Joanna Concejo, a world-famous illustrator coming to Lithuania: I want readers to look at the world with my own eyes
Two important events for illustrators, writers, publications, agents and book readers will take place in Vilnius on November 4-7 – the traditional festival “Children’s Book Island” and for the first time inviting children’s professionals “Children’s Literature Industry and Publishing Days ’21”, organized by literature. cognitive program “Children’s Land”, Lithuanian Cultural Institute, “Mimaster Illustrazione”, writes in a press release.
The artist J. Concejo is one of the guests of the festival and industry event. She not only participates in meetings with readers and Lithuanian creators, but also leads an open lecture at the Vilnius Academy of Arts and in a master class for students of the Department of Graphics at Vilnius Academy of Arts. It was J. Concejo’s drawing that decorated the poster of the Children’s Book Island Festival.
Before coming to Vilnius, journalist Laisvė Radzevičienė talked to the artist. The conversation was translated from French by Valdas Puteikis.
– O. Tokarczuk’s illustrated book “Lost Soul” was published by you in Lithuanian. The writer has said that it was already news – to write for already created illustrations. What work experience did you bring with the Nobel Prize winner?
– I don’t think it makes much difference whether I’m writing for an already illustrated book or just writing an independent text. One should not think at all that drawings oblige to write in any other way.
They must not be constrained. A writer who tries to adapt his thoughts to already created illustrations completely loses his creative freedom. Finally, I, the illustrator, do not expect or expect to create any more special text for my drawings. One thing I would rather be that the author is trusting me in proposing his text. And I already know how to deal with that text.
I believe that I have mastered my craft well, I have certainly found ways to ensure that the illustrations accompany and complement the text smoothly. I know very well that writing a story for the illustrations already created by O. Tokarczuk was a new experience. I thought for a long time that this short text of her had been created much earlier. Here is such a first impression! Working with Olga, I felt absolute confidence and creative freedom. Tad was quite calm and ensures the success of the joint work.
– How did you manage to depict the human soul – what is invisible? Feelings probably always draw the hardest object?
– I have absolutely no idea what a human soul can look like. And I have no idea if there would be someone who would know that. In fact, I never thought I could reflect it in my work, because it is invisible.
After all, it is a very personal choice. And yet, if I already decide for my personality the soul has a face, I borrow it from the person himself – the sister. While flipping through family albums, which became the biggest source of inspiration, I found a six- to seven-year-old girl. I started drawing it. And yes, it was my sister.
Anyway, it’s no longer easy to express feelings in a drawing, so I draw what I see. I try to be attentive to the environment, I am constantly learning to monitor it. Even small feelings and emotions spread in our gray everyday life, show certain gestures, glances, movements, crosses, small details, traces that a person involuntarily leaves – it is fun for the soul as well. On the other hand, as I said, I show in my works what I see: knitted children’s gloves tied with a lace so that a small person does not lose them from his neck…
It seems like a simple thing, but when I watch it, it seems that the whole world fits in it, only my life experience allows me to know. I think about the sadness and loss of divorce, and at the same time about the connection between him and his soul.
The experience of each of our lives is unique and unique, it is real, there are no questions or doubts about it. What happens to us actually happens to us. I have no doubt that only surviving real things, which are sincerely shared in their books, can touch the hearts of readers, find echo in them. And if you can do something about it, it is very important for me to share it with the audience, which means it is important and sensitive not only for me.
I can never be sure that books will always be found in the reader’s memory, but I hope that while each other, with just the right ones, will become a little more sensitive to the environment.
– Your illustrations are perfectly subtle. Only a person with a subtle soul can draw such. In what environment did you grow up? What has inspired your work since childhood?
– I grew up in a Polish village, in the Pomeranian region, in the north-west of the country. My childhood and youth are the eighties and nineties of the last century. It was a very difficult period when everything was missing and Poland was going through an economic and political crisis. True, in the village we felt it a little less.
When I was little, I can even imagine how unfathomable the world is nonetheless. Everything that mattered revolved around a radius of 30 kilometers around the grandparents ’village. I memorized the name of the villages scattered around, I knew what the big city was called, which I sometimes visited when I had to buy something we didn’t make in our grandparents’ homes, well, let’s say shoes.
My life flowed peacefully in nature – in forests, fields, old gardens and orchards, among cows, pigs, chickens, cats and dogs. And there was nothing more beautiful for me in this world. It doesn’t matter that my grandfather turned on the TV only in the evenings when he wanted to watch, I didn’t need it, I enjoyed the freedom to run and play in the yard, in the fields.
In the winter, the greatest pleasure was taking what my grandmother liked: knitting, crocheting, embroidering, sewing and baking delicious cakes.
I never thought I would leave this place and live far from it. And today, everything I do is like a continuation of my childhood environment. I am fed by the places of those days, the people, the nature, the village. In that world, I must admit, there were a lot of roughness, complicated things, but despite them, for me it was and remained magical.
– In today’s world, where many people are impressed by modern shapes, you seem to go back to the beginning – to the drawing of natural color, clear, understandable colors. How do you think maybe it’s just us, adults, excited by such nostalgic memories? And how do children value your drawings?
– So many things happen in our world, we meet the right people, each of them could tell the most impressive stories. I spent a lot of time searching for my path and a lot of time off my path, keeping in mind what I should do to become a successful illustrator. I created as I was asked, demanded, believing that only in this way would success visit me and I could publish my book.
A lot of people have advised me that it’s not worth illustrating the simplicity of books with a pencil – it’s gray, sad, and kids don’t like it. Then I threw on bright colors, but it turned out they didn’t work at all. Time ruthlessly ran out, one day I swore no longer to torment me, I went back to the gray graphite pencil that no one likes so much and which I like so much. I knew and felt his power and what I could do with it. That’s right, the moment has come when I started to get more and more attention from publishers, and I myself felt like I had regained my balance.
I don’t know if adult evaluators of my illustrations are sensitive to my nostalgic memories, especially don’t pay that kind of attention, don’t create such an effect, I just want to say a few things that are a small part of my personal story. Showing what you like, inviting readers to look at the world through my eyes is my goal. What about the children? They – like the whole world – some really like my drawings, others don’t. Even my son was amazed: you are lucky enough to draw, mom, but I still don’t understand why people are so interested in your books.
– What stories are in your sketchbooks? What real-life events are worth getting there?
– My sketch notes probably have it all! The notes in the books are full of small small notes, drawings, sketches, clippings of newspapers and magazines, and attempts to color something, and photos, and various pieces of paper anyway …
All of this is my blog, very personal. You will never find order in notebooks. Sometimes I start the notebook in the hope that it will become one of the basics of the illustrated books, but immediately it will contain other everyday remarks, completely different and topics, it seems to get lost among the little ones until suddenly all this leads to completely unexpected things and new works. . I call it the creative engine.
– Do you always have a plan for what to draw? How does text affect your drawing?
– Sometimes I have a specific and precise idea, I know how to implement it, and sometimes – absolutely nothing. Some drawings are born easily, while others require work, effort, and long searches. I usually have to do tests and sketches before work.
That’s why I so need the sketchbooks I’ve already talked about! Sometimes I have a great idea in mind, but I waste endless time putting it on paper. And sometimes a great idea that comes from the imagination doesn’t obey the pencil and paper, so you have to get it.
But if we were to talk about the book of illustrations as a whole of drawings, I have to admit, I never had a single idea – from the first drawing to the last. But I have to feel and put in mind the space of the future book, including the number of pages. Sometimes in my notes I like to draw small rectangles that visually represent the pages of a book. It helps it not have cases where I mean no plan.
And the text acts on me as a certain element of the book, equivalent to illustrations. However, I don’t think the artist has to literally illustrate the text. On the contrary, I like to move away from the text, you know, not too much. Ideally, text and illustrations have a connection, touch each other, intersect at certain points in the story, but never dominate each other. One thing I avoid more is to repeat my illustrations of what has already been said in the text.
– Do you usually book to order, or do publishers just use your drawings to fit one book or another?
– Sometimes the publisher is the publisher of the text – and this happens, by the way, most often. There have also been cases where I write several texts myself and then, unexpectedly, the idea arises to illustrate them. I also have a book for which I wrote text when I had already created the illustrations.
So all paths are possible. In addition, there are always authors who want to collaborate with me directly: handing over the text and asking for illustration. When we finish the work, we offer it to the publisher. Each case is not only specific and special, it is always accompanied by adventures and surprises.
– We are waiting for you to come to Vilnius, to the festival “Children’s Book Island”. Are you familiar with Lithuanian illustrators? What knowledge did you share with them the most?
– I know your great artist, book illustrator Stasys Eidrigevičius. I always admire and admire his work. I unconditionally appreciate doing this, and it has been going on for a long time. I am very sensitive to his art, he lifts me up, shakes me. It’s just indescribable!
I always present Stasys ’works to my students in creative workshops. In Western Europe, unfortunately, not many people know him, I am always satisfied when I see the endless interest of young people in this great Lithuanian artist.
I am happy to visit Vilnius. All the more so as my grandfather was born in a small village on the border between Lithuania and present-day Belarus. I am extremely curious to find its land, curious to see the Lithuanian landscape, people and light.
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