Last week I was so lucky to meet and hear the award winning Australian illustrator Zeno Sworder. He has such a beautiful resonate speaking voice - this event was one to remember.
You could begin with my posts about his three picture books:
Here are the random things I discovered about Zeno:
He was born at home on Christmas Day!
In his home growing up there was no technology - no car, no tv etc. so Zeno did heaps of exploring outside and he used his imagination.
As a very young child he lived in Bendigo. In his street, aptly named Forest Street, there was a huge tree and Zeno spent a lot of time hanging out around this tree. Check out the last page of Once I was a Giant to see the actual tree. Later the family moved to Melbourne.
In his childhood he suffered greatly from eczema. His mother tried all sorts of remedies including sitting beside him as he slept and holding his hands so that he would not scratch his legs. As an adult he also discovered he had Amblyopia and even though I didn't know this medical term I can say I have this too. Zeno didn't get glasses until he was 30. The beautiful care by his own mother was part of the inspiration for My Strange Shrinking Parents.
In Grade Three a little girl sitting beside Zeno 'criticised' his drawing and so for the remainder of Primary school he stopped drawing altogether. Luckily, he discovered comics in high school and so he started drawing again and even submitted his work to online forums for comment (that was so brave).
As a teenager he loved to read Daredevil comics. Zeno especially loves the work of Joseph Quesada. Drawing comics has given Zeno both a freedom in his art and a brilliant skill with page layouts and book design. But he did say he is not a natural artist and after the two years spent on Once I was a Giant he is taking a break and has not picked up a pencil or brush.
Zeno sent his first book This Small Blue Dot to over one hundred publishers. Luckily Thames and Hudson had a different vision for the books they choose publish. They continue to support his ideas. This has paid off when you look at the impressive list of awards for This Small Blue Dot and the even longer award list for My Strange Shrinking Parents.
As an author he likes to focus on emotions.
One event that inspired his book Once I was a Giant was in Melbourne in 2023 when there was a movement to stop the logging of native forests. He did a huge amount of reading about the latest science findings about trees especially communication. I talk about this here.
In my last post I asked a question about the pencil in Once I was a Giant. It is labelled AIAIA. As he sketched the pencil illustration Zeno was going to put something else, so he just put random letters (he intended to do AAAAA) with a plan to come back. But when he looked closer he liked AIAIA and then he found all the most perfect connections to this label. The sound 'ai" means love in Chinese. He discovered this also is the name of an enchanted forest island from The Odyssey which relates to the character of Circe. Throughout The Odyssey, Odysseus encounters several enchanted islands that play crucial roles in his journey and one of these is Circe’s Aiaia. Check out the final section of the Teachers Notes.
The following paintings are hidden in the picture-book makers studio; Apollo and Daphne by Piero del Pollaiuolo, The Scream by Edvard Munch, Circe Invidiosa by John William Waterhouse, Cypresses by Vincent van Gogh and Primavera by Sandro Botticelli.
When you go back and re-read Once I was a Giant look for the moth and then explore the symbolism of this inclusion.
With older students think about this: Animism (from Latin: anima meaning 'breath, spirit, life') is the belief that objects, places, and creatures all possess a distinct spiritual essence. Animism perceives all things—animals, plants, rocks, rivers, weather systems, human handiwork, and in some cases words—as being animated, having agency and free will.
After he spoke my friend and I wondered how Zeno could afford to work on his picture books and look after his family. I found this answer on his web page: I have worked as a window washer, journalist, English language teacher, consular officer, tribunal advocate for refugees and immigrants and a jewellery designer.
Our Sydney bookshop Kinokuniya have an exhibition of Zeno's art.
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