Today Julie Rowan-Zoch joins us from her garden in Colorado to introduce her to her Friendspiration.
Please welcome, Julie...
First a round of applause for Marcie - it looks like the
beginning of a beautiful inspirationship!
I am honored to introduce Jon Agee to anyone not yet
familiar with this talented author/illustrator of numerous picturebooks for
children, and a series of wordplay books enjoyed by all ages. His first was
published in 1982 (If Snow Falls, Pantheon) but his fourth finally put his name
on the map: The Incredible Painting of Felix Clousseau (1988, Farrar, Straus,
Giroux).
I only recently discovered the work of Jon Agee, but its
impact on me as a picture book maker has been none-the-less powerful. He is as
capable with words in telling stories as he is with pictures, a trait I don’t
find to be common. His books on palindromes, oxymorons, spoonerisms and
tongue-tanglers are visual proof of an artist in love with words. Agee mentions
on his website (www.jonagee.com) that he
was influenced by the work of Tomi Ungerer, also one of my top favorites in the
picturebook pond. Between the bold, simple lines and casual yet careful use of
color I feel Agee’s straightforward and quirky humor, like butter in my
belly-fly!
How could I not be taken in by someone who says this about
writing: “I like taking an implausible, off-the-wall idea, and seeing where it
will go.”
Esteem for a master craftsman is one thing, but each book of
his I read convinces me to embrace my crazy ideas and run with them instead of
fretting their salability. I think I’ll stick to his advice: “Absorb stuff and
see what happens.”
Graphic designer and picturebook maker Julie Rowan-Zoch is a NY transplant soaking up the sun on Colorado's Front Range. When she's not writing or illustrating she can be found with a garden shovel or local brew in hand, or biking to the library.
Do YOU have a Friendspiration you would
like to introduce us to on a future Friday? Please send an email to
marciecolleen@gmail.com and we will make that happen.
Graphic designer and picturebook maker Julie Rowan-Zoch is a NY transplant soaking up the sun on Colorado's Front Range. When she's not writing or illustrating she can be found with a garden shovel or local brew in hand, or biking to the library.
I haven't seen any of Jon's books yet, but now I'll be on the lookout for them.
ReplyDeleteI really appreciate this opportunity Marcie. Delving deeper to gather info for this post was a multi-level learning experience for me!
ReplyDeleteThe kids and I have been reading MY RHINOCEROS, by Jon Agee. This is great example of an implausible, off-the-wall idea...it's so much fun!
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