For Art and Books and Color, Thank You Joan

This season, I am thankful for Joan Vigliotta.

Why? Because, several years ago, she created a small book group that would focus on illustration in children's literature, a mutual love of each of the members. (And, mostly of course, I am thankful because she is a magnificent human being and treasured friend.)

When our book group meets, Joan offers unto us exquisite tours of heavenly work. Many times, we focus on one illustrator. Other times, we switch course a bit. Every single meeting, thanks to Joan, is rife with untold riches. We have studied the work of Edward Ardizzone, the de Brunhoffs, Anno, Peter Sis, Trina Schart Hyman, M. B. Goffstein, the Dillons...the list goes on and on, and is too wonderful to be able to recount in it's true magnificence. 

[Joan and I became good friends, in large part, through a shared love of the works of - among others - Arthur Rackham and Hilary Knight, M. F. K. Fisher and Maira Kalman...at least, that's my version of the story. Joanie has a better memory than almost anybody, and may remember more...]

So thank you, Joan, for your wonderful vision. Again. And for the priceless moments we have all spent with your magnificent trove of books and pictures and magicthings, surrounded by a wealth of art and love.

For this, I have great gratitude. Many blessings on this holiday, and always.

This September, a Set of the Most Delightful Postcards...

with the most charming words...

were sent by the inimitable Joan Vigliotta...

for the Heath Robinson postcard above, Joan wrote: 

"What I love about this image is that it really does look plausible--until you think about it very much. Heath Robinson always presents it all in such a reasonable, well-executed way..."

Yes, of course (in the illustration, from "How to Live in a Flat," the laundry lines are all being held aloft by balloons). 

Couldn't have ever said it better. 

Saint Joan and Saint Beverly, Amen.

This blog wouldn't be alive if it wasn't for two patron saints: St. Joan and St. Bev.  

St. Joan, because she nudged me several years ago (with the most delightful nudge ever, an invitation to join the best book club I could possibly imagine being in...thank you, Joy Look Book Club, for being the most excellent of most excellents of...you get the picture).  That nudge--and the amahzing (as Seth Rudetsky likes to say) book group that Joan thought up--brought me back (from far-away design & style land) to my first (after the fam) love: children's books. There will be lots more about Joan Vigliotta later, if it's okiedokie with her, but we'll start with a link to the Mother's Day post on sweet her.  Thank you, St. Joan, with lots of well-deserved adoration and stuff.

And what of St. Bev?  She's the gal who said to go on and do this blog (or whatever web-wide stuff it was I was thinking of doing--I wasn't sure at the time, and it's all still evolving).  She's the amazing person who said, basically, "you go girl, I know you can do it, I know it will be good."  She's the kind of friend everyone with an idea needs. The incomparable Dr. Beverly V. Hock is also hugely instrumental in the gloriousness that is Reading the World.  And if you haven't bought your ticket to go see it yet, you best get started...it is the event that I never, ever want to miss.  More on this here.  

We hope to be interviewing the fab Dr. Bev in the near future.  And, if we are very, very lucky, we may be able to take a quick video tour (or several dozen) through Joan's amahzing house: how fabulous is her house?  Well, let's just say that several of the best authors & illustrators in the universe (yep, universe) have been speechless in joy and amazement at the gloriousness (there's that word again) of it. Amen.