Me In Sunny Carolina: July 2011

Tuesday, July 19, 2011

Top Ten Reasons I LOVE Greenville

1. My childhood home

Now my home again!

2. Family

Most of the clan at my goddaughter's wedding.

3. Clean Water

http://www.awwa.org/publications/breakingnewsdetail.cfm?itemnumber=56952

4. Furman University (my alma mater)

A February walk around the lake.

The Daily Beast: Furman ranks #2 as "most rigorous." I'd say so!

5. Main Street and Falls Park

http://www.greenvillesc.gov/

Me on the rocks at Falls Park in one of my dance costumes. The Falls are everyone's first choice for a photo shoot!

6. Restaurants!

http://thelazygoat.typepad.com/

http://www.opentable.com/nose-dive

http://www.carolinaalehouse.com/

http://www.upstatefoodie.com/restaurants/detail/smoke-on-the-water-greenville-sc

7. Swamp Rabbit Trail

http://greenvillerec.com/parks/swamp-rabbit/

8. The Peace Center

http://www.peacecenter.org/

9. Greenville Dog Park

10. The Greenville artist community, which I believe was ignited by the creation of Artbomb!

Wednesday, July 13, 2011

Good, clean water

You probably take your water for granted. I know I always did but I currently live in an area where the water is undrinkable...and I often even worry about bathing with it. We use a water service and I can only drink water when at home. I do not trust any local restaurant to thoroughly filter their water (consumer filters are not enough) and we do not have a water service at work. Some of my friends live outside of town and have wells but because of natural gas drilling in the area, their water is suspect of contamination. I was delighted to learn that Greenville's water was awarded top national honors. Just one more reason to relocate!
http://www.awwa.org/publications/breakingnewsdetail.cfm?itemnumber=56952

Wednesday, July 6, 2011

AEP Award!

We won a 2011 AEP distinguished achievement award for "Candy Secrets," October 2010, a how-to feature encouraging kids to discover the ingredients of their Halloween candy. It's a fun article that took a lot of testing—it was embarrassing to buy so much candy for the tests and photo shoot! The kids for the shoot were fantastic and were very impressed with the experiments. Both planned to use what they learned to amaze their friends on Halloween. This was a difficult piece to organize for the best understanding of the steps, as well as to make look like fun. I had this in my portfolio before winning the award!

References

I have known and worked for Cindy Faber Smith since 1998 when she, as the art director for Science magazine, commissioned me to do the cover art for the magazine. It was a bit of a surprise since my artwork is geared towards the children’s market. Typical of Cindy, she wanted to bring a different approach to that month’s cover of a rather dry, technical publication. What at first seemed to be a rather impossible assignment (a “hidden picture” type of piece, incorporating many diverse elements) turned out to be one of the most satisfying assignments I have had in my career. She contacted me again a couple of years later with another fresh approach to the cover art utilizing the red queen from Alice in Wonderland as the theme.

I was surprised, when a few years later, she contacted me as the new art director of Highlights. As a child I had a subscription to Highlights, so I had quite an affection for this magazine. Cindy has brought her many skills as a designer to give this 60+ year-old magazine a fresher, more updated look, while still keeping the trademark Highlights style.

Working with Cindy is always a pleasure. She is simply the best art director I have worked with in my 30-year career. She does not over direct and she allows the artist enough freedom to make them feel that they are adding something of their own selves to the illustrations. She is not heavy handed with her suggestions which produces a very positive collaboration.

Because Highlights hosts an annual party for their illustrators, I finally was able to meet Cindy in person. She is a delightful person, filled with humor, intelligence and warmth. I cannot sing her praises more boldly.

David Galchutt

Illustrator

I’ve known Cindy Smith for 25 years. Over the years, I’ve come to rely on her for her humor, earnestness, and enthusiasm in countless situations.

Aside from being an artist, she is a keen observer who thrives on the challenge of dissecting problems and always seems to find a creative solution. She also has the ability to guide others in solving problems that seem insurmountable. In many ways, I’ve become a better person through observing her at work, in our community, and at play.

I admire the way Cindy experiences life and am proud to count her among my closest and most trusted friends. I wouldn’t hesitate to recommend her for any job. I know she would embrace any challenge and undoubtly rise to any occasion.

Sincerely,
Dolores Motichka

“In the cynical world of illustration, I hold Cindy as a ray of light, a turning point in my hopes of a career in illustration. The über belief she had in my work encouraged me to chase after my dreams. My illustrations have now appeared in The New Yorker, for Major League Baseball, in hosts of magazines and children’s books.”

David Leonard