told me that is what I would do when I grew I up, which made my young heart ecstatic. And in middle school I won awards for art and a contest in writing. But then by the time high school rolled around, a REAL career was suggested to me by my father. A real career, like the medical field. Art was a hobby--not a real job.

Build a Holly Action Figure! Find it and
more on Holly's Hangout Page!
www.loritaylorart.com/hollywild.html

But I still hung on--no clutched on--to the dream of illustrating and books, even after high school graduation when I was gifted a Gwen Frostic book which inspired me to take a commercial art class at the vocational school where I had taken medical assisting. Funny thing that medical field thing--I every job I had in it someone always told me that I should be doing art. Huh?! Drawing pictures and not blood. Hmm! Finally after flailing around in the medical laboratory field of pouring urine, pipetting blood clots and serum, did I take the serious art plunge. I struggled, practiced and perfected, day-after-day, year-after-year, through raising children and taking care of grandchildren. 

Now after all that hard work, can I look back and see where I have been and where I want to go with my art and storytelling craft. It's exciting really--I have so much more to say and do. Working on a mid-grade realistic fictional series like Holly Wild, illustrating ebooks, and now branching out into Kindle, picture books and perhaps graphic novel chapter books I realize this is my job. I'm a passionist for books.

And so it is with great excitement that I begin 2014 off by ordering 1,000 more HOLLY WILD: Bamboozled on Beaver Island (Book 1) books. I can't wait to see what else will come about this year.

"Crazy Cat Chase That Rabbit" www.loritaylorart.com/illustration.html