Solar System Forecast – In Space No One Can Hear You Complain About The Weather

May 4th, 2013

 

Solar System Forecast was the book that immediately followed on the heels of  Meet the Planets (and yes, i know i’m bopping all around the continuity spectrum in terms of writing behind-the-scenes illustration accounts of my books, but i simply have to go where whim and muse take me and today it’s all about weather) and when i first received the manuscript i was a little disheartened (seems to be a theme here, if you read the blog about “Balloon Trees”).  For one thing – i had just finished illustrating the planet book and had poured my heart and soul and every pop culture sci fi nerdy geek reference fiber of my being into that project.  There simply didn’t seem to be anything left to say (or draw) on the subject of Space.

For another thing (or B) – i didn’t want the illustration style of  the solar book to look too similar to the planet book, but wasn’t exactly sure how to alter it (or even if i could).

But more importantly (#3, or C, if you’re keeping track) – it was a book about weather!  What do you do with that?  Granted, there are some amazing, dramatic, and beautiful visuals associated with storms, and cloud formations; and a couple illustrations like that could be pretty interesting.  But 13 pages of landscape variations – for  a children’s picture book – just sounded boring to me.    Somewhere around the 5th or 6th noctilucent cloud formation or occluded front picture i’m pretty sure the reader would have discarded the book in favor of a video game or fighting with a sibling. Plus – how do you even depict things like the seasons, or wind, or heat, on planets with no atmosphere and a surface of rock or gas?  No flowers to indicate Spring.  No colorful leaves to convey Fall. No thrashing tree branches or amber waves of grain to suggest wind.

And on top of everything else, there wasn’t even an actual story here.  No continuous narrative, no  recurring characters; just a series of weather reports relating a “different state of the atmosphere at a given time and place, described by specification of variables such as temperature, moisture, wind velocity, and pressure”  (Definition of weather, as found in The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language).  SEE!  You try and draw a picture of that!

I was stumped. Stymied. Flummoxed. Perplexed.  Baffled. Confounded. Mystified.  Bewildered. I could not see a way to link the random reports into cohesive  visuals that would not only convey the abstract nature of the weather account described, but also be interesting and entertaining for children (and Me) to look at.  And then one morning – things suddenly fell into place.  I watched my husband get ready for work.

Inspiration really does come from the strangest and unexpected sources.  My husband is a pilot, and very often leaves for work at dark:thirty in the wee hours of the morning.  On this particular day i happened to wake up (usually i sleep thru his pre-dawn routine – particularly when it’s at some insane hour ) – the room was dark, everything was in shadow with the only light coming from the blue glow of the TV, and there illuminated in the glow was my husband, standing in his uniform, coffee mug in hand, watching The Weather Channel. [NOTE TO FLYING PUBLIC: Pilots obviously get their weather information from highly specialized and official sources, my husband was just getting a rough idea of what his day was going to be like and if he needed to pack his long-johns).  There it was – the  opening scene for the first page of Solar System Forecast!

Since the whole premise of the book is that we (as in Humans) are technologically advanced enough to travel to different planets and moons, and go there  frequently enough that we care about what the weather is doing on these other worlds, i opened the book with a picture of how one such typical space traveler would routinely begin his day.  Showered and dressed, with a morning cup of coffee and  breakfast Danish (part of the humor coming from the delicate little Franciscan wear plate in his thickly gloved hand), watching the weather report before heading off to the “office” (whether it be a rocket, or space lab, or an interstellar cosmic cubicle). And yes, the helmet visor is purposely closed because i thought it added another element of silly lunacy the audience would appreciate (i mean – how is the guy gonna have his breakfast, right??).

From that point on The Weather Channel, and all the different ways we can access weather reports (you know they have an App for that), became the unifying theme of the book.  Some pages came easy, some were a bit more complex. One i thought i’d have to completely redraw but managed to save. One i did have to redo, from scratch. And on the last page there is a fun little unexpected surprise, so there is certainly quite a bit to share and if i can keep from getting distracted by shiny objects i’ll attempt to describe all the little details.

Bottom line – there really is a way to illustrate weather in space!

 

 

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Meet the Planets – Research and Development (And A Crazy Statue)

February 17th, 2013

So, when i first started the blog about doing the illustrations for “Meet the Planets” i fully intended to write small excerpts describing the step-by-step process of each phase as i was going through them. I wrote three.

Now here we are – two years and two new books later – and i am only now getting around to writing installment #4.  Ah, procrastination thy name is Laurie!  Needless to say, the whole step-by-step, real time, follow the process idea has gone by the wayside, but that does not mean i no longer have tales to tell.  Oh no, no, no.  ”Meet the Planets” still has a number of background stories very near and dear to my heart  that i want to share and i am going to continue plugging away at them as time and inspiration and creative literary muse permits (all while also starting a new blog series about “Solar System Forecast”, the book that came out September 2012; and continuing additional installments of another new blog series about “Balloon Trees”, the book that comes out any day).  There are only so many hours in a day, and a good portion of those hours inexplicably disappear into some space-time Black Hole also know as my art room, but given that a meteorite just hit Russia the other day, i really need to stop putting this off.

So to get us back into the swing of Planet things i thought i’d describe the research materials that went into making the art.  Or at least just list the variety of books and magazines, flotsam and jetsam, gimcracks and gewgaws that inspired the illustrations – because there was a lot of stuff!

Books: 15

Comet – Carl Sagan,  Cosmos – Carl Sagan,  DK Eyewitness Books: Astronomy, Universe,  Gardner’s Art Through the Ages - 6th Edition,  History of Renaissance Art – Creighton Gilbert,  The Illustrated  A Brief History of Time/The Universe In A Nutshell –  Stephen Hawking,  The Illustrated Timeline of the Universe – Richard H. Sanderson & Phillip S. Harrington,  My First Book of Space – Rosanna Hansen & Robert A. Bell,  Murmurs of Earth – Carl Sagan,  Stars & Planets – David H. Levy,  Stars & Planets – Exploring Our Galaxy and Beyond – Igloo Books LTD,  Star Wars Where Science Meets Imagination – National Geographic/Lucas Books/Museum of Science, Boston,  Time Life Student Library – The Universe,   The Usborne Illustrated Encyclopedia – Science & Technology

Magazines: 13

Astronomy (Collectors Edition) – Cosmos, Before There Was Light;  Discover – A Field Guide to the New Solar System;  Discover – Special Einstein Issue;  Discover Presents – The Whole Universe;  Kids Discover: Astronauts, Space Exploration, Galaxies, Solar System, Planets. Sun, Mars, Earth, Moon

CDs: 3

Holst – The Planets – Orchestre symphonique de Montreal, Charles Dutoit;  The Songs of Distant Earth – Mike Oldfield (inspired by the book of the same title written by Arthur C. Clarke);  Jeff Wayne’s Musical Version of The War of the Worlds (inspired by the book written by… oh you know who wrote it).

I literally used every book and magazine listed above, listened to the cds while i drew, and also made tons of random on-line searches looking up additional information, but one of the singular most important influences actually came about by accident.

When i first got the manuscript for “Meet the Planets” i had some trouble deciding how to physically portray each of the planet participants.  Should they be human- (or alien-) esque figures, clothed in some sort of costume that represented the planet (like Jane Jetson, when she entered the Miss Galaxy competition representing Earth)?  Or should they be bobble-head type beings – big planetary face on top of a smaller, costumed body?

I was still undecided when i went to visit my daughter who was in college, in New York.  She had to go to an architecture lecture at the Cathedral of St. John the Divine  (the talk was about gothic architecture, of which St. Johns is a lovely example) and i was allowed to tag along.  We had just gotten off the subway, and were walking across the street to the church when i saw the most amazing statue in the park beside the cathedral. The Fountain of Peace.

Talk about your divine inspiration.  A giant planet head (actually there are two, there’s another one on the other side) supporting battling giraffes, giant crabs and angels. It was so crazy and surreal, and had the added benefit of reminding me of something you’d see on Doctor Who ( i am a huge fan.  More Doctor Who influences will be discussed in future posts)  so that just made the decision all the easier.  The planets would be done as big round “heads”.  Essentially just as they are found in space – colorful spheres, only with facial features. And appendages (to hold whatever accessories they might need in the competition).

You just never know where inspiration will come from so you have to be open to anything.  This is why i love research!

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Behind the Art: How I Stopped Whining and Illustrated “Balloon Trees”

February 10th, 2013

So -  the story behind illustrating Balloon Trees is actually a little different from all the other books, and art projects, i have had the delightful opportunity to work on (and post about) because, basically, in all honesty, when i first got the manuscript… i didn’t want to do it!

Okay, not the most noble or professional thing to admit.  But there it is.  When i first got the assignment – i cried.  Now bear in mind, i had just spent the better part of the previous year working on the illustrations for “Solar System Forecast”, a very detailed and complicated book that had taken me much longer than i expected to finish.  The book i was actually STILL working on.  Full of alien landscapes and scientific, techno-heavy elements it had followed right on the heels of “Meet the Planets” -  the previous, other heavily-detailed science book – so i was feeling pretty exhausted and not a little burned out.  [NOTE: Both books can be found in the Book section of this web site - go on over and check them out, they'll enjoy the company.]

I longed for a soft, cute, fuzzy animal story i wouldn’t have to work so hard on (mentally and physically).  Something that didn’t need hours of research.  Something – to be brutally honest – that wouldn’t require a lot of thought or artistic challenge.  But instead i was given a book about factories and machinery and conveyor belts.  Hard, cold, unforgiving, technology.  And not even the interesting space kind, or the fun weird sci fi kind , or the go- fast- and- loose -with- reality, anachronistic steam punk kind. Nope, it was a modern warehouse variety full of complicated perspective and tons of annoying little wheels and gears and pipes and hardware.   I sincerely did get teary when i saw the subject.  I simply could not imagine how i was going to make that kind of book fun (sure, balloons themselves are fun, but if you’re drawing one it’s basically just a circle with a little thing on the end you tie a string on).

I had serious doubts about my ability to handle the balloon story, and kind of felt Sylvan Dell had made a mistake asking me to illustrate it.  I thought – surely they have illustrators better versed in technological/mechanical drawing.  I’m the semi-cartoony, “anthropomorphic girl”.  I was sure i was out of my league and, truth be told, didn’t even want to try.  Guess what that really translated into was – i didn’t want to fail.

My journal at the time read:  “… my feelings have run the roller coaster gamut of getting that uncomfortable twitchy feeling when faced with a difficult, not very fun sounding, project coupled with the guilt of seeming like a quitter for not attempting it, combined with the fear that if i turn something down i’ll never be asked again. I just don’t see any way to make the story fun – for ME – to illustrate but the very nature of that difficulty kind of intrigues me.”

The last sentence is the key.  I was afraid to tackle the book, i didn’t think i could do a good job, but i also didn’t want to be the kind of person who threw up her hands and quit before even trying.  There is something pretty cool, and satisfying, about overcoming an obstacle.  And, of course, i didn’t want to let my publisher down.  I wanted to be that Go To Artist who wasn’t afraid of a challenge.  But the doubts still lingered and once the “Solar System Forecast” illustrations were finished and shipped out i gave myself the weekend to think about the balloon story and see if i could find a way in – visually – that would be true to the book but also be fun for me to do.  Because let’s face it – if you are going to sit at a drawing table 8, 10, 12 hours (or more) a day, for months on end, in a cluttered little room, with one window you can only watch a small sliver of the world go by from – you really have to enjoy the work.

And let me stress – i liked the story itself.  I loved the way it was written – the rhyme is simply delightful.  I was just afraid the subject matter would be too dry and industrial to engage young readers (me), so i began – as i always do – with research.  Naturally  i hunted up everything i could find on balloon production, but i also pulled out all my art history books – to see how other artists had handled industrial themes and subjects.  And i eventually decided on a simple, graphic style (as opposed to the usual, hyper-detailed way i generally illustrate) inspired by the work of Charley Harper.  My reference hunt also unearthed several intriguing images like a rain forest at dawn, the swirl of dye in the latex, and a collection of balloon forms, that further ignited my interest and imagination.

I could start to see the illustrations emerge, but i still felt there was something missing – some personal connection i needed to make with a young viewer.  No, that sounds too pretentious.  It wasn’t some abstract, anonymous Young Viewer i was concerned about engaging – it was me.  I’m the one who had to enjoy the illustrations and i’m the one who needed someone (or something) to go through the story with me. That’s when i thought of adding “The Guide” – a living creature that could experience the balloon making process along with the reader.  Something a child, and an adult, [Me again] could relate to, that could weave through every picture.

It had to be something small, because i imagined all the illustrations being very close up, and it had to be able to maneuver independently through every phase of production, and it had to have a personality (i, personally, also had to struggle with the dangers of introduced species and animal trafficking) but i eventually found the perfect escort in a little White Eye (a bird native to Thailand rain forests) who fit all my parameters.  [NOTE: He’s a bird, so presumedly made the trip on some migratory mission of his own].  Once i had him – things just started falling into place.

And, yes, in tried and true Made For TV Movie/After School Special  fashion – i wound up having a wonderful and satisfying time working on “Balloon Trees”.  I went from despair and doubt to being very pleased and proud of the finished work.  The book i didn’t want to do has become one of my favorites (i’m sure there’s a story, or a moral, in there somewhere).

Now i can’t wait to start doing school book talks because that is the Background Story i want to share.  I want to tell students that it’s okay to have doubts, and even okay to be afraid to try something, or not want to do it – at first!  But right after that stomach-knotting anxiety, and just before you throw up your hands and say “I can’t” or “I don’t want to” and walk away – you owe it to yourself to give it a shot.  Whether it’s an unusual food, a difficult project, a new skill – take a breath, count to three, don’t think of all the reasons you can’t do something, find one reason to stare the thing down and attempt it.

I know that is a tired and over-used cliché, said so often it loses all meaning, but i think what makes my take on it a little different is – i am speaking from experience, as an adult (and a parent) who should have known better!  You’d think i would have learned that lesson by now, having said it so many times to my daughter when she was growing up, but lessons can still be learned at any age (like admitting all my teachers were also correct when they said practice would improve whatever skill i was learning at the time.  I had to learn that one the hard way too). And, in the end, balloons really are fun (and interesting to draw).  Now i can’t wait to see what projects pops up next!

 

 

 

Posted in Background Stories, Balloon Trees, What's New | 3 Comments »

“Shark” The Herald Angels Sing

December 23rd, 2012

By now the annual Klein Christmas Card probably needs little introduction.  It is an illustration of the current obsessions and/or pivotal events of the past year and, per the subject matter in hand, it is probably pretty clear what the dominant themes of 2012 were:  JAWS and Flying.

(NOTE: Not that the year was devoid of any other noteworthy happenings or renewed preoccupations, these were just the most prevalent).

Of course seeing as both JAWS and flying have long been well known (and well chronicled) family obsessions/interests you may wonder what makes them specifically card-worthy THIS year?  And therein lies the accompanying narrative that has become as much a part of the Christmas card tradition as the actual illustration itself.

For those who need a refresher on the history of the Klein Family Fixation with JAWS please consult Christmas card 2011 “Galway Girl” (and if you have lost the explanatory notes the information can be found on my web site blog, under Background Stories). For this particular account however, we start  – literally – on the first day of the year – JANUARY 1, 2012.  That was the day Jesse and i got a hotel room near the Sanford Airport because Jess had to fly out at crack o’ dawn on the 2nd to go to training for her new job as a Flight Attendant.  And for those keeping track, that is the first flying reference of the year.

This is the JAWS one – January 2nd also happened to be the day Universal Studios was planning to shut down their JAWS ride, so since we were going to be in Orlando anyway, on the 1st, one day before the ride would be lost to us forever, Jess turned to me with those big, dewey “SpongeBob eyes” (you know the ones – all round and glistening and filled with innocent hope) and asked if we could please go to Universal and ride JAWS one last time – before she jetted off on this whole new flying chapter of her life.

Well, what self-respecting (indulgent) parent could resist that logic (plus the shared obsession.  Not to mention the dewey eyes). We dumped our bags at the hotel, donned appropriate shark-themed attire, and hauled off to Universal Studios where we rode JAWS 4 times in succession (once for each movie), took photos with the shark hanging in faux Amity, bought the prerequisite souvenir mementoes, and had dinner at Bubba Gumps (keeping to the sea/fish theme).

And that little tale alone should suitably link JAWS and Flying (“like peas & carrots” , to add a little extra Forrest Gump association) and qualifies them as worthy card material, but the connection between a 37 year-old shark movie and the art of aviation continued, for us, thruout the entire year making the choice undeniable.

FEBRUARY – Jess graduated from FA training and Bob got to pin her wings on her at the ceremony.

MARCH – Jess got a JAWS themed tattoo on her thigh [Quint’s boat, the Orca, and the three yellow barrels, all framed by shark jaws]. She came up with the idea, i drew the design for her.

APRIL – Bob passes his check ride (Bob’s flying connection is a given, but he really did have a check ride this month so i fit the timeline perfectly. Besides, Jesse and i also call him Chief Brody).

MAY – Jess decides she wanted to learn to fly and begins taking lessons.

JUNE – Jess solos.

JULY – Jesse and i go to an outdoor showing of JAWS on the 4th of July at the Enzian Theater in Orlando  (we “drink to her leg” at the theater bar with fellow JAWS fin-atics). This was the first time Jesse ever saw the movie on a big screen.

AUGUST – Bob, Jesse and i fly to “Amity” (as in, Martha’s Vineyard, where JAWS was filmed!) for JAWS FEST – a  weekend-long tribute to the movie where we got to meet actors, writers and locals from the film, check out actual locations and props, and watch the movie in the Old Whaling Church along with a guy who looked just like Quint and “Mrs. Kintner” (Bob asked her to slap him, but she doesn’t do that any more).

SEPTEMBER – Jess gets the Blue-Ray DVD version of JAWS.  As well as comes home from a flying lesson with a stray airport kitten she named Piper (after her plane).

OCTOBER – Jess takes Bob on a Cross-Country flight to St. Simons Island.

NOVEMBER – Jess goes to a seminar for Private Pilot Written Exam preparation (and in a semi-related link, at least by story terms – she, Bob and i watch “Forrest Gump” at the hotel where the seminar was held).

DECEMBER -  brings us to the JAWS/Flying-themed card and the explanation behind its final design. Which i struggled with for a bit.  Originally i thought of doing one of my usual multi-image symbol-ladened things but Thanksgiving was looming and i had a ton of “real” work to do. And – frankly – i just wanted to draw something simpler than cards past  And then i thought of this illustration i had recently done for my web site.  It was intended to be the icon for a “What’s New” section, done in the style of a JC Leyendecker Arrow Collar ad.  Featuring a Gnu (new), in a smoking jacket, reading the paper (The Gnus) i simply couldn’t figure out how to use it on the site so the drawing just languished (tho i did eventually post a blog about it, if you want to see the influence on this card).  I love the 20s style, and the incongruous combination of animals in formal human pose, and immediately imagined a shark as an aviator – combining the events of the year with our family movie fixation and the shared aeronautic skill & talent of BK & JK (who slip the surly bonds on a regular basis).

I found a great Leyendecker reference and then just needed to figure out how to add Christmas to the mix. I discarded a couple ideas before settling on a mail sack full of holiday cards and presents (commercial aviation having come into its own transporting mail). And rather than use the period bi-wing, the plane at the top represents the type Jesse flies – a Piper Cherokee Warrior, with its own unique tail-number – October Romeo Charlie Alpha (aka: ORCA). The card’s title inspiration came while thinking of possible holiday shark/JAWS reference quotes, such as: This card, swallow you whole.  Or,  You’re gonna need a bigger envelope.  So….

Come on into the water and have a Merry Chrissie-mas!  I hope it’s JAWsome!

LAK 2012

 

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What’s Gnu?

December 3rd, 2012

Introducing The Gnus.  Or Gnu’s News.  Or perhaps, New Gnus.  The possibilities are endless (and to think i almost made this illustration a newt).

Several months ago i added a few new images to my web site and wanted to create some sort of notification about the additions (so that old fans of the site would know to go and check it out).  Originally there was an idea of making a special, dedicated page for New Stuff and i started thinking of a visual play on the word News with the idea of using a newt or a gnu as the  ”spokesperson” (spokesanimal?).  A gnu, reading a newspaper, immediately came to mind and for some reason i imagined him in a smoking jacket (i mean, really, who doesn’t think of smoking jackets when one contemplates a gnu reading the paper)?  And i knew exactly where to go for a reference – J C Leyendecker and one of his Arrow Collar advertisement illustrations (i have long admired his style and was just waiting for the right confluence of inspiration to create my own homage)!

“What’s Gnu” was. literally, whipped out in one day…  And three months later still actually hasn’t found a home on my web site.  With the exception of adding a “What’s New” category to the blog i never could really find a way to make my Spokesgnu (Gnusman?) work for its intended purpose (announcing the gnu stuff) so he has been languishing on my Facebook page in the form of my profile picture and banner.  Until today!

(NOTE: Well, okay, in the interest of full disclosure, the idea of using him as the lead-in to a What’s New blog post came weeks ago, i just never quite got around to writing it).

Today Gnu finally gets his day in the sun. Or rather, on the site.  With more to come in the months ahead (fingers crosses. Knock on a tough, fibrous cellular surface. Kiss a chimney sweep) – as a regular blog feature introducing whatever new things have recently been posted.

And so, without further ado and extraneous preamble – on to The Gnus!

Under BOOKS – you will find my newest children’s picture book – “Solar System Forecast”.  As well as new links for convenient on-line purchase of all my other books .

Under MURALS – i have posted photos of the Crookshank Elementary School cafeteria mural (a multi-wall painting of all the continents, including select native animals and travel posters of hi-lighted cities/monuments/features).

Under CONTACTS – one can now link to my Facebook art page (where Gnu will again guide you.  At least until i change my profile picture and banner).

Granted – it’s not a lot of new stuff – but it’s still worth noting.  And this finally gives me a chance to share the story of Gnu with you.  Who (rhyme unintended) will himself feature as a New web site item very soon.  Along with this year’s annual Christmas card, which shall be posted just as soon as i’m finished with it.  NOTE: By way of a little spoiler – the card is linked to Gnu  which is why i felt compelled to post this blog today (otherwise, when i post the Christmas card, its background story won’t make any sense).

 

 

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Words of Art: A Children’s Book Fair & Literacy Family Day

November 11th, 2012

I fully intended to write all sorts of descriptive and explanatory posts prior to each of the various book talks, signings, and  events i had the past couple of months and yet here we are – down to the last event of the year and i am only now posting the first announcement.

And this is not really even the actual announcement. This is more of a place saver. Think of this as just an introductory tease.  A trailer if you will. A little something to spur your interest and hopefully arouse your curiosity for additional information.

And – basically – because i really just wanted to put a different picture on my blog.

I will be joining other local authors and illustrators at the Cummer Museum, in Jacksonville, FL, on Saturday, November 17, to share crafts and activities, introduce our books, and  talk to children and families about our love of stories and art and words.  I fully intend to write in more detail between now and then (or such is my optimistic hope), but in the interim…

Children. Books. Art. Words. Museum. Galleries. Gardens. Music. Activities. Food. Local authors & illustrators. And a beautiful view of the river. Really – what more needs to be said!

 

 

 

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Book Talks, Signings and Other Events (October 2012)

September 25th, 2012

I fully intended to keep up with all my book and art related events but somewhere along the line i stopped posting a calendar (of course i also stopped writing the blog all together and haven’t posted anything since last December so that could have been part of the problem) but i am trying to do better.  So before the year completely slips by i thought i’d share the up coming activities.  You know… if you’re in the area and want to stop by!

BOOK TALKS & STORY TIME    in Nassau County, FL:

Monday, Oct. 1          Hilliard Library          TIME FOR TOTS          10:00am

Monday, Oct. 1          Callahan Library        TIME FOR TOTS          11:30am

Wednesday, Oct. 3   Fernandina Library   TIME FOR TOTS          10:30am

Wednesday, Oct. 3   Fernandina Library    AFTER SCHOOL           4:00pm

Thursday, Oct. 4       Yulee Library                TIME FOR TOTS         10:30am

 

FIRST FRIDAY BOOK SIGNING

Friday, Oct. 5     Simple Gestures          5:00pm –  9:00pm             Great art, good nibblees, music & wonderful company

 

PRESENTATION

Sunday, Oct 21     FRA Conference     Rosen Shingle Creek Resort, Orlando          9:45am – 10:45am

“So Much More Than A Picture Book”  with author, Marianne Berkes and illustrator, Laurie Allen Klein

I plan to write more about this, in greater detail, but i just wanted to get it on October’s list of events.  Marianne and i will also be doing a Book Signing at FRA on Saturday, Oct. 20 (3:45pm) if you want a sneak peek at our program!!   Stop by and talk books and art with us!

That’s it for now…   but i’ll keep you posted.

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I Must Get Back To The Blog Again…

September 24th, 2012

… To the empty screen and the type.  (with apologies to John Masefield’s “Sea-Fever”).

 

But – really – it has been far, far too long since i posted anything.  That, of course, was not my intention when i first added a blog to my web site.  Back then i was a pretty voracious chronicler of whatever whim and whimsy came my way and wanted to share every thought and observation.  But i am also easily distracted by shiny objects – SQUIRREL!!! – and definitely at the mercy of the Creative Writing Muse, who has long been absent.

Of course the other (probably bigger) reason i’ve been away from the blog is the fact that i am a technological dinosaur and only know how to do a very few things on the computer. If some new skill is required, or a troubleshooting problem develops, i am at the mercy of the Cyborg, Cylon, Droid, Cybermen, Borg, and Dahlek Powers That Be (who, as those familiar with nefarious artificial intelligence know, tend to enjoy frakking things up – when they aren’t trying to take over the world or enslave humankind). When the Nestene Consciousness takes over, i am out of my league, and wouldn’t you know – my Sonic Screwdriver is in the shop.  My particular techno-glitch was being unable to download an illustration to my last post (even tho i had managed to do it quite easily several times before) and i didn’t know what to do or how to fix it.  Fortunately my computer savvy daughter happened to be home at the time and made  the necessary adjustments.  The crops (or, in this case, illustration) was saved and downloaded.  But she is not always here.  And i was afraid to try again on my own, just in case i couldn’t get art on the page (because what is an art blog after all without art!?!).

In my defense i was also pretty busy – finishing the illustrations for my newest book, “Solar System Forecast” (just released this month), that were supposed to be done last December but took until January to complete. Then i had to wrap up all the other projects that were put on hold while i struggled with the solar weather pictures (“Solar System Forecast” is about weather on other planets). And next thing you know, i had another book to illustrate (“Balloon Trees”, about how balloons are made.  It comes out in 2013) that took up the Summer, followed by a big rush sea turtle poster project that took up the first couple weeks of September.  Nine months passed in a frenzied blur and only recently have i emerged from under the debris, cleared my drawing table, and now suddenly have a renewed interest in writing.

And there has  been (and still is) soooooo much to write about.  I want to explain all the Who’s Who and What’s What in the art of “Meet the Planets” (the blog series i fully expected to start back in January) which, in turn, makes for a lovely segue into the trials and tribulations (and interesting background stories) of illustrating a book about space weather.  And after that i would like to describe “Balloon Trees”  - hopefully before the thing is published and on the shelves (but i’m not making any promises).  I also have several Book Talks, Library Visits, a Book Signing, and a big Presentation (with the terrific author, Marianne Berkes) for the FRA and FAME conferences coming up this Fall that i want to describe.  At length.  In minute detail.

So this is the start.  And if my Bluetooth keyboard will stop losing it’s connection to my computer, and the Creative Writing Muse hangs around for a little while, and i can get future illustrations to attach, and i don’t get distracted by – SQUIRREL!!! – just maybe i’ll get some of these stories finished.  We can only hope.  Fasten your seatbelts – it’s gonna be a bumpy write.

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Galway Girl ~ She’s mysterious… and stuff

December 19th, 2011

She made her first Christmas card appearance in 1989, sharing the drawing with her great grandmothers, Nana and Nonnie.  She subsequently featured in 6 more holiday greetings, the last celebrating her pending graduation from high school and the as-yet-to-be realized adventures in college (Christmas 2006).  Now it’s 2011 and there’s been another graduation (okay, i STILL, can’t believe 4 years went by that fast) so, naturally, this year’s card needed to once again spotlight Jesse.  The best Companion a mother (or Time Lord) could ever have!

Wrapping up her senior year at NYU, finishing her last two classes in a study abroad program at Trinity College in Dublin, followed by what i affectionately call “The Mother/Daughter Magical Mystery Tour of Time & Space (w/ Nerdy Geek Encounters in) Ireland, England & Wales” ~ it’s ALL here.  Well, in the symbolic and convoluted way i depict things, which, of course, necessitates the customary Explanatory Notes/Background Syory portion of a Laurie Allen Klein Christmas card.  So sit back, relax, pour yourself a Guinness and enjoy.  Slainte!

The setting is a pub (and – no – not for the obvious reason, though Irish pubs did indeed get a fair workout).  Jesse and i took a Musical Pub Crawl through Dublin that turned out to be wonderfully educational (as opposed to simply an excuse to get wasted) and we learned, among a variety of things, that if the place looks like someone’s livingroom – you’re in a real Irish pub – so that seemed like the perfect setting for a picture that is not only part autobiography but also a holiday celebration The other thing we learned on the tour was – Irish music is taken very seriously.  There are, certainly, those places where folks just go to booze and watch football and sing badly to  Top 40 songs, but the real pubs are home to serious musicians who drop in with their instruments and just start jamming – ebbing and flowing, picking up the theme and playing with it before relinquishing it to the next instrument.  There is drinking, but more importantly there is always a corner of the pub reserved for the communal spirit of music and singing and sharing stories.  And as with all good jam sessions, my musicians tell the story.

Jesse’s in the middle, wearing the scarf that features in just about every photograph taken of her the past 4 years, and she’s playing a Clarsach (harp), a traditional symbol of Ireland. On the fiddle is a lion,  representing England, and playing the bodhran (drum) is the Red Dragon of Wales (the other places we visited on our travels).  The sheep plays the tin whistle and represents Ireland because Jess saw so many on her trip (and is just mad about them).  From New York, hoisting the pint of Guinness and holding Jesse’s diploma, is the NYU mascot (NOTE: the other two pages in the bobcat’s paw are the certificates Jess and i both received from the old Jameson Distillery, certifying us as “Qualified Irish Whiskey Tasters”).  Which, finally, brings us to the shark who probably needs no explanation if you are familiar with Klein family obsessions in general or Jesse’s in particular. That’s Bruce, the shark from JAWS.  Jesse got the movie when we moved to Florida 14 years ago and it has been a favorite ever since, so much so in fact that not only did Jess take a copy to college with her, it was the only DVD she specifically took to Ireland as well.  From a holiday standpoint it also happens to be a family tradition to watch the movie every Christmas (or the wonderfully awful Jaws 3 in 3D) but i have long forgotten how that started. The Christmas pudding has no symbolic significance other than this is a Christmas card and i wanted a holiday reference but, truth be told, it actually  wound up there because i had an empty space beside the bobcat and needed to fill it with something.

Of course no trip to Wales and England would be complete without indulging our other Mother/Daughter fixations, manias and obsessions and those too are represented in the card.  In Cardiff, Jess and i went to the Millennium Centre – home of the Time Rift and secret entrance to the Torchwood Hub; and in London we enjoyed the Doctor Who Experience and saw David Tennant and Catherine Tate (the 10th Doctor and his companion Donna Noble) in “Much Ado About Nothing” so those names are painted on the pub wall.

“Galway Girl” is the name of of one of the songs on Jesse’s Irish play list that she listened to a lot (tho, technically, not a traditional Irish pub song it was a favorite and she really liked Galway) and Jesse is, and always has been, mysterious… and stuff.

May your heart be warm and happy, with the lilt of Irish laughter, Every day in every way, And forever and ever after.

Nollaig shona duit!

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A Tale of Two Web Sites (or one web site with two names) & Replies To A Few Blog Questions

July 9th, 2011

Where to begin…

Okay, i guess the very first thing i need to reiterate is – I DON’T KNOW ANYTHING ABOUT WEB SITES (well, i don’t know anything about a lot of subjects, but that’s another entry).  As i have said, countless times, i am a complete dinosaur when it comes to computers and anything that remotely resembles the field of technology.  I still use a cell phone that ONLY makes and receives calls (technically it has a few games, but i never play them). My original 22 year old microwave continues to reheat leftovers in the kitchen.  I still have the turntable i used in college (and trust me, that was ages ago).  And when my time comes – they will have to pry a real printed book from my cold, dead fingers.  So, all that being said, when it was suggested i needed to have a web site – as a means of showing my work and generating more income – i was understandably reluctant.  I believe i swore, stomped my feet and pouted. There was probably crying involved.

I didn’t even know where to start ( and everyone i knew, who had web sites, said some friend of a friend designed theirs so they didn’t know anything about the process either).  Time dragged along but eventually, thru a series of cosmic forces, random events, coincidences and fate i was introduced to some folks who DID know about the care and feeding of web site technology and thru some magical, alchemic process known only to them, my web site was born.  And it was good.

And all was well for the next two years or so.  The site ran itself and i just called my Web Wizard to make whatever changes and up-dates were needed.  I never did any hands-on work to the site myself (i don’t do my own brain surgery after all – that’s what Sorcerers and Alchemists are for) and so i never had to know the technical, behind-the-scenes stuff that makes these things work.  You know – all those binary code, zeros and ones, algorithms.  Ah, but such is the hubris that legends (and special effects-ladened mythology-based film remakes) are made of. “Release the Krakken!”

One fateful day, my Web Guy Superhero did not respond to the bat signal.  The red phone went unanswered.  The green lantern grew dim.  The Fortress of Solitude was padlocked. All i heard was the sound of crickets, and the theme from JAWS.  In other words – my tech guy was gone.  Sucked into a vortex or the Witness Protection Program along with all the access information to my web site.  Oops!  That can’t be good.  Needless to say i felt like a bigger doofus than usual, but i hadn’t known enough to know what i needed to know – if you know what i mean – so i never realized there was some important information i should have had from the start … and now there was no way to get it (cos when super heros disappear they’re very hard to contact).   All seemed hopeless and i went thru all the stages of loss  (pause now for the angsty bridge part of the story to let the tension build)…

… Then, suddenly , like Gandalf and Eomer spilling over the crest to save Helms Deep (oo, oo – or that cool scene where Pippin lights the beacon at Gondor and all the bonfires start igniting to summon the Rohirrim of Edoras) there was hope!  A new hope as it were, in the form of another Jedi Master Web Wizard who – with his team of Justice League tekkies, side-kicks, companions, and Padawans – wielded their collective creative powers (broomsticks carrying buckets may also have been involved) and saved my former web site from oblivion.  The only casualty of the War of the Web being the original name of the place – “Laurie Klein Art” was no more.  But what’s in a name? A site by any other name would still look as neat wouldn’t it?  Certainly be a lot cheaper than starting over from scratch that’s for sure.

So out of the ashes (place reference to the Order of the Phoenix and Stravinsky’s Firebird Suite here) a new and improved web site emerged. “We can make it better than it was before” (couldn’t resist a nod to the Six Million Dollar Man). Laurie Klein Arts (just add an “s”) Dot Com was born – again. Or reborn. A little older and a bit wiser.  Spiffed up, polished off, and once again open for the business of sharing the art and illustrations, books, murals, and occasional irreverent commentary of Laurie Allen Klein.

And to those very nice folks who have posted comments asking for advice concerning WYSIWYG editors, manual codes with HTML, server information, or protecting original pieces from being stolen, downloaded, infringed or plagiarized – i have not been ignoring you… i just don’t know the answers (as i believe this little tale clearly demonstrates).  Even now, i still “rely on the kindness of strangers” (Streetcar Named Desire) and i still don’t know enough to know what i need to know… but i’m getting there.  And you are all more than welcome to join me on the ride.

So – Fasten your seat belts, it’s going to be a bumpy night (All About Eve).  Hold onto your butts (Jurassic Park).  And – Everybody, remember where we parked (Star Trek IV: The Journey Home).

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