The Book of Why

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The Book of Why by J. Bradley Minnick has been published by Silent Clamor Press! You can buy a copy through Amazon, Barnes & Noble, or Bookshop.org.

The book is a compilation of short stories following Jason Why through his last summer of boyhood in the 1960s.

Overview:
I collaborated with John Jarrett, the editor for Silent Clamor Press and author J. Bradley Minnick. I worked on the cover and five illustrations including “A Man’s Reach Should Exceed His Grasp,” “The World Had Come For Us,” “Swimming for Fossils,” “The Pleasures of Sudden Wonder,” and “Fini.” I will show you a small bit of my process on each story, and I hope you enjoy.

“The Book of Why Cover,” “A Man’s Reach Should Exceed His Grasp,” and “Finis“

These three pieces are all variations of the same composition. The idea started from the thumbnail sketch, which was inspired by the top of the hill ending scene from “A Man’s Reach Should Exceed His Grasp.”

As we were discussing this sketch that was to be the cover, J. Bradley Minnick had the idea for me to create variations of this sketch as a series of images that would appear throughout the book, and suggest the idea of a flip book – same image, small changes.

  1. “BOW Cover” – The perspective is from the top above the boy (think a grown up looking down), showing the boy’s upper back. The boy is looking straight ahead. The car is in front of the boy is coming towards him.
  2. “A Man’s Reach” – The perspective is slightly above the boy (think an older kid looking ahead), showing midway of the boy’s back. The boy is looking upward and in front of him at the girl on the bicycle, who is going away from him.
  3. “Fini” – The perspective is from below (think a dog), showing the entirety of the boy’s back. The boy is looking straight up at the sky, which is featured as the background with the top of the trees.

The frame colors also change each composition.

It was easy enough to make the thumbnail sketch, but I could not figure out the correct perspective of this made-up hill. After looking at a few hills, I realized that if the boy is standing at the top of a hill, it would actually have to be an incredibly steep and long hill in order to see the bottom. Also, the bottom would have to show in order for it to look like a hill in the drawing. So, we went on an artist adventure to find just the right hill!

One idea we had was that it may be in the old neighborhoods in Greenville. We found some hills, but none were steep or long enough. While there, we also stopped by Arin and Genavieve Gilbert’s coffee shop Canvas Coffee and Art House. The kids enjoyed some steamers and we got to see old friends, drink the best coffee roasted by Mr. Gilbert, and look at the fine art. It was fantastic. We also went to the art museum and the public library.

Another idea was the old neighborhoods downtown Columbia, and we did find THE hill near the University. This is an incredibly steep and long hill, and it actually works because of the long stretch at the end. Finding that hill was the end of this art adventure, but the beginning of the studio work.

“The World Had Comes For Us“
This piece was done over a year ago before this book – it was a single story to be published for east of the web, a short stories website. I was still working out this illustration style that would end up being used for both The Bankrupt Circus and Other Misadventures and The Book of Why.

We had a fun time trying to build our own car for the composition, but it didn’t really work. The boys were begging me to purchase them an actual peddle car, but we ended up using a small plastic car we found at a garage sale for $5.

Swimming For Fossils
This story is about two neighborhood boys who secretly play in a tar pit. They “float” down using their umbrellas. I created some sketches, and sketch D was chosen. I ended up putting it on an old projector screen from sketch C idea because it compositionally worked better.

This story reminded me of the old times in my own neighborhood growing up when we used to go under the sewers. I’m not sure why we went under there. Maybe it was just to prove to each other we weren’t afraid. I remember the last time I went under there, my head got stuck, and I pretty much freaked out, yes, with everyone watching. In the end, I scraped it through, and never went down there again. At some point I saw the “It” movie with the demon clown, a film completely made for youngsters. After that, I would run by the open sewer grates terrified a clown hand would snap out and grab my leg pulling me under into hell. But I digress…

“The Pleasures of Sudden Wonder”
After reading this story, I researched some ideas using the “miniatures” theme. I landed on this super cute Alice in Wonderland old film reels they used to sell in the 1950s to kids as a type of toy story time. I sent the thumbnail sketch ideas to author J. Bradley Minnick, and he wanted me to put sketch A and sketch D as one image. So, the (giant) girl standing in front of (miniature) house reading the book with the flower in her hair would also be looking towards the sweaters in her closet.

I worked in the studio – drawing, painting, scanning, and putting it all together. I use staedtler 2B pencils on either 400 series Strathmore Bristol or 1264 Fabriano Mix Media Multi-Technique. For color, I use inktense pencils, Faber Castell watercolor pencils, and winsor and Newton Designers Gouache and paint with a series of Princeton Lauren brushes. I scan the paintings using an HP OfficeJet Pro 7740 and use the Adobe Creative Suite Photoshop program on an iMac for final composition.

We went out for “The Pleasures of Sudden Wonder” flower walk in a neighborhood near our parish. The kids started picking up flowers and flower petals that had fallen to the ground. J.F.P. was making these really neat sculptures and art out of the petals. I also showed the kids how to swing around the light pole to play “Dizzy Gillespiee” from the story. They thought that was pretty fun.

This story was reviewed by Trenton Lee Stewart, which is so amazing because I used E.K. as a model for this story, and The Mysterious Benedict Society is one of her favorite books! I actually read this book a couple of years after it was first published, and went to an author signing event after the release of the third book in the series at an independent bookstore WordsWorth Books to meet Mr. Stewart. I sent the signed copy to my cousin, who was around E.K.’s age at the time, who also loved mysteries and the book series. I can’t know if he saw the illustrations I made or just read the story, but it still feels very fancy to have something one has had a creative hand in to be reviewed by a favorite author!

Here is THE review by Trent Lee Stewart on “The Pleasures of Sudden Wonder”
“There is an air of mystery in everything J. Bradley Minnick writes. His prose and his characters—and even the neighborhoods and towns his characters inhabit—are in ceaseless search of the human soul. With a smiling, gentle sadness they offer abundant evidence of both its existence and its ungraspable nature. “The Pleasures of Sudden Wonder” is a glowing example of what makes Minnick such a special writer; like the houses that line its streets, this story will speak to you.”

I’m grateful for being a part of this project, and I hope YOU purchase the book, and enjoy it for years to come.

Art Booth at the Starlight Gala

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Because my small business supported the Christmas Angel, one of the perks was getting space for a vendor booth at the Annual Starlight Gala. “The Starlight Gala is a celebration of artists using their gifts to shine light into the world. Through performance and creative expression, we gather as a community to support Lighthouse for Life and their work bringing freedom, healing, and hope to survivors of human trafficking. When art and compassion unite, even the darkest places can be illuminated.”

My daughter E.K. had been making these felt stuffed creations and small nature watercolor paintings, so I thought we could both use the booth. I ordered a table from the library of things, had M pick it up (thanks M!), and found objects around the house I could use to display the art – a large drawer, two toddler bed rails, my oil painting easel, an art board, and a drawing board. E.K. used our old band pink suitcase, some recycled party decorations, a small table, and our napkin basket. We also used tablecloths and a small bit of lace.

I sold a couple of pieces, and E.K. just about sold out! Her sales pitch was “Hello, I’m raising money for my dance fund. Would you like to buy?” It was so straight to the point, and nine times out of ten people bought. It was fantastic!

I found a lot of my printmaking to take for the art booth. One of the pieces I sold was a man with a set of lenses or type of smartphone connected to his face.

The young couple who purchased the work asked me about it. I had to think back because I had made the piece over twenty years ago. I told them it was an idea I had of a man who could create his own world or reality through theses lenses or cameras with things he saw and what he chose to record or not. They looked at me politely, but seemed a little underwhelmed by my explanation. I realized later when I thought about it that it would have been very relevant to say “I made it in 2004 before smartphones came out, so it seemed like a novel hypothetical at the time.”

It reminded me of an old gentleman I worked for many years ago that would often tell me how he thought of this thing or that before it was mass produced. I didn’t realize the significance of that until now. We can see the direction the culture is headed and see the obvious implications of technology. With enough time however, the wonder of gadgets fades and we have a vague feeling we should have a least received a check for all the trouble. The human heart seems boundless in its ingratitude!

There were some amazing dance performances! So, here are some of the photos of the Nova Ballet Theatre dance troupe, which were taken by Sean at So’ Creative Studio.

The Christmas Angel Set Design

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My friend Gabrielle Reed with Celestial Stars Arts Academy puts on an annual ballet she created called The Christmas Angel through her Nova Ballet dance company.

I got to paint one of the sets for the 25th anniversary show! She sent me these pictures and gave me the wood cut out pieces. I scrounged some house paint from my garage coupled with a box of acrylic paints, and got to work.

There had been a cold front that week, so the costume studio I worked in was cold. It reminded me of the old days working in the concrete floor art studios at University where they funded business programs and fountains, but not heaters for the art students.

I was talking to one of my art friends from high school about this project and we were joking how our backs were hurting from bending over to paint. We both just happened to be working on installation projects! She had an “aha” moment where she said to “prop it up!” The second session I worked on it, I did prop it up against the wall. Thank you Elsa with No Bones Left!

Once painted it was mounted, and Gabrielle’s husband Gene put it together and added curtains.

When it was finished it was used for one of the dancing acts. One of the dance mom’s had put four of her daughters through the dance program and wanted to dance with her daughters in the show. Gabrielle put together an amazing idea of a puppet master giving a show to the toys during the Christmas festivities. It turned out great!

Our kids were in the performance as well! Here are some fun backstage scenes I took, and some proofs from So’ Creative Studio.

The Bankrupt Circus and Other Misadventures

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The Bankrupt Circus and Other Misadventures by J. Bradley Minnick has been published by Silent Clamor Press! You can buy a copy through Amazon, Barnes & Noble, or Bookshop.org.

The book is a compilation of short stories “Together, the stories form a portrait of America at its edges-where working-class rituals, childhood games, and neighborhood legends are transformed into metaphors for endurance.”

I worked on five of the story cover illustrations including “Notes from Tennis Camp,” “Fly Stand, Inquire Herein,” “Innocently to Amuse the Imagination in this Dream of Life is Wisdom,” “The Twisted S,” “The Last Telegraph,” and the dedication.

I was working on story illustrations for J. Bradley Minnick prior to this project. His publisher suggested we collaborate on more, and that I be added to the book. I worked on these for about two months to meet the publication deadline. It was a very exciting time.

I worked in the studio – drawing, painting, scanning, and putting it all together. I use staedtler 2B pencils on either 400 series Strathmore Bristol or 1264 Fabriano Mix Media Multi-Technique. For color, I use inktense pencils, Faber Castell watercolor pencils, and winsor and Newton Designers Gouache and paint with a series of Princeton Lauren brushes. I scan the paintings using an HP OfficeJet Pro 7740 and use the Adobe Creative Suite Photoshop program on an iMac for final composition. Here are a few studio pictures of the project!

“Notes from Tennis Camp” was a really fun illustration because it was interactive. We purchased a tennis racket and tennis balls to get a feel for the story. The kids got to play tennis and we ended up with a really nice image on that one because of it.

“Fly Stand, Inquire Herein” was the grossest illustration to work on because of the pictures of flies and rats. I was trying to look without looking while I was painting.

“Innocently to Amuse the Imagination in this Dream of Life is Wisdom” was a bit of a puzzle for me because I wanted it to look very classic. There are a lot of writers referenced in this story, and at first I was thinking of making their portraits, but landed on their head busts instead to further accentuate the old wisdom in literature. I also had to ask my mom to send me the title in her fancy cursive. I think she liked helping on this one.

“The Twisted S” was a seemingly simple illustration, but all of the components had to fit together just right for this one to work well. I got E.K. to model this one for me because she was the most flexible of the kids.

“The Last Telegraph” illustration was very much finished in my imagination after reading the story, so it was only a matter of painting all of the pieces. This small sketch is what I sent J. Bradley Minnick, so you can see that he’s very trusting of my imagination!

The Dedication illustration was inspired from my own family portraits wall.

I’m so thankful I got to work on this great project.

The Damsels in Distress: Recording Hey EP

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Micah got a text from a friend asking us to make a fake EP for a fake record label. No expectations and no pressure. How nice! We wrote five songs and spent the next two weekends recording.

As we worked, the kids began to watch and sing along. Along with the songs, L.K. put together fun album art. A childhood picture of L.K. on a bicycle reappears on the front, and the back features our first daughter E.K. skipping at a lake. The word “hey” appears in every song. So that happened. We put it on our bandcamp. We hope you take a listen.