{"id":1322,"date":"2008-06-17T00:01:44","date_gmt":"2008-06-17T06:01:44","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/blaine.org\/sevenimpossiblethings\/?p=1322"},"modified":"2008-06-17T00:02:15","modified_gmt":"2008-06-17T06:02:15","slug":"seven-questions-over-breakfast-with-giselle-potter","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/blaine.org\/sevenimpossiblethings\/?p=1322","title":{"rendered":"Seven Questions Over Breakfast with Giselle Potter"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"GiselleYou know those illustrators whose distinctive style of work you can recognize in approximately a femtosecond? Giselle Potter’s<\/strong><\/a> art work is like that. Her folk-art style, rich in color and full of whimsy (yes, “whimsy” gets overused in describing children’s books, but if anyone’s got whimsy—the good kind, not the saccharine-sweet kind—goin’ on, it’s Giselle, pictured here in her studio). Her style is not only instantly recognizable. It’s also playful and sometimes unpredictable and always a little delightfully offbeat. We at 7-Imp think she’s a true original, and we’re so pleased that she has stopped by for a cyber-breakfast to chat a bit with us. And what is her breakfast of choice? “A soft-boiled egg, toast, and coffee.”<\/font> Coffee? Do we have coffee? Why, yes, we always do. Excellent. Let’s get right to it. <\/p>\n

But, wait . . . If you’re new to Giselle’s work and want to know more about her titles-thus-far, don’t fret. She sent us a comprehensive list of her published titles, and I linked each one. Feel free to explore. If you’re not familiar with her books, we highly recommend them, and you’ll see that several of them have been reviewed here at 7-Imp. Her most recent illustrated title—Eugene Field’s<\/strong><\/a> Wynken, Blynken, and Nod<\/strong><\/em><\/a>, published by Schwartz & Wade this May—is a thing of beauty. Instead of trying to describe the deep, bold colors and Giselle’s beguiling interpretation of this old poem (Kirkus Reviews<\/em> wrote, “{t}he hand-lettered text and mixed-media illustrations rendered in nighttime blues and greens lend an imaginative, dream-like quality to the ethereal text”), let me show you a few spreads from it. See for yourself: <\/p>\n


\n<\/p>\n

Ah. Lovely, yes? I reviewed the book here<\/strong><\/a> in April if you’d like to read more about it. And, again, thanks to Giselle for stopping by. Without further ado . . . Let’s set the table for breakfast while asking Giselle about some of the basics: <\/p>\n

* * * * * * *<\/font><\/center><\/p>\n

7-Imp<\/strong>:<\/font> Are you an illustrator or author\/illustrator?<\/font><\/p>\n

Giselle<\/strong>:<\/font> Mostly, I’m an illustrator, although I try to write, too, and I have {written} and illustrated three books: Lucy’s Eyes and Margaret’s Dragon: The Lives of the Virgin Saints<\/strong><\/a><\/em> {Chronicle Books, 1997}, The Year I Didn’t Go to School<\/em><\/strong><\/a> {Atheneum Books for Young Readers, 2002}, and Chloe\u0308\u2019s Birthday…And Me<\/strong><\/a><\/em> {Atheneum, 2004}.<\/p>\n

7-Imp<\/strong>:<\/font> Can you list your books-to-date?<\/font><\/p>\n

Giselle<\/strong>:<\/font> {Ed. Note: Giselle listed her published titles to-date, and they’re at the close of the interview.}<\/em> <\/p>\n

7-Imp<\/strong>:<\/font> What is your usual medium, or -\u2013 if you use a variety -\u2013 your preferred one?<\/font> <\/p>\n

Giselle<\/strong>:<\/font> My early books were done with inks and watercolor, and now I use gouache mostly…all along I have used collage here and there.<\/p>\n

\"Alice\"7-Imp<\/strong>:<\/font> Where are your stompin\u2019 grounds?<\/font> {Ed. Note: Pictured here is “Alice,” a portrait from Giselle’s site<\/a><\/strong>}<\/em><\/p>\n

Giselle<\/strong>:<\/font> I live in Rosendale, NY (the Hudson Valley area).<\/p>\n

7-Imp<\/strong>:<\/font> Can you briefly tell us about your road to publication?<\/font> <\/p>\n

Giselle<\/strong>:<\/font> I started out doing editorial work, especially for The New Yorker<\/strong><\/a><\/em>. I was offered my first children’s book from being seen in The New Yorker<\/em>…I was simultaneously trying to get my saint book<\/strong><\/a> published, and Chronicle {Books} accepted it. That was all around ’96-’97.<\/p>\n

7-Imp<\/strong>:<\/font> Can you please point us to your web site and\/or blog?<\/font> <\/p>\n

Giselle<\/strong>:<\/font> www.gisellepotter.com<\/strong><\/a>.<\/p>\n

7-Imp<\/strong>:<\/font> Any new titles\/projects you might be working on now that you can tell us about?<\/font> <\/p>\n

Giselle<\/strong>:<\/font> I’m working on two new books — one is about a cat that won’t eat chocolate cake, and the other is about the 1920s jazz pianist, Mary Lou Williams<\/strong><\/a>.<\/p>\n

{Ed. Note: There’s a bit more about the first book here<\/strong><\/a> at Emily Jenkins’ site.}<\/em><\/p>\n

* * *<\/font><\/center><\/p>\n

\"Mmm.Okay, the table’s set, and we’re ready to sit down and talk more specifics over our coffee. Eggs? Check. Toast? Check. Sweet, life-giving coffee? Check. Let’s hit it:<\/font> <\/p>\n

1. 7-Imp:<\/strong><\/font> What exactly is your process when you are illustrating a book? You can start wherever you\u2019d like when answering: getting initial ideas, starting to illustrate, or even what it\u2019s like under deadline, etc. Do you outline a great deal of the book before you illustrate or just let your muse lead you on and see where you end up?<\/font> <\/p>\n

Giselle<\/strong>:<\/font> First, I read a manuscript someone sends me and mull over it for a while…sometimes deciding it isn’t right for me. If it is, I start rough pencil sketches of the imagery that stands out for me. The book I’m starting now is a biography {set} in the ’20s, so I had to do some research for references. Then I make a rough dummy: breaking up the text into a thirty-two-page book and fitting it into my pencil sketches (or fitting my sketches around the text). After sometimes a long time of waiting, the editors send back my dummy and there are usually a few revisions to do. When my sketches are finally approved, I paint for two or three months.<\/p>\n

2. 7-Imp:<\/strong><\/font> Describe your studio or usual work space for us.<\/font> <\/p>\n

Giselle<\/strong>:<\/font> I have a little building on our property, about two hundred feet from our house…just far enough away that there are no distractions and it is my own space, but close enough that I can have lunch at home with {my husband}. Right now, I only work in the mornings, and I am with my kids in the afternoon.<\/p>\n

{Pictured below are} my studio outside and inside {and} the wall above my desk.<\/p>\n


\n
\n<\/p>\n

3. 7-Imp:<\/strong><\/font> As book lovers, it interests us: What books or authors and\/or illustrators influenced you as an early reader?<\/font> <\/p>\n

Giselle<\/strong>:<\/font> My favorite book when I was little was a very old Babar<\/strong><\/a> book about Zephir the monkey<\/strong><\/a> saving Princess Isabel on an island of monsters. My grandmother had it at her house and she would read the French to me, and even though I didn’t understand all of it, I loved listening and staring at the monkey village in the trees.<\/p>\n

4. 7-Imp:<\/strong><\/font> If you could have three (living) illustrators or author\/illustrators — whom you have not yet met — over for coffee or a glass of rich, red wine, whom would you choose?<\/font> <\/p>\n

Giselle<\/strong>:<\/font> I love Maira Kalman’s<\/strong><\/a> work and find her freedom so inspiring. I met her briefly many years ago in Rome, but I would like to go to her house some time and see how she lives. I would love to meet Marjane Satrapi<\/strong><\/a>. Her Persepolis<\/strong><\/a><\/em> series is very inspiring, and I almost feel like I know her from her books. I would also like to meet Marcel Dzama<\/strong><\/a>, whose work I love, and I also love the idea of his collaborative art group, the Royal Art Lodge<\/strong><\/a>.<\/p>\n

\"A<\/p>\n

5. 7-Imp:<\/strong><\/font> What is currently in rotation on your iPod or loaded in your CD player? Do you listen to music while you create books?<\/font><\/p>\n

Giselle<\/strong>:<\/font> Yes, I listen to a lot different of music…sometimes Kimya Dawson<\/strong><\/a>, Joanna Newsom<\/strong><\/a>, Devendra Banhart<\/strong><\/a> kind of thing or a Brazilian mix or Romanian gypsy music or the Carter Family<\/strong><\/a> or sometimes I listen to Beethoven (cello), Schubert (piano), or podcasts of This American Life<\/strong><\/a><\/em>.<\/p>\n

6. 7-Imp:<\/strong><\/font> What’s one thing that most people don’t know about you?<\/font> <\/p>\n

Giselle<\/strong>:<\/font> I can’t think of anything…I don’t keep secrets.<\/p>\n

7. 7-Imp:<\/strong><\/font> Is there something you wish interviewers would ask you — but never do? Feel free to ask and respond here.<\/font> <\/p>\n

Giselle<\/strong>:<\/font>What is my inspiration: Although seeing art that I like inspires me, I don’t love museums and I think other things inspire me more than art…like the way people live; my family (both my grandparents, my parents and sister, my husband and daughters, Pia and Isabel); inspired, passionate people; and both beauty and oddities of nature.<\/p>\n


\n

Giselle: “A family portrait I did last winter…”<\/em><\/center><\/p>\n

(Most of) The Pivot Questionnaire<\/font><\/center><\/p>\n

7-Imp<\/strong>:<\/font> What turns you on creatively, spiritually or emotionally?<\/font> <\/p>\n

Giselle<\/strong>:<\/font> Good coffee and delicious food, embroidery, being around other people that are really inspired and make things all the time, marching bands in a parade, jumping in cold water, wind before a storm.<\/p>\n

7-Imp<\/strong>:<\/font> What turns you off?<\/font><\/p>\n

Giselle<\/strong>:<\/font> People who think they are better than me.<\/p>\n

7-Imp<\/strong>:<\/font> What is your favorite curse word? (optional)<\/font><\/p>\n

Giselle<\/strong>:<\/font> I wish I didn’t swear so much around my kids.<\/p>\n

7-Imp<\/strong>:<\/font> What sound or noise do you love?<\/font><\/p>\n

Giselle<\/strong>:<\/font> Mourning doves, wind in trees, cello.<\/p>\n

7-Imp<\/strong>:<\/font> What sound or noise do you hate?<\/font> <\/p>\n

Giselle<\/strong>:<\/font> Power tools, jack-hammers, fire alarms, car alarms, trucks in {a} low gear going down my road, my kids crying-screaming.<\/p>\n

7-Imp<\/strong>:<\/font> What profession other than your own would you like to attempt?<\/font><\/p>\n

Giselle<\/strong>:<\/font> I wish I could sew better, so I could make anything I wanted. Sometimes I would like to have a tiny shop and make lots of things for it. I would also love to make films.<\/p>\n

7-Imp<\/strong>:<\/font> What profession would you not like to do?<\/font><\/p>\n

Giselle<\/strong>:<\/font> I would not like to be an airplane stewardess. <\/p>\n

7-Imp<\/strong>:<\/font> If Heaven exists, what would you like to hear God say when you arrive at the Pearly Gates?<\/font><\/p>\n

Giselle<\/strong>:<\/font> I don’t think I believe in that. <\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

* * * * * * *<\/center><\/p>\n

Top two spreads from WYNKEN, BLYNKEN, AND NOD by Eugene Field, illustration \u00a9 2008 by Giselle Potter, posted by permission of Random House. All rights reserved.<\/em><\/p>\n

All other art work used with permission of the illustrator.<\/em> <\/p>\n

* * * * * * *<\/center><\/p>\n

Giselle’s titles —<\/p>\n