Under Sun, Stars and Sails written by Marsha Hall Brown, Illustrated by Dawn Secord

Over a year ago a book came out written by well-known author, Marsha Hall Brown (retired AKC dog judge), and illustrated by me (the new illustrations - there are historical illustrations and paintings in the book as well).   The title is Under Sun, Stars and Sails.    The cover illustration is one of my pieces.   With the craziness of the past almost 2 years, the publicity for the book was impacted.   The book is an amazing historical story.   I am so glad efforts are underway to proceed with the publicity of the book.

The illustration process was more than fascinating.   I created several maps, pencil illustrations, pastel illustrations as well as the cover painting.   The book follows a sea captain, Joseph Marshall who was a master mariner, and his family from 1851 thru 1861 on their voyage at sea from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean.   Mind you, at that time, there was no Panama Canal.   Their voyage took them ashore too.    Their trek across the Isthmus of Panama was by train and mule.  The research required to create the illustrations and maps was a journey in and of itself.   I also worked from photos of artifacts and of individuals.   It was an honor to work on a project with Mrs. Brown again.    She is a wealth of information.    She is humble about her background, not only in dogs but as a descendant of the founding families of Nantucket.    Did you know Macy’s founders were from Nantucket?   Nantucket played such a tremendous role in the 1800s whaling industry.   The book is a must read for American history buffs.  The book is filled with actual photos and inserts of historical letters.  It is a must read for those wanting to experience a true-life adventure.

Mrs. Brown just released a captivating book trailer for Under Sun Stars and Sails that I am more than proud to share.   Under Sun, Stars and Sails was published by Spinner Publications, Inc. of New Bedford, Massachusetts.

To see the trailer, click on the following link:

https://youtu.be/FTvj_y6rsbA

To order the book, click on the following link: 

http://www.spinnerpub.com/Under_Sun_Stars_and_Sails.html

Under Sun Stars and Sails by Marsha Hall Brown, Illustrated by Dawn Secord

This project has been a few years in the making.   It was great to work with Marsha again.  I was thrilled when she asked me to illustrate this historical book published by Spinner Publications of New Bedford, MA.

The book follows a whaling family's real life experiences at sea between 1851 and 1861.   Marsha Hall Brown is a descendant of the family as well as the island of Nantucket's founding families.  Marsha had some of the artifacts I painted and sketched in her possession at the time of the illustration process (most of which have now been placed with the Nantucket Historical Association).

It seemed at times that I was on the journey with the family.  It would have been fascinating to been at sea with them.   One can only image the adventures of young Helen (Nelly) as she traveled the globe. 
There are some historical illustrations included in the book which are wonderful.    It amazes me that illustrations, such as the historical ones included in the book, could survive not only the decades but the elements.

The current illustrations, including the maps and cover, were done by me.  Countless months were spent researching maps circa 1851- 1861 for the map illustrations.    Panama in 1852, for example, is not what we know today.  The routes to travel from one coast to the other were crude at best.   Many maps were studied before I created the illustration for that area.  It was critical that the map illustrations created were accurate for the time period.   Each illustration was created with a detailed sketch and discussed with Mrs. Brown before rendering a final illustration for publication.  I studied whaling vessels for illustrations.   Fortunately, Marsha was a wealth of information.   She is an expert on the inside and outside of a whaling vessel.  I studied the royal dressing trends for the illustration of the Queen of Tahiti as well as foliage and landscape for accuracy.   For the young Nelly, I researched clothing for a child during that time period.   The cover illustration was absolutely my favorite.  The gown Mrs. Marshall wore for the vessel's true return to port was made especially for the occasion.    The gown is still intact and part of the collection donated by Marsha Hall Brown to the Nantucket Historical Association.  I was able to use several actual photos of the gown to create the illustration for the book's cover.   The horse hair chair used in the Captain's quarters illustration is still in possession of Mrs. Brown's family.  Researching antique furniture and items was of great interest as my own grandmother was an avid antique collector.  There are many fond memories of accompanying her to estate sales and witnessing the auction process.  Her basement smelled of turpentine and wood stain.

The above photo is of Marsha during a book signing in Nantucket at Mitchell's Book Store.  Having personally visited that book store a few years ago, it is my favorite photo of Mrs. Brown's book signing tour. 

A deep and heart felt thank you and expression of honor to Marsha Hall Brown for including me in such a wonderful project.  

Book Reading at the Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show - February 17, 2015

We had a wonderful opportunity to have a book reading of our book Show Dogs Escape to the Seashore (authored by Marsha Hall Brown and illustrated by me) while attending the Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show in New York City on February 17, 2015.

The film crew had seated us on a sofa, surrounded by children, while the breed showing was being conducted.   One of the organizers handed me a black Labrador retriever to hold during the reading.  The lab was so well behaved.  There is no wonder why the labs are such a popular breed!  The children were very focused on Marsha while she was reading to them. 

Marsha turned to "The Great Escape" illustration and asked the children how many dogs were in the illustration.   There was a young boy named Travis who was just adorable.  The children were focusing on the dogs in the illustration

and they all thought there were 7.  Then Travis proclaimed, "WAIT A MOMENT....I believe there are 8" as he pointed to the hidden puppy who was peeking out of a suitcase!   Good job Travis!

Without question, this was one of the highlights of the trip.   Thank you to the organizers for inviting us to do a book reading.  It was great fun!

Show Dogs Escape to the Seashore Book Signing Party

We had our first party at Marsha Hall Brown's home a few weeks ago.   It was so much fun.  Hard to believe our book is out and people are enjoying it.

More photos are on the book's Facebook at at:  https://www.facebook.com/pages/Show-Dogs-Escape/635951903145270

Take a peek at the photos if you have time.

Autographed copies of the book are available on the website at http://www.showdogsescape.com

Show Dogs Escape to the Seashore Illustrated by Dawn Secord, Artist

Those who know me well know I've been illustrating a children's book for the past three years.   The author of the book is AKC judge and dog writer, Marsha Hall Brown.   It is exciting to be able to say....the book is finished and published.  It has been a wonderful journey working with Mrs. Brown.  

Show Dogs Escape to the Seashore is a great story of learning that the grass is not always greener on the other side of the fence, that competitors can be friends and teamwork accomplishes more than going solo. 

The website is under construction and will sell a collector's issue of the book (autographed by author and illustrator

along with a dust jacket and book mark), the original illustrations, prints and posters.  http://www.showdogsescape.

For now, the book is available from Barnes & Noble  and at Amazon. com 

Follow the book on Facebook  https://www.facebook.com/pages/Show-Dogs-Escape/635951903145270 and Twitter  https://twitter.com/ShowDogsEscape

"Show Dogs Escape to the Seashore" by Marsha Hall Brown

For those who know me well, you know I've been creating illustrations for a childrens' book written by AKC judge and dog writer, Marsha Hall Brown.

The book is finished and is in the editing / copyright stages.

Here is a fun teaser line....

The dogs in the ring and the dogs in the gallery cry out in dismay, hoping to stop the imposter by alerting the attention of the show officials. Who is this intruder? Who ruined the show?  

I can't wait to share the illustrations with you.   It has been such a fun experience and I've found a love for illustrating that I didn't expect.   There is a whole new element of creativity that has been found in my journey as an artist.