I fell in love with the gorgeous art in Happy Halloween Old Armadillo, written by my buddy Larry Dane Brimmer, and requested an interview with the illustrator, Dominic Catalano. When I read his bio I saw he also has a Ph.D in Art Education! I give you Dr. Dominic.
When and why did you start illustrating for children?
I've had an interest since I was just a child and really caught the bug in third grade with the publication of Where the Wild Things Are. My first book was Wolf Plays Alone, which was published in 1991, but I had been working up to it with magazine art and textbook work for several years before.
What is the most valuable advice you can give to a newly published illustrator and/or writer?
Don't do it for the money but for the sheer joy. Try to reinvent yourself from time to time to stay fresh. Be with children a lot and be child-like a lot. This is the one profession that can keep you young
What is one of your favorite children’s books that you'd like to recommend?
A lovely little book that gets me every time is "Mutt Dog" by Stephen Michael King. There is a sincerity and a delicious sense of humor displayed through a pitch perfect cartoon style. And the story itself--who wouldn't be touched by the adoption of a brave and intelligent mutt form the streets?
What are you working on now?
I'm hopeful that a story I wrote in Florence, Italy while teaching drawing through a study abroad program will be published by Boyds Mills Press. It's called Of Mice and Michelangelo and features a very talented mouse artist living in Sienna during the Italian Renaissance. He's so good, in fact, that his master teacher Ratanello favors him and suggests that he must travel to Florence to meet his destiny. While in Florence he serves as muse to a young 13 year old Michelangelo as he carves his first sculpture, a bust of an old faun.
What is your favorite dessert and why?
With out doubt it's strawberry cheesecake, creamy, sweet, and delightfully rich. It's also something that my wife and I share, which doubles the pleasure in many ways!
Dominic Catalano is an artist, writer, musician, and teacher. He was born in Syracuse, New York, and earned a BS in art education at SUNY Buffalo, an M.A. in fine arts at SUNY Oswego, an M.F.A. at Syracuse University and a Ph.D in Art Education at Ohio State University. His illustrations have appeared in a number of children's magazines and have drawn high acclaim in many books for children.
Much of Dominic's day is divided between his "three joys": art, music, and teaching. When he does have free time, activities with his family, movies, cooking and spending time with good friends top the agenda. He lives in Perrysburg, Ohio, near Toledo, with his wife and two sons. Dominic teaches Art Education and Illustration at Bowling Green State University.
Comments