Sheila Webster Boneham is the author of the Animals in Focus Mystery series as well as 17
nonfiction books, six of which have won major awards from the Dog Writers
Association of America and the Cat Writers Association. Along with showing her dogs
in various canine sports, Sheila founded rescue groups for Aussies and Labs. Learn
more about Sheila and her books at her website and blog.--AP
Dog Hair in My Palette
Most creative people are creative in more ways than one. I know writers
who compose music, musicians who stitch quilts, textile artists who throw pots.
For my part, I write, I take photos, and I paint. Mostly I work in watercolor,
sometimes combined with ink, but I occasionally work in oils, and I love
colored pencil. Although I’m best known for my dog portraits, I paint other
subjects as well.
Writing and painting engage different parts of the brain, and the
processes complement one another. Here are three lessons I’ve learned about
dividing my time between the two modes of expression.
~Taking time out of my word-intensive work life to paint makes the
writing come more easily. This makes sense, of course, because while writing
and painting both create images, “painting” with language and painting with
pigment engage different parts of the brain. I often work out plot and
character and other writing issues while I’m painting, and I often have flashes
of paintings I’d like to do while I’m writing.
~My photos are mostly of nature—landscapes, animals of all kinds, other
interesting outdoorsy things. To find my subjects, I often have to walk fair
distances. Getting out in the open and immersing myself in natural environments,
helps my writing in several ways. The physical activity away from a keyboard
stimulates my subconscious to work out elements of story. Encounters with
wildlife and with interesting plants reinforce my sense of my small place in
the world. And sometimes something happens that inspires a story or a scene in
a story.
As I wrap up the third Animals in Focus mystery, I find that working in
other media not only support my inspiration and craft, but also remind me that
Janet, my protagonist, is herself an artist, the camera her tool, and the image
her creative expression. Like creative characters in and out of written
stories, she brings a different way of seeing to her life and to her sleuthing.
I wonder whether she has as much dog hair in her camera case as I have in my
palette?
The Money Bird
Animals in Focus Mystery #2
Animal photographer Janet
MacPhail knows that trouble is in the air when Labrador Retriever Drake fetches
a blood-soaked bag holding an exotic feather and a torn one-hundred-dollar bill
during a photo shoot at Twisted Lake. One of Janet's photography students
reports seeing a strange bird at the lake, but he turns up dead before Janet
can talk to him. When she learns that the mysterious retreat center near the
lake is housing large numbers of tropical birds, Janet is sure there's a connection
and decides to investigate between dog-training classes, photo assignments, and
visits to her mom at Shadetree Retirement. With help from her Australian
Shepherd Jay and her quirky friend Goldie, Janet is determined to get to the
bottom of things before another victim's wings are clipped for good.
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6 comments:
Great post, Sheila. Lovely to read how one creative avenue can feed another, sometimes without us even realising it x
Thanks, Suzie! That's the best part - painless self-improvement! :-)
Thank you so much for helping our four-legged friends!
Angela, they help me more than I help them. :-)
Such talent! Beautifully done, the painting / photography and the book! I'm a mystery fan and look forward to reading your book!
Thanks, Yolanda. I would say a teensy touch of talent a lot of good instruction and hard work! :-)
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