Q&A with Tracy Gallup
Q: What was the inspiration
for your recently published books?
A: Reading and memorizing great
poetry which is full of beautiful imagery sparked my imagination to
create the series of India ink paintings that comprise A Roomful
of Questions. Each painting is paired with an abstract question,
and I introduce the book with a quote from Rainer Marie Rilke that encourages
the reader to live in and love questions rather than to feel compelled
to know the answers.
Stone Crazy
came into being when after returning from a vacation on Lake Michigan
I sculpted little figures that were embracing and at one with beautiful
stones that I found on the beach. They seemed to tell their own story
which became the book. Shell, Tree,
and Snow Crazy followed. The illustrations in this series of
books are photographs of the figures I created to act out my stories.
My years of doll making experience gave me the skills to model the figures.
Q: Tell me about your doll
making.
A: After graduating from Syracuse
University with a master’s degree in painting I taught art classes
at a private school in Winnetka, Illinois. Having grown up in Ann Arbor,
and being familiar with Charla Khana who made dolls as art objects,
I decided to make dolls with my middle school art students. The next
thing I knew I was quitting my job and exhibiting in the Ann Arbor Art
Fair and getting orders for my work at a wholesale show put on by the
American Craft Council. How odd it felt to be passionately making dolls
instead of what I considered to be serious painting! But for some reason
it felt right and natural to me. Looking back, I’m glad I followed
my intuition because those little characters that I created changed
my life in such wonderful ways. They introduced me to people who would
become life long friends, provided me with an income, and gave me the
pleasure of making other people happy with my art. My assistants and
I shipped dolls to shops, galleries, and boutiques across the country
from Bergdorf Goodman in New York to a store in Malibu, California where
Joni Mitchell purchased a lion doll that she gave to her friend David
Crosby. Every year I added new designs to my collection. I am still
producing my dolls, but on a smaller scale.
Q: How did you go from making
dolls to publishing books?
A: PRINT MAGAZINE included me
in an article about five artists who designed toys for adults. An editor
from Dial Books saw it and asked me to illustrate a book of children’s
poetry. I realized from that experience that I really wanted to illustrate
my own writing and took a class at Ann Arbor Rec. and Ed. which introduced
me to a critique group that I still belong to ten years later. It took
a long time for me to evolve my writing style. I feel fortunate to have
found a small press that has made a commitment to my stories and illustrations.
Q: What medium do you enjoy
working in most?
