Happy Valentine’s Day with an illustration from the book, THINGS TO MAKE AND DO FOR VALENTINE’S DAY, 1976. (Bob)
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REMEMBERING TOMIE on February 13, 2021
Editor Nora Cohen and Art Director and book designer Nanette Stevenson, dressed as Mother Goose from TOMIE DEPAOLA’S MOTHER GOOSE at a G. P. Putnam’s Sons celebration for the publication of the book in November, 1985.
Nanette was a major influence in Tomie’s book career. They had a loving, frank, and occasionally disagreeable relationship. Tomie spent hundreds (thousands?) of dollars sending Nanette flowers, as apologies, after telephone arguments. (Bob)
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REMEMBERING TOMIE on February 12, 2021
Christmas, 1986. Diane Deckard gave us caps: “President, Whitebird, Inc.” for Tomie and “President, Redwing Farm Collection” for me. (I had a small mail order business. Red Wing was my hometown. Redwing Farm was the name of the “red house.”)
The walls of this home, post-”red house,” were brown before Tomie white-d everything. (Bob)
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REMEMBERING TOMIE on February 11, 2021
Here’s one of a dozen or so small paintings and drawings from the early 1970s.
The actual drawings ranged in size 3” - 6” x 3” - 6”. (Bob)
Copyright (c) by Whitebird, Inc.
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REMEMBERING TOMIE on February 10, 2021
Photo: Tomie meeting young fans after a performance of Christmas Revels in Hanover, NH, December, 1984.
“Revels” originated in Cambridge, MA. “Offshoots” became established in Hanover, NH, New York City, and Washington, DC.
The Revels’ newsletter, Spring, 1985, read: “Hanover, NH. The Christmas Revels that took place at Hanover, New Hampshire, this December presented a new format based on the picture book, THE CLOWN OF GOD, by Tomie dePaola. The colorful production, containing costumes and sets reminiscent of dePaola’s book illustrations, used Italian songs and dances of the Renaissance and traditional street cries and folk songs.”
This was the first time a children’s book had been used as the centerpiece for Revels. Tomie joined the cast on stage as narrator. (Bob)
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