Creativity Friday: On Your Desk

Ever wonder what my desk looks like as I work? Terri Windling, the wonderfully inspiring creator of many books and much beautiful artwork, has included my workspace in her “On Your Desk” blog series. Also included: the desk of Jane Yolen and those of many other mythic artists and writers. I love this intimate look at creative working environments!

Terri was also the editor of the late and much lamented Journal of Mythic Arts, which I adored reading on a regular basis. Fortunately, the archives are still available for your perusal.

Terri and I have known each other for longer than I can believe—it makes me feel quite old to think of it. When I was first starting out as a children’s book illustrator over two decades ago, the illustrator Alan Lee suggested I contact Terri for advice regarding my first picture book, Rapunzel. I still remember the first time I met Terri—I was fresh out of art school and totally intimidated by the publishing world. In walked this lovely, fae-like woman who instantly put me at my ease and was so encouraging of my art. It was Terri, by way of author Ellen Kushner, who set me up with a literary agent for my children’s books so I was able to begin earning a living as an artist.

Though many books have passed since then, I have never forgotten Terri’s generous help and pure spirit. Anyone starting out in publishing knows how intimidatingly difficult can be to get that first foot in the door. It is through gestures of faith from people such as Terri Windling that creativity is encouraged to go out into the world and prosper.

You can view my desk here.

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Reminder: Tomorrow is our Holiday Artisan Fair at the gallery. If you live in the NYC area, I hope you’ll stop by for your holiday shopping needs! This is our last event of 2010.

• Filed under be-mused, blogs we read, creativity, friends and colleagues, studio and gallery, the world around me | No Comments

Holiday shopping still? Come to the gallery Saturday!

Hope to see you there! We’re located across the street from the Q and B subway station at Newkirk Avenue. Street parking is also readily available. Additional directions.

For more information about each participant, here are links to their lovely websites:

Amy Saidens
Aram Kim
Carissa Swenson
Naomi Luppuscu
Karen Zuegner

• Filed under e-books, retail therapy, studio and gallery | One Response

Publishing Monday: Back from England—and more

Ack, how could almost a month pass since my last blog post? And that one was right before my trip to England at the end of November. Quelle scandale! Well, the truth is that since my return I’ve been so inspired that I’ve been working nonstop on my novel THE LILY MAID and other projects (more about those below). So the objective of my trip was more than met. And Nana’s ashes were brought home to the church where she was baptized and married.

I have several hundred photos from my trip, many of them research-oriented. One highlight was a visit to Highgate Cemetery’s West Cemetery to visit the grave of Elizabeth Siddal, Dante Gabriel Rossetti’s model, muse, and wife. Below is Rossetti’s Beata Beatrice, an oil painting he completed of Lizzie (which is how her many knew her) several years after her death from a laudanum overdose. Though her passing was ruled death by misadventure, she may have left a suicide note which her husband destroyed. However, Lizzie was a gifted poet and painter in her own right, a fact often overshadowed by the Sturm und Drang particulars of her association with Rossetti.

The fragile condition of Highgate’s West Cemetery leaves it closed to visitors except by advance arrangement. I feel very fortunate to have had such a special experience. I am grateful to Justin, my guide at Highgate, who was both knowledgeable and tolerant as I paid my respects.

I was pleased to see that someone else had recently visited Lizzie’s grave—I added my offering of a peach-colored rose to the red flowers already there. Lizzie’s plot in the Rossetti family enclave is located down a hidden, isolated and ivy-strewn pathway slick with autumn leaves. Justin said that she’s visited by more men than women–and the men tend to weep. One even became visibly angry and ranted about how she was abused by Rossetti. “I think the women who visit are made of sterner stuff,” my guide concluded.

Lizzie’s tragic life is included in THE LILY MAID as a cautionary tale. In this excerpt from my novel, my protagonist Elizabeth is warned about the dangers of being a muse from her ex-fiance:

Charles began, “Elizabeth Siddal was the muse for Dante Rossetti, the most famous Pre-Raphaelite of them all—”

“—Don’t bore me. I know who Rossetti is,“ I interrupted. “And I told you, Mr. Dulac is not a Pre-Raphaelite.”

“Doesn’t matter. All artists seek inspiration—a muse, if you will.”

“Indeed.”

“Everyone should have a muse. But nobody should have to be one.”

Charles’ eyes met mine, daring me to ignore him…. His voice became low. “Elizabeth Siddal posed for some of Rossetti’s most famous paintings—Beata Beatrice, Paolo and Francesca. His poems are about her. You know this one:

‘At length their long kiss severed, with sweet smart:
And as the last slow sudden drops are shed
From sparkling eaves when all the storm has fled,
So singly flagged the pulses of each heart….’

I flushed, remembering.

Charles continued, “Anyway, Rossetti claimed to be in love with Miss Siddal—that she was the only one who could inspire his art. But he soon tired of her, beautiful as she was, and replaced her with another muse, Jane Morris. Miss Siddal did not take it well. Sure, Rossetti did the right thing and married her, but she never recovered from losing that influence over him. It was like a drug to her. So she replaced it with another drug, laudanum. She died at the age of thirty-one from an overdose.”

I was disturbed, but determined not to show it.

“When she died, Rossetti tucked his only copy of his poems in her coffin next to her long copper hair. He regretted it, so he had the coffin exhumed from Highgate seven years later.”

THE LILY MAID is about a young woman who becomes a model to a charismatic artist and his wife and, in the process, uncovers a mysterious tragedy. It’s set during the Aesthetics art movement in 1880s London. You can learn more about Elizabeth Siddal and her work at LizzieSiddal.com and PreRaphaeliteSisterhood.com—both wonderful sites. I also highly recommend Lucinda Hawksley’s biography, Lizzie Siddal: Face of the Pre-Raphaelites.

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It wouldn’t be a Publishing Monday post without some mention of publishing. As I posted last month, my new e-book imprint Art and Words Editions is officially launched! I’m especially pleased that all of our Fall books have been approved and released by Amazon, BN.com, and Apple.

Our newest addition—and one which I’m especially proud of—is Lisa Hunt’s Soul Drawings. Thie e-book original is a stunning look at the fine art of this much-loved illustrator whose many publications include the Fairy Tale Tarot, Animals Divine Tarot, and Celestial Goddesses.

Soul Drawings is available for $9.99 in iBooks, Kindle, Nook, and PDF formats; the PDF will work on any computer. View excerpts from the book here. In addition, you can download a free chapter and art here from Apple, BN.com, and Amazon.

In January, we’ll be posting an exclusive and candid Q&A with Lisa about the creation of Soul Drawings as well as a video detailing what goes into creating a “soul drawing.” Not to be missed!

• Filed under The Novel, be-mused, creativity, e-books, friends and colleagues, new projects, news & muse, the art world, the world around me, travels | 3 Responses