It's finally happening! My first indie/self published picture book will be launched in the coming week or so. I can't believe it as it's been quite a journey from writing the short story and buying the boxed canvas last year to painting the borders and then finally getting the courage enough to paint the story (people included) which isn't my forte at all.It's a story from my childhood about Sina (a legendary Samoan mythological figure) that my parents first told me when I was young. The hard part was trying to decide what to paint on each board as I had ideas but didn't know if I was capable of painting them as I've enjoyed just painting pacific iconic patterns over the last few years.
But I finally overcame my fear and last week took the paintings to get printed. Of course waiting to see the proof was a little daunting but it was all worth it when I got to see the near finished product. A few tweaks to still go before okaying the final but on the whole, I love it! (I might even be hooked).
It's funny but on reflection it seems to be the right place to start in with my new self publishing direction. It highlights the two languages that I was brought up in, that I had wanted to have a career in art as a high school teenager (Art director) and had initially wanted to go to Elam, Auckland Uni Fine Arts school but although I'd passed Bursary art (first in the school), I didn't have enough marks to get in (but that's another story).
Now, I'm finally making it happen in a different way and rediscovering again my love for art and story making. The pic above is the front cover of my book and I deliberately had lots of beach scenes (just love the beach!) and fale Samoa (Samoan traditional houses) to depict a long lost age.
And don't forget Samoan language week on 24-30 May 2015. Will have more info on the launch and details of book viewing and/or purchasing in the coming days. So exciting!...
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