Norman Rockwell Museum’s illustration video podcast debuts February 14
STOCKBRIDGE — The Norman Rockwell Museum’s Rockwell Center for American Visual Studies recently announced a new weekly video podcast series, The Illustrator’s Studio, which will debut on Sunday, Feb. 14. For each session, Curator of Exhibitions Jesse Kowalski will invite artists, scholars, and collectors to share their personal histories, passion for the field, and unique working methods. The free series will be available through the Museum’s website, and on podcast platforms offered by Amazon, Apple, Google, Spotify, and YouTube. Each podcast can be joined as an auditory experience or a full multimedia presentation.
Podcast release dates and guests are as follows.
February 14 – Boris Vallejo has painted nearly every major fantasy figure — Tarzan, John Carter, Conan the Barbarian — but his most-viewed work may be the film poster for National Lampoon’s Vacation (1983). Julie Bell dabbled in children’s book illustration before pursuing a career in bodybuilding. In 1989, she began modeling for Vallejo and was inspired to return to illustration. Bell is the first woman to illustrate Conan the Barbarian for Marvel Comics.
February 22 – As the Creative Director of Character Design at Sesame Workshop, Louis Henry Mitchell carries on the work Jim Henson. He created Kami, the first HIV-positive Muppet and Julia, the first Muppet on the autism spectrum.
March 1 – Donato Giancola was named Best Artist at the World Fantasy Awards in 2004 and has won three Hugo Awards, 23 Chesley Awards from the Association of Science Fiction and Fantasy Artists, and numerous other awards.
March 8 – Frank Frazetta is the most popular fantasy illustrator of the late-20th century. He helped revitalize the field with forays into book covers, album design, calendars, and film. The artist’s granddaughter, Sara Frazetta, is the CEO and co-founder of Frazetta Girls, LLC, which licenses Frank’s artworks. Later this year, she will open a museum dedicated to him.
March 15 – Ruth Sanderson has been a professional illustrator since 1975, with over 80 published children’s books to her name. She began her career creating art for book covers, including the Black Stallion and Nancy Drew series. She went on to illustrate Heidi (1984), The Secret Garden (1988), The Twelve Dancing Princesses (1990), and The Snow Princess (2004).
March 22 – One of the established superstars of “weird fantasy” artwork, Bob Eggleton has illustrated and written numerous science fiction and fantasy books, and between 1994 and 2004 won the Hugo Award for Best Professional Artist eight times.
March 29 – Over the past four decades, Thomas Blackshear has painted artworks for magazines, movie studios, and postage stamps. Subjects have included classic film monsters, 1930s movie stars, and The African American Tradition: Heroes of Our Heritages, which showcased portraits of Rosa Parks, Ida B. Wells, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., and others.
April 5 – Alessandra Pisano won the Spectrum fantasy event’s Rising Star award in 2017. Pisano was recently hired as an illustrator for the role-playing game, Magic: The Gathering.
April 12 – After illustrating superheroes for mainstream publishers, Charles Vess collaborated with author Neil Gaiman on the acclaimed series The Sandman, as well as Stardust (1998), and Blueberry Girl (2009). Vess contributed 56 illustrations to Ursula K. LeGuin’s The Books of Earthsea: The Complete Illustrated Edition (2018). Vess is the winner of three Eisner Awards, two Hugo Awards, and four World Fantasy Awards.
April 19 – Etienne Delessert has illustrated more than 80 books, with millions of copies sold worldwide. He is considered one of the fathers of modern children’s picture books.
—A.K.
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Porch season now year-round at Red Lion Inn, Valentine’s Day dinner reservations open
STOCKBRIDGE — For the first time, the Red Lion Inn has enclosed its front porch for the winter months. Heaters have been added to extend the porch season, and food and beverages will be available to enjoy on the porch from Wednesdays through Sundays.
The Red Lion Inn also has a firepit in The Courtyard, open weekdays from 4–7 p.m. and weekends until 8 p.m.
The Main Dining Room at the Inn will serve Valentine’s Day specials from Friday, Feb. 12 through Sunday, Feb. 14. Reservations are recommended.
—A.K.
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Sharon Charde presents ‘How Poetry Changed a Group of At-risk Young Women’
SALISBURY — Scoville Memorial Library will present the free Zoom event How Poetry Changed a Group of At-risk Young Women, with author Sharon Charde, at 7 p.m. on Thursday, Feb. 11.
For the last decade, Charde has combined her skills as a psychotherapist, teacher, and writer in a volunteer position at a residential treatment facility, teaching poetry to so-called “delinquent” girls.
Her recent book, “I Am Not a Juvenile Delinquent: How Poetry Changed a Group of At-risk Young Women,” is an account of her journey.
—A.K.
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Local artist Stella Elliston to exhibit at Fuel
GREAT BARRINGTON — Local artist Stella Elliston will have her work featured at Fuel coffee shop in Great Barrington for the month of February.
The pieces exhibited represent her recent oils on canvas. Her subject matter varies from sheep to coffee cups. Elliston said she strives to capture the poetry in her everyday life, focusing on light and shadow.
The artist’s work has previously been shown at Six Depot Café in West Stockbridge, juried shows at the Welles Gallery in Lenox, and at the former Geoffrey Young Gallery.
All paintings are for sale, with a price list available at the cafe.
—A.K.
