It was a privelidge to collaborate directly with Barbara, the author, to create this cover image for the first hard-cover edition of her book, Small Wonder. It was also unusual for an author to be involved as, almost, an art director for her own book, but that’s how involved she liked to be. I met with her to brain-storm ideas. She tried to describe from a vague dream image she had as she was finishing the writing. I also had an image of a cover in my mind that was dark, yet lush. Back in my studio, I did a sort of mind-meld and Barbara loved my color sketch. We worked in a similar way on the interior spot illustrations for chapter heads.
That’s what illustration does: it makes the memory of a dream, or an indescribable feeling in the imagination, concrete and visible to the world.
