MEET LORI
This questionnaire goes back to a popular parlor game in the early 1900s. Marcel Proust filled it out twice. Some of our questions were altered from the original to gain more insight into the hearts and minds of our illustrators. We hope you enjoy this way of getting to know everybody.
1. Your
present state of mind?
HA! Good, as I am painting lots of plein air
paintings, which are just a pure joy to work on. Plein air painting is a
learning experience…but well (to tell you the truth) It’s a great way to warm
up to doing my illustration work. I am included in a plein air art show with
other juried artists who are painting plein air the Land Conservancies of West
Michigan. The show benefits them as well.
2. What do
you do best?
Paint
without deadlines. And sometimes I paint best with a short deadline like while
painting in the plein air, where you must paint fast, as the sun waits for no
one.
3. Where
would you like to live?
I love
living where I do. Really. But if I could, it would be on Lake Michigan, but I
cannot complain about my 6 mile commute to the Muskegon state park.
4. Your
favorite color?
Cobalt blue,
the color of the sky, often.
5. Three of
your own illustrations:
All are
personal paintings, and they tend to represent the 3 different types of styles
of illustration that I do.
6. Your
music?
Mostly
classic rock. Sting, Stevie Wonder really get me to sing along, in the studio
alone, of course as singing is not my ‘gift’.
7. Your
biggest achievement?
My/our two
kids. They are a wonder and huge inspiration to me. They both make me think of
Max in Where the Wild Things Are, and this makes me smile.
8. Your
biggest mistake?
Not taking
more classes when I worked at Hallmark as they paid for tuition.
9. Your
favorite children's book when you were a child?
Charlotte’s
Web.
10. Your
main character trait?
I just love art, and so my family and most of
my friends know this about me, and I’m also known for being ever the artist…as
I seem to always have my sketchbook with me (for instance). And as a character
trait, I am pretty shy. But I’ve learned over the years to push myself beyond
my comfort zone. This tendency to push myself has helped me to overcome many
things such as shyness, to better achieve my goals.
11. What do
you appreciate most in a friend?
A kind
person and seems most often a good listener is a kind person. So I appreciate
most in a friend, a great listener who is kind.
12. What
mistakes are you most willing to forgive?
A wicked
sense of humor. Not even sure if this is a mistake or the answer to question 11
(for me).
13. Your
favorite children's book hero?
‘The Swamp’
in the James Marshall’s: “Miss Nelson is Missing”.
14. What
moves you forward?
Practice
painting moves me forward, such as plein air painting.
15. What
holds you back?
Hesitation.
16. Your
dream of happiness?
Writing and
illustrating my own children’s book stories. With art shows of plein air
studies too. So both doing the best art that I can for children and to get to
be the best I can be for children, therefore I continue to practice with fine
art. Nailed it (the happiness question) !!!!
17. The
painter/illustrator you admire most?
- Painters:
Carol Peek, Dean Mitchell, artists/illustrators: Laurie Keller, Patti Gay, Rob
Hatem (Rob’s blog: Lovemhatem) all very different artists and proud to call them
all my friends.
To choose
one painter/illustrator: whom I admire the most, it would be Wanda Gag
(Millions of Cats).
18. What
super power would you like to have?
Time travel power(s).
19. Your
motto?
Two mottos,
one for artists:
“Keep a
sketchbook on you, draw as often as you can”
One for all
of us: “a sense of humor comes in handy, almost always”
20. Your
social media?
Linked in: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lori-eslick
Lori painted two banners
and they both deserve to be shown, here is the other one.
