Month: January 2010

Magnolia author presents ‘The Map as Art’

Chris Mongillo 5 Comments

Most of us see maps as getting us from here to there, but a Magnolia author is pointing readers in a new direction by using imaginative versions of maps created by various artists.

Last Thursday, Jan. 21, the Secret Garden Bookshop in Ballard teamed up with the Ballard Library to feature Magnolia author Katharine Harmon. She presented a slide show of her new book, “The Map As Art.”

“The Map As Art” is a compilation of artwork by artists who use maps as the basis of their vision. For example, one artist painted a picture of all the continents as if they were viewed from space at night. Cities in the United States and parts of Europe were dimly lit and the rest of planet was left in the dark. The artist titled it “The Axis of Evil–Mostly in the Dark.”

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Illustrator brings characters to life for kids

Sarah Storm 3 Comments

“Do you mean to tell me that you weren’t thinking about a purple kangaroo looking for his best friend, a wild eyed chinchilla named Señor Ernesto de Pantalones, while wearing roller skates? “

Some children squirm, and some sit riveted as children’s author and illustrator Peter Brown reads from his latest illustrated piece, “The Purple Kangaroo” last Tuesday evening (Jan. 19). Giggles float through the room as Brown describes the kangaroo’s journey to find his friend, by way of slipping on banana peels and blowing bubblegum out of his nose.

Written by comedian Michael Ian Black, “The Purple Kangaroo” is the first book that Brown has illustrated without writing himself. Brown has written and illustrated four of his own children’s books, including his first picture book “The Flight of the Dodo.”

Along with a read of his latest book, Brown presented to the families a look at how he developed into an author as well as how he works as an illustrator. He brought out a large sketch pad on an easel to illustrate examples from “The Purple Kangaroo” on how he creates the characters that he is illustrating.

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