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The Highest Use

Wednesday, February 24, 2010


As an illustrator, I am accustomed to seeing my artwork in service. Not standing alone, on an easel or wall, but working, getting a message across. I absolutely couldn't wait to turn the prairie chicken poster over to Bird Watcher's Digest's talented Production Director, Claire Mullen. It would be in a poster design that this painting would see its highest use. Claire works her magic on the magazine six issues a year. When you've been confined in the pages of a magazine, designing a poster has got to be fun, like painting a mural would be for me, and Claire leapt at the opportunity to moonlight this job.

Claire worked off the excitement of the battling birds and took the poster to the wild West with a vigorous, eclectic, fun design. Let's hear it for Claire! And if you're anywhere near Woodward, Oklahoma in April, please come see the vanishing lesser prairie-chickens and the anything but vanishing Zickefoose in the flesh.

8 comments:

Ya know, I wasn't real crazy about your birds as seen on your three posts--they seemed to stand out too much from the background, like they were cut out and pasted on. But perhaps it was just your images of the piece because now that I see it on the poster I think it looks great--the birds blend much better with the background, are a part of the place. Well done!

You used my favorite early morning, late afternoon, low angle light. I love the way it illuminates details like feathers as it passes through.

Congratulations Julie!

Wow. I love your work in progress posts. I held my breath over messing up with poster clutter, but it came out beautifully-a great collaboration.

Just amazing - I looked at each progress post closely - trying to understand how you can "see" this way and then paint your vision.

The final product is so beautiful!

Congratulations - !

I'd go to the festival to get the poster, if nothing else. Too bad it's not for Potholes and Prairies! (Well, too bad for me - not for TR!)

:)

Oh wow Julie, that poster turned out really neat! I really like the way she laid out the lettering in conjunction with your art.

I'm thrilled to hear you will be coming to the Lesser Prairie Chicken festival in Woodward! Hope to see you in person.

Posted by Susan Thompson March 9, 2010 at 7:27 AM
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