INTRODUCTION

“Primo Libro”

A few years ago, shortly before I left to spend a month as a visiting artist at the American Academy in Rome, I was strolling down lower Fifth Avenue in New York City when I spotted a table full of used books for sale. I’m always on the lookout for books that inspire me. On the table was a threadbare copy of an illustrated book from the 1960s, The Golden Children’s Bible. This was the first book I remember reading as a child growing up in rural Missouri. I was flooded with fond memories of discovering these Bible stories for the first time in Sunday School. I bought the book and packed it in my suitcase to take with me to Rome. The seed of an idea for my next book was planted right there on the sidewalks of New York.

I traveled to Rome envisioning the Bible stories coming to life as my next pop-up book. I soon found myself surrounded (and often overwhelmed) by some of the finest art ever created, and many works were inspired by these timeless biblical narratives. The subject matter was so vast and varied that I was having a difficult time deciding which stories to focus on.

I saw an announcement pinned to the bulletin board about a day trip being organized to travel outside of Rome to visit a palazzo and garden. One of my favorite activities while visiting a foreign country is to tour historic houses and gardens. Since I was feeling stuck artistically at that moment, I immediately signed up for the trip. There is nothing like driving through the countryside of Italy to get the creative juices flowing.
Little did I know at the time that visiting a palazzo would crystallize my concepts for the book I wanted to create. Our first stop, Palazzo Farnese di Caprarola, was a bit off the beaten track. We were allowed to roam the rooms at our leisure and to take photographs of anything that caught our fancy. As so often happens when in Italy, I walked in to a magnificent room with elaborate frescoes, and my eye was drawn to the oval painting on the ceiling. Lo and behold it was a sixteenth-century painting of the story of Jacob and the angels climbing the ladder between heaven and earth, from the Book of Genesis. The painting was dynamic and dramatic, and told the story of Jacob’s Ladder in one (immense) image. I realized instantly that I should concentrate on just one chapter from the Bible, and that I should start at the very beginning with the Book of Genesis. The seed I had brought with me to Italy began to grow, and I named it “primo libro.”

As with all healthy growth (of seeds or anything else), patience and nurturing are very important, not to mention a good amount of faith. I dove into the project with gusto and the book started to develop very nicely. At that point my publisher, Little, Brown and Company, asked me to develop a Christmas book to follow the recent success of my pop-up book, Christmas in New York. I put the Genesis project on hold, to work instead on  Christmas around the World.

In the winter of 2007, upon completion of the original paintings for Christmas around the World, “primo libro” began to sprout again. My biblical pop-up book began to take shape, and I found it even more stimulating going back in to the Book of Genesis for a second time. I must admit, I was somewhat intimidated to put my artistic stamp on some of the greatest stories ever told, but with the help of a wonderful collaborative team, “primo libro” continued to grow into In the Beginning:  The Art of Genesis. I realized how important it is to continue the tradition of presenting these timeless narratives, and I like to think each pop-up, booklet, and illustration is a blossom on the stalk of “primo libro..”

Sweet Christmas Memories

1640 Jonquil Drive:

Outside, floodlights crisscrossed the glittery snow, lighting the boxwood wreaths hanging on the floor-to-ceiling paned-glass windows that created the semi-circular room that jutted into the front yard of my grandparent’s house in suburban St. Louis. Inside, the lighting was no less theatrical, creating a Christmas “window” display that rivaled the ones of the grand old department
stores downtown.   A life-sized Santa Claus, lovingly assembled by Grandma
Louise out of an authentic red felt suit, gold buckled boots, and a bushy white beard sat waving merrily in front of a sparkling ornament-laden blue spruce tree surrounded by piles of packages wrapped in shiny white paper and tied with red ribbon.  Next to Santa was a child-size table and chairs, set with crisp linen and lace, English bone china teacups and saucers, petit four plates, and sterling silver spoons. My sisters, cousins, and I would play-act a proper tea party (Santa and Mrs. Claus [played by our grandmother] were always the guests of honor) for the neighborhood children who would peer in at us, mitten-covered hands pressed against the frosty windowpanes. 

As I outgrew Santa’s tea party, my attention turned to the Christmas tree that dominated the center of the room.  I loved hearing Grandma Louise tell why she always chose the “orphan tree” (a tree that is passed over because of its missing branches or crooked trunk).  Grandma knew that once the branches were laden with ornaments and the shiny star was placed on top, the tree would stand proud as family and friends admired its beauty throughout the holiday season.  I looked forward to helping Grandma decorate the tree, and as I carefully unwrapped each treasure and placed a brass holder through its eye, she would talk about the history of the ornament.  They were made in far off lands – Germany, Russia
and even a place called “Hungry” (Hungary), and I particularly liked the foreign
Santa Claus ornaments.  Imagine, a Santa Claus in a blue or brown coat, and one who rode a donkey, even a witchlike woman with a broom stick, these were the stories that captured my imagination and inspired me to learn more about Christmas traditions in other countries.

These childhood memories came rushing back to me a few years ago as I was creating my pop-up book, Christmas in New York, and rekindled my interest
in how other cultures celebrate Christmas.  Little did I know at the time that
the family story telling I was privy to and the sweet Christmas memories of
my childhood would lead me, many years later, to create this book.  I hope the joy and delight I feel when I revisit these early Christmas memories shines through in this book. And I hope the magic of the pop-ups and the history within the booklets will bring back sweet memories from your own Christmases past, and that this book will become a treasured family keepsake for many Christmases to come. 

Wishing you a Merry Christmas wherever in the world you are, and may you and yours enjoy good health and happiness throughout the coming year.