| The
Girl from the Moon
The Girl from the Moon is two stories: one for children and one
for adults. My confidence to create a richer sequel of layered meanings
with more serious themes comes from the dramatic success of The
Boy from the Sun. Children and adults have responded to that story
far better than I could have hoped. I've seen grown adults burst
into tears when reading the story, and I've heard from parents and
children that this is their favourite picture book, read repeatedly.
The Girl from the Moon is inspired by ideas from the controversial
art historian Alan Gowans. He compared the early growth of a child's
mind to that of the entire human race, witnessed as evidence in
ancient artifacts. He also claimed the artifacts reveal four distinct
Heaven to Earth movements: long periods of attempts in history to
perfect the human condition that failed miserably. Gowans points
out that one major and successful underlying theme of American popular
culture is a reaction against the last (or current) H to E movement
- that being of universal love and total egalitarianism. This also
pits popular art against modern art. Gowans believed that traditional
art had four basic functions, which today operate in the popular
arts, but not in galleries of art. In the 1970s Gowans had many
followers and inspired many students when he taught at the University
of Victoria. However, he was despised by the contemporary art world
and other historians, so much so, that mentioning his name could
be detrimental to my artistic career in Canada.
You might ask, how and why would I attempt to pack such big concepts
into a children's picture book? Because it sounds like a challenge,
the risk is low, and it would be fun. Gowans' ideas, and some of
my own, will appear like signposts within the story. So, The Girl
from the Moon can be seen as an introduction to big concepts with
little pictures. This is Low Art with a pretense to be High Art,
with some Fine Art influence. If I can pull it off, this book could
work as an entertaining adventure book, and as an introduction and
celebration of history, art history, and the primary functions of
art that have existed for thousands of years.
more
illustrations | home
|
