Come discover a world of books, music and more…

We’ve got some novel ideas to share. Industry trends, expert recommendations and the latest hot new releases—you’ll find all this and more in our new quarterly newsletter. Coming to you this July.


Interview: Steve Johnson and Lou Fancher

Steve Johnson and Lou Fancher

Steve Johnson and Lou Fancher have worked as a collaborative team for over 22 years. Together they have illustrated over 30 children’s books, including: Jon Scieszka’s The Frog Prince Continued; Dr. Seuss’s My Many Colored Days, and Garrison Keillor’s Cat, You Better Come Home. They are the recipients of a gold medal from the Society of Illustrators.

Fancher and Johnson illustrated Amazing Peace: A Christmas Poem by Dr. Maya Angelou. Read by the poet at the lighting of the National Christmas Tree at the White House on December 1, 2005, this celebration of the “Glad Season” is an affirmation of the goodness of life.

BWI: How does the collaborative process work between the two of you? How do you determine which projects to accept and how to divide the workload?

Steve & Lou: Our process differs on each book. The general process begins with reading the manuscript and independently developing ideas for approaching the art. We discuss our ideas, often arriving at a direction combining the best elements of each person’s thoughts. In the initial stages of the paginations, we plan and sketch together. As presentation materials are created for the publisher, Lou does most of the book design and Steve does most of the presentational sketches. Upon approval, the actual paintings are produced by deciding who does what best, or occasionally, who has more time! We share in the amount of work each of us puts into a painting. It isn’t always easy to keep in mind one’s own vision, while also being open to input from the other artist. That is the collaborative challenge; the reward is in producing artwork neither of us could produce on our own.

BWI: You grew up and went to college in different parts of the country, so how did you meet? How did you decide that you could work together as illustrators?

Steve & Lou: We met when Steve was photographing ballet dancers for a painting he was working on. Lou had moved to Minnesota and was dancing for a professional ballet company. We didn’t formally “decide” we could work together; the process was gradual and instinctive more than planned. It evolved over a period of years and continues to change and grow as we mature as visual artists.

BWI: In Amazing Peace, you combine fabric collage with beautifully textured paint to recreate the wintry city scenes. Is this your first work with fabric collage? Why did you choose fabric collage as a companion for Dr. Angelou’s poem?

Johnson and Fancher

Steve & Lou: We have a previous book, Coppélia, using fabric collage. Because Coppélia is a ballet with rich, vibrant costumes, the idea of using fabric flowed naturally. The choices we make about medium for a particular book are often instinctive, much like the working process. For the art in Amazing Peace, the fabric added texture, density and the variety of patterns we wanted. We hoped to reflect the weight and importance of Dr Angelou’s subject, (acceptance and community,) by combining thick fabric with dense areas of paint.

BWI: Although the title is Amazing Peace: A Christmas Poem, the poem actually encourages people of all religions to come together in peace. What would you say to a librarian who is concerned about sharing the poem with a child who celebrates Hanukkah or Kwanzaa, rather than Christmas?

Steve & Lou: We think most librarians will have read not just the subtitle, but the entire book. They will recognize the universal nature of the poem and will know this is a message about a time of year aimed at reconciliation and not Christmas per se. We usually don’t have to advise librarians, who are a pretty smart lot. We trust them to lead any child searching for an occasion and message about peace to Dr. Angelou’s central theme.

BWI: Although race is never actually mentioned in the poem, the illustrations clearly depict a multicultural celebration. Who decided that the illustrations would reflect people of all races and cultures? How do you think that adds depth to the poem?

Steve & Lou: Again, we don’t have specific recall of who decided race and cultural diversity would be an element; it was inevitable in our reading of the poem. We suppose this means that Dr. Angelou decided it when she put pen to paper. The poem has depth; we simply reflect it, but cannot presume to add. Who can add depth to universal peace, an idea with infinite depth?

BWI: How did you get the opportunity to work with Dr. Maya Angelou? Did you actually collaborate with her or was the illustration process an entirely separate venture? Did Dr. Angelou offer any guidance or feedback on the illustrations?

Steve & Lou: Our publisher, Random House, offered us the opportunity to illustrate Dr. Angelou’s poem. We did not collaborate with her directly. Lou did research and read many of her other works, which provided an indirect and powerful form of guidance in developing the art. We were honored to put her words into a visual form and have a hard time, (despite never having met her) believing we have been “entirely separate.”

BWI: Who are some other authors with whom you would love to work? Do you have to wait for publishers or authors to approach you with ideas, or do you tell them the sort of illustrations you have in mind for your next project?

Steve & Lou: Margaret Atwood, Mary Pope Osborne (again), Neil Gaiman, Sharon Creech . . . Honestly? It would be easier to list the authors whose work we do not want to illustrate: none come to mind. We wait for publishers to come to us most of often, but Lou keeps writing her own stories and we have suggested a few adaptations we’d like to see happen.

BWI: It seems the both of you are capable of many different styles, from the cubism of Face Value to the more realistic, traditional style of Bambi to the nineteenth century feel of New York’s Bravest. What style is your favorite, and how do you pick a particular style for a text?

Steve & Lou: We don’t have a favorite style, other than we like to slosh paint around. Collage is interesting right now, but it’s an exploration of texture that has driven that interest. The style evolves out of the text, writing style, and relevant art or cultural styles. There’s a good deal of experimentation, especially when we are pushing to find a new style.

BWI: Does Lou’s work as a dancer bring a particular perspective to your collaboration? Is there a strong connection between performance and visual art?

Steve & Lou: Yes!

BWI: When can we expect to see the next Steve Johnson/Lou Fancher picture book?

Steve & Lou: Hot on the heels of Amazing Peace is Anytime, Anywhere, published by Simon and Schuster, The King’s Taster, published by HarperCollins, and What a Good Big Brother, published by Random House.

Playaway

A ready-to-go solution for your patrons

The first pre-loaded digital audiobook of its kind, with a collection of over 1,200 titles from 70 respected publishing partners and a 99% library satisfaction rate.

Recent Entries

BWI’s Collection Development Department has had the pleasure of sharing some time with several of today’s top authors and illustrators.

Collection Development

It’s like having your own personal assistant — with an MLS degree

Working together, we’ll help you build a collection that will inspire you … and your patrons.

eNewsletter

BWI’s monthly newsletter keeps public librarians informed of the latest trends and developments in the industry.

We value your privacy just as much as you do. Your email address will never be shared or sold to any 3rd parties.