Can you tell us a little about your favourite mediums?
Most of my work is in watercolour, sometimes I use acrylics. Just pencil or pen and ink is also wonderful. I love black ink drawing. I have played with other mediums, such as coloured pencil and chalk pastels, but they don’t hold my interest. I never got the knack for oil painting, unfortunately, because oil gives a beautifully rich quality of colour.
My styles tend to be whimsical, caricatural, and realistic. But I especially relish surreal and absurd imagery. Someone once told me I should stick to “pretty” pictures, not the weird stuff. I say, never tell an artist how to be an artist – unless you want to lose me as a friend!
What were your biggest influences growing up that got you into illustrating?
My parents understood the value of reading and provided me with excellent books while growing up. I have memories of our father reading books to me, such as Winnie the Pooh, illustrated by Ernest H. Shepard. He would alter the voices of the characters, which was wonderful. One summer he spent evenings reading James and The Giant Peach to us, illustrated by Nancy Ekholm Burkert. I was encouraged to draw pictures of the story while listening. Of course, Burkert’s illustrations were far superior to anything I came up with at the age of eight, but the process was still interesting for me. I am sure that the quality of the illustrations in the books I was exposed to growing up made a strong impact. Plenty of wonderfully illustrated books could be found in libraries, too. Without a doubt, they would have influenced my chosen line of work.
Did you always want to be an illustrator?
Art class in school was always where I felt capable. All other subjects I struggled with, even failing Grade 6 math, which my mother probably took as a personal insult, since she was a mathematician. In high school, my art teacher, Brian O’Grady, told me that my abilities would suit illustration. Perhaps because what I drew or painted suggested a vivid imagination, and an interest in characterizations. He was one of the very few people who showed me encouragement. Shortly after quitting Mount Allison University, I decided to try to get into the field of children’s book illustrations. I dedicated my first published book to him.
To start my efforts, I took a popular folktale, Goldilocks and the Three Bears, and created the illustrations for it as an example of my abilities. But I gave it a new ending: Goldilocks gives the Bear Family a new chair for Baby Bear, as an apology. I wanted to give this story a satisfactory conclusion. I sent it out to a few publishers. One publisher called the ending anemic. But Fitzhenry & Whiteside in Toronto liked it, and published it.
A reviewer of a big newspaper objected to my new ending, criticizing the “tampering” of old tales. What she was clearly ignorant about is how often this story has been changed throughout history. Pretty much every single folk and fairy tale has gone through various recreations. This seems the norm for history – language, stories, folk songs, etc. The earliest known version of Goldilocks is of an old woman who dies after jumping out of the window. A contemporary and wonderful version I came across with no text, just pictures, reverses the characters, with a bear getting into the home of humans.
Fitzhenry & Whiteside then asked if I had any other stories that interested me. I did: When Heaven Smiled On Our World, a memoir of early Quebécois Christmas celebration. It had been suggested to me by an acquaintance. This was published in 1992, and it is one of my favorite productions. I relied on the 19th-century painter Cornelius Krieghoff as reference for details of buildings, furniture and clothing. It has appealed greatly to those who have similar memories, or have Québécois heritage. Fitzhenry & Whiteside re-issued it in 2020.
I was very fortunate to have gotten started when I did. Trying to get attention from publishers now is nearly impossible. Many of the small companies have been devoured by the multinationals of publishing. And the population of illustrators has exploded.
Do you find the creative process illustrating for others challenging?
I love the challenge of illustration – taking a writer’s story and translating the concepts into a visual work. When I read a story, images immediately come into my mind. An additional delight is coming up with small details to add that become like a quiet contribution to the tale. For the book, One Summer In Whitney Pier, the second children’s book by the Honourable Mayann Francis, I included a few cats in a couple of the scenes. I think this motivated Dr. Francis to request that I do a painting of her own cat, for the dedication page of the book. She and I occasionally correspond, and share news about our respective cats, which is a lovely outcome. I had been hired to illustrate her first book, Mayann’s Train Ride, and she liked how I did it, so she asked the publisher for me to be the illustrator for her second book. That certainly made me feel good!
What type of illustrations do you find the most challenging to sketch?
I use a somewhat realistic style for children’s book illustration. I say “somewhat” because my skill does not come close to an artist such as Kadir Nelson. Other illustrators, such as those who have worked on other books by Shauntay Grant, another writer for whom I have illustrated, are even more realistic than I can do, but I am okay with that. I like how I render characters. But it does not come easily. Good training could have helped with that. However, it is an opportunity to use a touch of whimsy, which is more forgiving of “errors.”
I would love to be more eccentric with illustration. It can be such fun, and liberating. Most of the books for which I have been hired require more realism than whimsy as an appropriate approach. But I did have an amazing connection with a friend, Richard Lewis, who is, sadly, deceased. He had an enormous capacity for elaborate, fantastical, and humorous, yet astute, social commentary. Our collaboration focused on an imaginative world of faeries and other beings. Richard’s inventiveness was inspiring for the type of pictures I like to create. It was a richly entertaining experience.
Richard had also hired me for a project of his, a body of poems entitled The Wrath and Blessings of The Dark Mother. His writings, and ways of thinking, showed a deep sensitivity, with elegant and sumptuous metaphors. He found in my work an ability to transcribe his vision. Richard gave me full freedom to do what I do best, in coming up with imagery in response to his words. It was an enormous pleasure to work on, and a vanity press book was created. I did the layout and design for the book, as well, which was especially satisfying.
Are there illustrators whose work has influenced you over the years?
I can’t give you a short list! And there are always new ones to discover. But here are a few who I admire, or who have inspired me: Anne Bachelier; Almud Kunert; Lisbeth Zwerger; Kadir Nelson; Ralph Steadman; Michael Sowa; Sempé; Jill Barklem; Sara Midda; Roy Gerrard; Mitsumasa Anno; Maurice Sendak; Edward Gorey; Heinrich Kley; Grandville; Ernest H. Shepard; Anton Pieck; Arthur Rackham; Edmund Dulac; Sulamith Wülfing; Carl Larsson; William Kurelek; Howard Pyle; N.C. Wyeth; and Ivica Stevanovic.
Are there any other people that have had an impact on your career?
My significant other, Daniel. I have to include a word here about him. He plays an important role in my work as an illustrator. He can remember where, in our enormous collection of books (and computer drives) to find a detail or reference to something I might need. Daniel has a marvellous aptitude for historical topics, and art, as well as an immense interest in, and concern for, socio-political issues. And he is supremely supportive of my work. He is also a significant role model for me, to create without personal censorship. His own talents, as a musician and composer, and skills with pen and ink, are brilliant in their freedom of expression. He is also a photographer and highly sensitive with his vision.
Do you have any projects that you want to tackle sometime in the near future?
For a couple of years, I have been working on a collection of ink drawings intended for an adult colouring book. The theme is “For The Love of Cats! Ailurophilia.” I have been trying to find a publisher, but no luck so far. As a child I enjoyed colouring books. Some of these were typically not of commendable quality. But others, thanks to the adults in my life who gave these to me, were truly beautiful. I also received stunning colouring posters. I am sure these posters and books, with their exquisitely rendered line drawings, had influence on my growing sensibilities as an artist. While seemingly simple, it takes thoughtful consideration to create an image within the confines of black ink lines, yet still convey an image that can stand by itself as art. Black and white art – pen and ink, woodblock, etched or engraved prints, can be outstanding.
Why cats?
For the longest time, I considered myself a dog person. I had very little interest in, never mind understanding of, cats. But I am now certifiably madly enthusiastic about cats. My husband and I have nine rescued cats and one dog. The cats were all abandoned, most of them right on our road. Some of them needed gentle and patient rehabilitation, which is truly rewarding. Cats are and have been chosen companions for many famous people – artists, writers, politicians. To name only a few celebrities and historical figures who had significant connections with cats: Catherine the Great, Cardinal Richelieu, Charles Baudelaire, Florence Nightingale, Abraham Lincoln, Gustav Klimt, Leonor Fini, Mark Twain, Edward Gory, Frank Zappa, and Freddie Mercury.
Check out Tamara’s art at: tamaraheikalo.wixsite.com/artist
You can also see some examples of faeries and other beings, followed by art for The Wrath and Blessings of The Dark Mother at: https://tamaraheikalo.wixsite.com/artist/collaborations.
For surreal and weird art: https://tamaraheikalo.wixsite.com/artist/other-creations
Facebook portfolio: https://www.facebook.com/tamarathiebauxheikalo
YouTube: A short video about Tamara’s process for illustration can be found at: www.youtube.com/watch?v=h79oNsAo0ZU.
