Artist Spotlight: Amanda Griffey
Hello again! Welcome back to the blog. Today I am excited to continue my artist spotlight series by shining a light on artist Amanda Griffey. Amanda did the cover for my latest book, Little Orphant Allie, which released in October!
Amanda comes from a long line of farmers, and her art reflects her passion for farm life. She lives in eastern Indiana, not far from where the book is set. In fact, while working on the book’s cover, she discovered that she and Allie, the main character, came from the same town! “Amanda currently works and resides with her husband Thomas and their sons Joseph and Joshua, on their family’s diversified farming operation, just minutes from where she grew up.”
It was such a joy to work with Amanda, and I am thrilled to share our interview.
Tell us a little about yourself and how you most like to use your art in your life.
I was raised on a farm and currently farm with my husband's family, and I love to capture the beauty and heritage of farming.
What has been your biggest inspiration for your art?
Farm life and my deep love for horses.
What is inspiring you most at this point in time?
The glimpses of resiliency that are all around me; like a weathered barn that is still standing despite years of neglect, or a rusty old hinge that is still doing its job.
How do you keep your creative practice fresh?
While I have dabbled with other mediums, I really love colored pencil. So, I like to try new surfaces and methods, as well as push the limits of what subject matter and textures are possible to achieve with colored pencil.
What words of wisdom would you give young creatives?
The journey of a creative can be challenging and lonely. Find a mentor who is where you want to be to help you along on your journey.
Amanda’s Art
Cover of Little Orphant Allie
More artwork from Amanda (from her website):
“Mare Glare”
“Peace in the Valley”
Thank you so much for sharing with us here, Amanda. It was wonderful to have you here. I’m wishing you all the best. Keep creating!
Katie
New Book News: Little Orphant Allie Releasing in October
Hello, there! Welcome back to the blog. I am landing here from a very busy summer. From the kids’ theater rehearsals to softball games, family hikes, day trips, and more, it’s hard to believe summer is nearly over. We homeschool year-round, but are just beginning a two-week break between “school years.” It will be nice to have a reset, and a bit of a rest before September rolls in. Hooray for fall!
The New Book News!
And as for news on the author front: I have a new book coming in October!
Yes! This is a book I began writing three years ago, in August 2021. It is one that is near and dear to my heart. It has made its way through many drafts, workshops, and a whole lot of historical research. Now the manuscript is with my trusty editor, and a wonderful local artist is working on the book cover. I cannot believe it, but the book releases this October!
What is this book, you ask? Well, here are more details:
LITTLE ORPHANT ALLIE
Little Orphant Allie is a middle-grade historical novel-in-verse that explores the magical true story behind James Whitcomb Riley’s classic poem, Little Orphant Annie. In lyrical verse, twelve-year-old Mary Alice Smith, or “Allie,” tells of her time living in the Riley house in Greenfield, Indiana during the winter of 1861. The book gives a unique look into the world of the young girl whose imagination conjured up fairies, goblins, and witch-tales, and inspired a poem beloved for generations.
I am so excited to finally share this heartwarming story with the world come October. Be sure to follow me on social media, and subscribe to my monthly email newsletter for the latest updates. I shall return here before long with a cover reveal, and of course when the book releases!
Thanks for stopping by the blog today. Be well!
Katie
Artist Spotlight: Shelley Wallace
Hello, all! Welcome back to the blog. I am here with another artist spotlight! This week’s featured artist is Shelley Wallace. I had such a wonderful experience working with Shelley over the last few months as she worked on the cover art for my book, Little Bird Woman. Originally from Scotland, Shelley now lives in Mexico. We met in a creative community hosted by artist Sarah Shotts. When I first saw Shelley’s artwork, especially her drawings of trees, I was in awe. So you can imagine my thrill when she agreed to do my book cover. We corresponded over the course of a few months, collaborating on ideas for Little Bird Woman’s book cover. The final piece is more stunning than I could have asked for. It was such a joy to work with Shelley, and I am excited to share our interview with you today.
Tell us a little about yourself and how you most like to use your art in your life.
I’ve recently returned to painting after a long break and found I’m more free to express myself in abstract painting than the realistic painting I did before. Painting has become my main focus but I draw and do collage work too. I also write lyrical creative nonfiction but this part of my creative practice is resting while I concentrate mostly on painting. Having a couple of my pieces of my work exhibited in a recent haiku comics exhibition has prompted me to bring haiku comics back into my creative practice again too. Being a parent, I have less time for art so I’m trying to find ways of integrating art with life so there’s not so much of a separation - but I’m still figuring out how to make this work.
What has been your biggest inspiration for your art?
I’ve always been entirely at home and in a state of awe in an art museum. Actually, that goes for any kind of museum. This, and books - many, many books - have long been my inspiration. There were no family artists around but I was always drawn to art, and was often taken to the library and museums as a child - with art, history, anthropology, memoir, and nature, there was no shortage of inspiration. I’m doing a class at the moment around aspects of abstract painting and one assignment had me collecting images of textures, colours, and visual elements I found inspiring, and what was fascinating was that they all came from the wild Scottish landscapes of my childhood that I was free to roam about in and explore.
What is inspiring you most at this point in time?
Anything and everything I can find on contemporary and past female artists. I’ve been reading Ninth Street Women, Fierce Poise, Art Monsters, The Mirror and The Palette, The Baby on the Fire Escape, The Other Side, and The Story of Art Without Men. I’m also working on connecting with and listening to my own intuition and that involves finding and bringing the inspiration out from deep inside me. In the painting class I’m learning to do creative play - this is all about following what feels good in the body and it’s so valuable to explore embodied art making after spending so long being all analytical and intellectual about it.
How do you keep your creative practice fresh?
I am curious by nature and I’ve learned to listen to my intuition and follow my curiosity. I didn’t used to do this and that’s when I got stuck and stale in my creative practice. Now that my curiosity leads me, the problem is more about being selective and focused as there are so many fascinating rabbit holes to fall down. In the past couple of years I’ve also embraced creative experimentation (it took a lot of work to shift my perfectionism) and working in this way allows for accidents and surprise. I used to want to plan every detail and layer in advance but now I can’t think of anything more restrictive - in fact, when I used to draw and paint in this way my body was small and tight. Moving into creating more intuitively and experimenting frees up the body’s movements and it feels so good I’ve recently moved into working large-scale. I’m lucky that my curious nature will always have me exploring new things, I just needed to learn that it was okay for me to follow it intuitively and not try to control it or force it to fit what I thought it ought to be doing.
What words of wisdom would you give young creatives?
Listen to your intuition. Find a way to do your art and don’t get persuaded out of it like I did - it took me a long time to get back to it. Now I know how creating inspires, fulfils, energises and relaxes me. I definitely missed doing art and writing, but I did find ways of sneaking it in, like studying the History of Art and reading so many books on how to do all sorts of art and creative writing. Try not to get caught up in perfectionism - the beauty is in the imperfection and the free and full expression of you. Try not to compare yourself to others and focus on experimentation and finding your own way of creating. Yes, there’s plenty of technical stuff to learn and practice but it needs to be the true (and brave) you behind it all.
Connect with Shelley:
Shelley’s Art
Shelley’s cover art of Little Bird Woman:
More artwork by Shelley:
Thank you so much for sharing with us here, Shelley. It was wonderful to have you here, and I’m wishing you all the best. Keep creating!
Katie
Artist Spotlight: Laura Reilly
Hello, all! Welcome back to the blog. I am back with another artist spotlight. This week’s featured artist is Laura of Laura Reilly Calligraphy. I had the privilege of working with Laura last year when she did the cover art for my book, Wildflowers in Watercolor. She is a calligrapher and illustrator from Indianapolis. Laura took my vision for the book cover, inspired by prairie wildflowers in the height of summer, and brought it to life so beautifully. It was so wonderful to work with her, and I am excited to share our interview with you today.
Tell us a little about yourself and how you most like to use your art in your life.
I’m a wife and homeschooling mom of four, so currently my art is helping supplement our income so I can stay home and homeschool! Even though art functions as a job for me right now, I love the process of taking someone else’s vision for an art piece and making it come to life. It’s a fun challenge and I get to continually expand my skills and practice new ways of doing things. I like to apply the creative process and my artistic skills to DIY projects around the house as well, making it look beautiful without spending a lot! It’s so satisfying.
What has been your biggest inspiration for your art?
I just have always appreciated art that celebrates the little things in life and showcases the normal things as beautiful things. When I was first learning to paint, I was most inspiring by Van Gogh and Norman Rockwell. One of them turned normal wheat fields and normal people into evocative paintings that impacted people for centuries, and the other told stories of his time with illustrations of very ordinary people in very ordinary situations that helped a country feel connected and nostalgic in a difficult period of history. So when I paint for people’s weddings and homes, I love that I get to turn something “ordinary” into art that celebrates how beautiful the little things are.
What is inspiring you most at this point in time?
Being a mom has definitely brought into perspective of how fast time goes and how sweet the ordinary moments are, so when I create art for people, I love that I’m helping to preserve their sweet moments as special memories!
How do you keep your creative practice fresh?
I follow a lot of artists on social media and try to learn new techniques and skills by experimenting on my own and learning from others. I really enjoy trying new things and know I still have a lot to learn- so I just practice!
What words of wisdom would you give young creatives?
The best way to be an artist is to make art. Everyone starts somewhere, and there will always be someone way ahead of you- so instead of comparing yourself to people, just learn from them! Enjoy the creative process and don’t be afraid to make a lot of mistakes. Learn from others but find your own style and own it.
Connect with Laura:
Laura’s Art
Laura’s cover art of Wildflowers in Watercolor:
More artwork by Laura (from Facebook):
Thank you so much for sharing with us here, Laura. It was wonderful to have you here, and I’m wishing you all the best. Keep creating!
Katie