In the Thread is a Weaving
Illustration © D. Yael Bernhard
This illustration is from In the Fiddle Is A Song: A Lift-the-Flap Book of Hidden Potential (Chronicle Books), a “concept” picture book that I wrote, illustrated, and designed in 2006. The whole book is a rhyming poem that shows how creative potential manifests. Examples are shown of both manmade creativity – as in a blanket crocheted from thread, bread baked from wheat, or a song emerging from a fiddle – and natural creation – as in a nest built by blackbirds, an oak tree growing from an acorn, or a thunderstorm forming from electrically-charged clouds.
The seed idea for the book was planted when my youngest child was a baby, and I took her for a walk one day along with another mother and her little boy. Angela loved to knit and crochet, but as a new mom, had no time for creative projects. Yet she told me she kept a basket of yarn out all the time just so she could imagine what she would make from it in the future. Just gazing at the yarn, she said, enabled her to see the potential in it.
I thought how I feel the same way about paper and paints. I often keep my art supplies out within view. Just the sight of finely-textured paper or colorful paint tubes gets my imagination going. Then I thought of how a farmer might see a fresh plot of earth; how an interior designer might regard an empty room; or how a musician views a beautifully-crafted instrument. My thoughts rippled out from there – we all have our “blank canvases,” so to speak. Even the swallows that build a nest under my garage overhang each spring see potential in the mud puddle in my driveway. Each year they make hundreds of trips back and forth with little dabs of mud in their beaks. Nature and humans alike are constantly creating, and the world is full of raw material. I wanted young readers to see that.
So each spread first shows potential, as in the image shown above, and then a flap opens (in this case downward) to reveal what is created:
This particular illustration was an opportunity to work from direct observation. That’s my baby daughter in the basket, born with thick black hair. The stone fireplace was part of our lives too, as were the green braided rug and the antique rocking chair. The blanket was a gift, woven in lovely pastel hues. And the basket was loaned to us while Sage was a baby.
The flaps in this book were quite challenging to design. Some open sideways, some upward, and some downward (like this one). They are all custom-cut to relate to the images. The basket of yarn shown above is on the outside of the closed flap. Since every illustration was essentially painted twice, it was a lot of work.
Unfortunately printing and attaching the flaps was expensive, which raised the price of the book. In the Fiddle Is A Song got great reviews, but didn’t sell so well. Concept books generally don’t sell as well as storybooks. And as a mother of three children, I had little time to help promote the book and no ability to travel – so sadly, it went out of print fairly quickly. Still, I like to imagine the book had a positive impact on some children. The final image shows the hidden potential in an individual child – that is, a story waiting to be told. We are all crafting our own stories from the raw material of our lives.
A good week to all!
D. Yael Bernhard
https://dyaelbernhard.com
Have you seen my other Substack, The Art of Health? In addition to being a visual artist, I’m also a certified integrative health & nutrition coach with a lifelong passion for natural food cooking and herbal medicine. Now in its second year, this illustrated newsletter explores cutting-edge concepts of nutrition. I strive to make relevant information clear and accessible, and to anchor essential health concepts in unique images. Check it out, and if you like it, please subscribe and help spread the word. Your support keeps my work going!