A calendar to celebrate the Canticle

Posted on November 19, 2024 by Jo Myers-Walker
2025 calendar from the Basilica of Saint Francis in Assisi, shown as front cover and opened to the month of December featuring Canticle of Creation sculpture by artist Jo Myers-Walker

The calendar front cover, and opened to December with an image of the sculpture. The caption reads:
“Praise and bless my Lord, and give Him thanks,
and serve Him with great humility.”

Each year the friars of the Basilica of Saint Francis in Assisi produce a calendar illustrated with artwork inspired by the life and teachings of St. Francis, which they provide at no charge to residents of Italy and to pilgrims visiting the Basilica. The 2025 calendar celebrates the 800th anniversary of St. Francis’s Canticle of the Sun, and includes an image of my Canticle of Creation sculpture!

From the Basilica’s website (using Google Translate):

    “In 1225, Saint Francis of Assisi composed the ‘Canticle of Brother Sun,’ an extraordinary hymn to the beauty of creation and universal love.
    On the occasion of [its] eighth centenary, we friars of the Basilica of Assisi want to celebrate this prayer of praise to God, which still today inspires us to live in harmony with nature and with others:  the 2025 calendar is a tribute to this message of peace and love.”

In 2013 I went on a pilgrimage to Assisi and painted scenes from the trip after my return. The experience was deeply meaningful to me, and the Canticle really spoke to me. In 2017 I painted on lighter-weight acrylic (which could be slumped) and a stronger Lexan™ background piece, joining them together to form the approx. 36″ x 63″ sculpture. The artwork shows St. Clare and St. Francis surrounded by figures from stories that are told about St. Francis’s life. The sculpture is currently displayed by the Sisters of St. Francis in Dubuque, Iowa.

Visitors from Iowa meet with Brother Riccardo Giacon of the Basilica of Saint Francis in Assisi

Sister Pat (at left) and Nancy (at right)
meet with Brother Riccardo in Assisi

In July of this year Brother Riccardo Giacon in Assisi emailed to ask permission to use an image of the sculpture to accompany a month of the Basilica’s 2025 calendar. The acrylic and Lexan™ materials are both transparent, and its supporting easel showed through in the largest photo I had, so Sarah Clark at Allegra worked with the image to remove the easel from the background and get it ready for print. Some pilgrims from Iowa were in Assisi when the new calendar came out, and got to meet with Brother Riccardo!

In an introductory essay in the calendar, Brother Riccardo writes:  “The Canticle of Brother Sun inspired Pope Francis’s encyclical Laudato si’, which reminds not only Christians, but all people of goodwill, of the responsibility that everyone must take upon themselves to safeguard this world and pass it on to future generations, and above all to keep it as it truly is:  an icon of the beauty of God’s countenance.” I feel both excited and humbled to be part of this tribute to a work that has been such an inspiration to me.

Canticle sculpture, acrylic and Lexan painted with stories of St. Francis, by artist Jo Myers-Walker

The image used for the calendar
(Click image to view larger)

Earlier posts about the sculpture:

Paintings of Assisi:

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Creating in a small space

Posted on November 4, 2024 by Jo Myers-Walker
Baby grand piano coverted into a colorfully painted desk by artist Jo Myers-Walker

The piano in its new life
as versatile furniture

Earlier this year I was at Northcrest in Ames to teach a watercolor class, then give a presentation using my new friend PowerPoint. This was special for me — I knew many of the class members as we had raised children together, served on committees together — and I wanted to do something healing. Our theme was “Follow the Brush”; swish the brush, and what do you see? We always saw something, not copying but painting memories and what we felt that day. We did warmups with “little gems” of technique — chickens, flowers, butterflies. I gave them a big sheet of paper and it was totally their deal.

I saw a lot of laughter, playing, discovering; some people told me they were going to start painting regularly again. We are all aging, and people have had to give up things to move into smaller spaces. I pointed out that you don’t need a lot of space to create — you can paint a “little gem” on a kitchen countertop. Or, I suggested, maybe on a baby grand piano! When I got it, this piano didn’t work as a musical instrument (after being stood on by a few too many fraternity members). I took the heavy part out, painted the rest, and it has served me well as work surface, display area, and dinner party table.

A smaller space does require organization; I sometimes rediscover “treasures” when building maintenance needs me to move things around!

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Farm to Street Dinner 2024

Posted on August 19, 2024 by Jo Myers-Walker
Side one of the menu for Iowa City Farm to Street Dinner 2024 with watercolor artwork by artist Jo Myers-Walker

Side 1 of the menu
(Click image to view larger)

Side two of the menu for the 2024 Iowa City Farm to Street Dinner with watercolor artwork by artist Jo Myers-Walker

Side 2 of the menu
(Click image to view larger)

I was asked to paint a border for the menu for this year’s 8th Annual Farm to Street Dinner on August 15 (with diners served at tables set up on North Linn Street), a fundraiser for Veggie Connect, “providing qualified families with shares of fresh produce in an effort to combat chronic illnesses.”

Watercolor street scene of 2024 Farm to Street Dinner on North Linn Street in Iowa City by artist Jo Myers-Walker

The middle of the scene
(Farm to Street Dinner 2024,
North Linn Street, Iowa City)

    From the Farm to Street website: 
    “The event includes a multi-course meal prepared by Iowa City Downtown District chefs with food sourced from local producers. The goal of the Farm to Street Dinner is to bring together members of Iowa City’s diverse, vibrant community to share a table, a story, and a meal, while supporting local food systems.”

It’s a popular event and sold out quickly — see the Iowa City Downtown District’s website and Facebook page for more occasions coming up.

The menu was quite a challenge because I am used to showing the whole painting, not just the edges. I still had to have a good perspective and composition to hold it together — always good to stretch my thinking! I painted it three times before I thought I could submit the work. The originals were auctioned off to benefit Veggie Connect.

I have painted Linn Street many times with a cup of coffee in hand, sitting on the corner, so I know this area. After the menu border was done I painted another version of the dinner, this time with the middle showing!

One of the tables of diners on North Linn Street in Iowa City at the start of the Farm to Street Dinner 2024

With Teresa M. and some of our fellow diners at the Farm to Street Dinner 2024
(Thanks to Krista Burich with Johnson County for the photo!)

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Scenes from Garden Art Fair 2024

Posted on July 22, 2024 by Jo Myers-Walker
Long line of people on the sidewalk outside Reiman Gardens in Ames, Iowa, ready to attend the 2024 Garden Art Fair

Attendees lined up for the 10 a.m. opening

Watercolor street scene by artist Jo Myers-Walker

Douglas Avenue street scene

Despite the heat, we had a great turnout for this year’s Garden Art Fair at Reiman Gardens in Ames. My booth was right inside the front door, near the auditorium.

Thanks to Jeanette Carson for the event photos, and to all the attendees for stopping by!

After the show I went swimming at Furman Aquatic Center to cool off.

Artist Jo Myers-Walker and assistant Devin setting up her booth for the 2024 Garden Art Fair at Reiman Gardens, Ames, Iowa

Setting up for the Garden Art Fair
with reliable Team JoJo member Devin

Artist Jo Myers-Walker's booth during the 2024 Garden Art Fair at Reiman Gardens, Ames, Iowa

My booth during the event
   

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Painting with a purpose

Posted on July 2, 2024 by Jo Myers-Walker
Watercolor illustration by Jo Myers-Walker from the book When I See Through My Eyes by author Anne Marie Kraus

We can each use our abilities to make a contribution
(Click image to view larger)

I paint better when the work has meaning, and I enjoyed working with Anne Marie Kraus to illustrate her book “When I See Through My Eyes,” with its message of tolerance and inclusion. Anne Marie agreed to share a few pages from the book here. She also composed music to go with her rhyming text, and the book includes piano-vocal sheet music.

From Anne Marie’s website:

“Four diverse children describe life through their eyes. As they wonder about others who see things differently, a joyful discovery unfolds. Can we find a way to connect with others who have a different way of viewing the world?”

You can find more information — and listen to a recording of the song! — on Anne Marie Kraus’s website.

Watercolor paintings by Jo Myers-Walker illustrate the book When I See Through My Eyes by author Anne Marie Kraus

Some more of my illustrations accompanying Anne Marie’s “story in verse”

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Opening reception Friday, May 3

Posted on May 2, 2024 by Jo Myers-Walker
Poster for the opening of the show Images of Iowa City at Iowa Artisans Gallery

(Click image to see full-size poster)

Update:  Thank you to everyone who stopped by for the opening, and the show! This exhibit has ended, but you can always find a great variety of work from area artists at Iowa Artisans Gallery.

Friday, May 3, 2024,
4:00 – 7:00 p.m.:

If you’re in town, stop by the opening reception for the show Images of Iowa City, at Iowa Artisans Gallery (downtown Iowa City, IA)!

I plan to be there with some of my paintings for this multi-artist show, with other artists and their work in an array of styles. “Light refreshments will be served alongside works of familiar scenes and landscapes created by Iowa City artists.” The show runs through the end of May.

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Interdisciplinary

Posted on April 23, 2024 by Jo Myers-Walker
Cover of the book When I See Through My Eyes by Ann Marie Kraus featuring watercolor painting by Jo Myers-Walker of child looking through binoculars

(Click image to visit Anne Marie’s website)

It’s fun to see my work used with different disciplines of art!

Music

I was glad to be able to attend the final concert of the season by the talented Iowa City Youth Choir. The program included the song “When I See Through My Eyes,” with music written by Anne Marie Kraus to complement the poetic text of her book of the same name.

While the children were singing, my illustrations for Anne Marie’s “story in verse” appeared on a screen above them.

A partial view of the Iowa City Community Theatre set for the play Significant Other including a watercolor painting by Jo Myers-Walker

A close-up from the set

   
Theater

Earlier this month, the Iowa City Community Theatre used my work on the set for the play “Significant Other.”

They needed paintings for the grandmother Helene, a classy retiree, giving advice to her grandson about the future.

My thanks to the Theatre for these photos!

Views of the set from the Iowa City Community Theatre's production of the play "Significant Other" including paintings by Jo Myers-Walker

Some views of the set for the play “Significant Other”
presented by the Iowa City Community Theatre

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A collaborative presentation

Posted on March 19, 2024 by Jo Myers-Walker
Cover of the book When I See Through My Eyes by Anne Marie Kraus featuring watercolor painting by Jo Myers-Walker of child looking through binoculars

(Click image to visit
Anne Marie’s website)

Anne Marie Kraus and I gave a talk at the Iowa City Senior Center about collaborating on her book When I See Through My Eyes, and I learned to make a PowerPoint presentation for the event! Anne Marie read the story aloud and I showed the PowerPoint sketchbook, demonstrating how I used illustration to develop the characters in her story, and the research that went into it.

The talk went well, there was a book signing, and we had fun and met interesting people. Anne Marie and I both have an interest in storytelling about diversity for children. We think if we can teach tolerance and understanding through our work, we can make a difference.

Sketches by Jo Myers-Walker from the development of characters in the book When I See Through My Eyes by Anne Marie Kraus

Some slides from my PowerPoint presentation

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A process of revision

Posted on January 29, 2024 by Jo Myers-Walker
Line drawing, repositionable figures of three children of descending sizes and a cat running toward the right of the page by artist Jo Myers-Walker

Storyboard:  I added figures in
lines to develop the characters

Pages from the storybook Carol Jo's Daydreaming Tree by Jo Myers-Walker featuring watercolor paintings of children and their cat in a yard with a house and trees

   
Pages from the updated book

As I mentioned in my earlier post, creating the first version of Carol Jo’s Daydreaming Tree made me realize I needed to put more planning into placing the script on each page.

Watercolor painting, using only black paint, of a house and yard with child and cat in the foreground inspecting something on the ground, by artist Jo Myers-Walker

I usually sketch with pencil and then
paint with black watercolor, finding
the values (I even added a little salt).
Painting with one color helps me
find the best composition.

To update the book, I started drawing small black and white sketches, planning where the images and words would go before I started painting. Then I began to revise the story, bringing clarity and new perspectives. It took about a year, while I was working on other illustration projects for other authors. The new version tells the story from a Franciscan perspective about reconciliation.

Students have asked me how to illustrate a story and it is much like what we do as we paint, a story evolves. Some books don’t have scripts, it is all in the illustration. If you bring in a character in your story we can illustrate it from several points of view.

The opening of IN Tandem Arts & Authors was exciting for me because of its combination of the written and visual arts. (Update March 15, 2025:  IN Tandem has now closed. Thank you to everyone who stopped by, and to IN Tandem for the opportunity!) I enjoyed a workshop taught there by Mary Helen Stefaniak of Iowa City, author of The Six-Minute Memoir:  Fifty-Five Short Essays on Life. She pointed out that if you write or paint, you are not sleepwalking through your life; you are recording in detail those moments you want to remember. I keep a sketchbook with me to sketch those moments, now maybe I’ll use more words!

Also:  Other books I’ve illustrated!

(Contact me at jomyerswalker@gmail.com if you’re interested in any of the books.)

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Snow and sort

Posted on January 14, 2024 by Jo Myers-Walker
Drawers of a vintage wooden card catalog serve as support for boxes organizing documents and artwork by Jo Myers-Walker

Organizing for things to come

It is so cold out so I sit at my window on the 11th floor and watch the plows and brave people work with our 14″ of snow. So thankful I am warm and cozy. While I’m here I can see lots of organizing needs to be done in my apartment. It is a good time to straighten things up!

I am using my library card catalog drawers that I got at ISU Surplus about 50 years ago (and often put to use as a large-scale easel!). Like then I am still looking things up. This time the drawers support boxes that are helping me organize my sketches and ideas for 2024. It feels really good and brings back memories.

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