“Cartagena Paper Girl” Book Cover Illustration

The Cartagena Paper Girl, by Iris Gomez, explores the themes of immigrant Latino culture, family relations, and mental illness, set against the backdrop of 1970's Miami. In the story, the teenage daughter, Gabi, struggles to hold her family together as her once stable father, Roberto, descends helplessly into madness.

Art director Brigid Pearson requested an image of Gabi swinging around the family's backyard Mango tree, fading into a background texture of classified want-ads, which her father repeatedly forces Gabi to scour.

I think I must have searched out and photographed just about every Mango tree in Sarasota, and I never did find the perfect one, so in the end I had to make a composite of many, many Mango trees, which is what you see here. Fortunately, the want-ads and the young woman were easier to find.

CLIENT: GRAND CENTRAL PUBLISHING
ART DIRECTOR: BRIGID PEARSON

“Day of the Pelican” Book Jacket Illustration

The Day of the Pelican is another great read for young people. Written by Katherine Peterson, author of Bridge To Terabithia, the story recounts the difficult journey of a family from war-torn Kosovo to America, as told through the eyes of the adolescent daughter. An old framed family photograph, a prized keepsake, is burned in the senseless destruction and becomes a prominent symbol in the story. Above is the final cover, below are the original comps I presented. The photographs used are from my archives.



CLIENT: HOUGHTON MIFFLIN
ART DIRECTOR: SHEILA SMALLWOOD

“Under A Red Sky” Book Jacket

Anyone familiar with my work can't help but notice the recurring frame motif. This is probably the influence of Joseph Cornell, one of my favorite artists since I can remember. I have been making these little frames from balsa and basswood ever since a brief stint working in an architectural supply store many years ago.

For this moving young adult memoir, Under A Red Sky—Memoir of a Childhood In Communist Romania, by Haya Leah Molnar, the author provided me with lots of great black and white photographs taken by her father, a cinematographer. A collage of weathered frames seemed like a natural solution.

Above is the finished artwork, below are two alternate comps presented.




CLIENT: FARRAR, STRAUS, & GIROUX
ART DIRECTOR: JAY COLVIN