Tuesday, April 28, 2015

Sophie Blackall, Illustrator

"Coney Island," by Sophie Blackall, available here.
Furiously scanning my mental index cards, "Arcana that could become blog posts," the name Sophie Blackall lept forth.  Among the photos on my desktop is one of her illustrations.  I think of her, if briefly, every day.  With the chance, not to mention purpose, of exploring her work in greater detail, it occurs to me that illustrators, like poets, are translators, taking our human experiences and returning them to us in forms we can absorb, process and even enjoy.

I suggest you Google her, in text and images.  I will share some links, such as this Brain Pickings article that offers interview excerpts.  At her website I could sit indefinitely and watch her subway riders glide past.  She has one blog about her "Missed Connections" project and subsequent book, another about more current goings-on.
From "Spinster Goose: Twisted Rhymes for Naughty Children" by Lisa Wheeler, illustrated by Sophie Blackall.
At this late date, it seems unlikely that I will ever grow too old for picture books  Or toys, for that matter, but I digress.
Find a review here.
Here, in her own words, a bit more about Sophie. 
And, in closing, more fine thoughts from Brain Pickings.

2 comments:

Kass said...

I'm wondering who I would choose to illustrate my life. I like thinking about this.

Marylinn Kelly said...

Kass - So do I. She has a book and blog of Missed Connections, quirky types who did or did not, might or might not end up as couples. Just for a start. There is kindness, I feel, in her work. She would make us look our best. xo