My Relationship

by Trisha Krauss

Maude, The Not So Noticeable Shrimpton written by Lauren Child, was my first illustrated picture book. I met Lauren in NYC where she lived for a summer. Lauren arrived at my studio on Gansevoort Street in the middle of a torrential downpour. She had been given my number by my English ex and for all I knew she was his latest conquest. Never the less, I agreed to meet her. I buzzed her in and watched her walk up the long stair case, wondering with each step, whether I would like her or not. The cards were stacked against her from the start. As she approached I could smell the warm base notes of Chanel no.5 coupled with the smell of wet pavement. She was wearing a zebra striped jacket, had two-tone skunk hair, and she was tall and very beautiful. By step number 10 I was very prepared to hate her, and was partially hoping that this perfect creature would have a completely flawed character. But no, the moment our eyes locked, I knew we would be friends forever.

Lauren wrote Maude, The Not So Noticeable Shrimpton with me and my love for pattern in mind. The story is about an unassuming middle child called Maude who is constantly over shadowed by her exuberant family. Lauren and I are both middle children but unlike Maude, we have always done our damnedest to be noticed.

In this illustration, Maude is so unnoticeable that she blends in with the fabric of the sofa. On the wall, there is a framed silhouette that just so happens to be me at the age of 3, upstaging my own creation.

In my work, I usually tell a story within a story. I illustrate the brief and I give a little bit of myself away. This piece for the NY Times was titled, Can I Actually Be Missing the Commute? The coats and my relationship with them, have their own story. The black and white coat on the left was my 1980’s Boy George coat. I wore it with a big hat and Doctor Martin boots. It travelled with me from Syracuse University to London and smelled of cigarettes, stale beer and Diva perfume. The leopard coat accompanied me to NYC in the early 90’s during my Patricia Field, Betsey Johnson phase. It was thrown on a bed piled with coats while I danced to Deee-lite.  A new version of this coat hangs in my closet in London and it never gets into pile ups on beds, no matter what. The herringbone coat is the coat that got away. If I had owned it, it would smell like Terre by Hermes and there would be a jewelled brooch on the lapel. The Green coat was a Century 21 find. It has eaten dim sum in China town, had Thanksgiving in Concord, Massachusetts and walked a dog called Esther in London.  I wonder what new relationships awaits each coat.

If I were a bird, I would be a Magpie. I find little treasures wherever I go and these objects take on a life of their own. Every few months I have a new obsession and this becomes my target. I comb second-hand stores, Ebay, various markets and boot sales around London and search for treasures. In this illustration for the NY Times, Could the Avocado-Green Kitchen Make a Comeback?, I was able to put on display some of “my finds”. On the kitchen shelf, I have carefully arranged a collection of plates that I found on my hunting expeditions. The background is papered Blackthorn wallpaper by William Morris, an all- time fave, and the floor is what I plan on doing in my own kitchen. I often put the Pumo from Puglia in my illustrations because It is a symbol of good luck and prosperity and we all need a bit of this. I also put balls of yarn in my work and in this case, it represents a little bit of chaos in a very orderly room. A story with in a story.

 As an illustrator, I work alone. I bounce my ideas off a wall and they come back to me, unsolved and daunting. Each job I do is different and poses a new challenge. How do I paint a reflection in water? Should the grass in the foreground be darker than that of the background? What colour should the wall be? Should I use watercolour, gouache or ink?  Each job teaches me something new and makes me aware of how much I don’t know. When my illustrations are published, I am left exposed and vulnerable. The possibilities that await me on each blank piece of paper are endless and I could get it totally wrong and the world will judge me. This fear is what ultimately connects me to the broader world. By being slightly scared of failure, I remain curious and I am always learning from others who do the illustration thing so very well. Why is Picking a Paint Color so Hard?, The New York Times

I am an Aquarian born in the inauspicious year of the fire horse. Neptune, the sexy fellow in my illustration is the Roman God of freshwater and the sea. Neptunus Equester was also the God of horses. Quite frankly, this God had it all. I have always lived near water. In New York I was a skip away from the Hudson and in London, my road leads directly to The Thames. I grew up with the Sudbury reservoir in my back yard and learned to swim when I was 4. Despite my watering roots, I am afraid of its profound depts. I am terrified with what lies beneath and I can never truly relax in water, unless I am in a bathtub. This was an illustration for A pop-up guide of France for Walker books UK.

I end on this relationship because it shaped my life. Hector Berlioz was my first dog. I was young and living in NYC in a small apartment and had no idea about dogs, or that New York was absolutely the worse place for a large, high strung hunting dog. I did everything wrong but I loved him with an unshakeable force. Eventually, we set sail across the Atlantic to London, the land where dogs run free. Hector thrived and transformed from a neurotic New Yorker to the Atticus Finch of dogs. He became a fine old gentleman. In this relationship, I learned how to take care of someone who truly needed me and to make sacrifices for this love. Mr. Berlioz will stay in my heart forever. This Dog Is In Charge, The New York Times.

Trisha Krauss has worked with some of the most creative designers, art directors and advertising agencies across the country. The New York Times, The New Yorker, The Washington Post, Nordstrom, Town and Country, Monsoon. Her work includes: Maude, The Not So Noticeable Shrimpton (Puffin UK), written by Lauren Child and illustrated by Trisha. Charlotte’s Very Own Dress, written and illustrated by Trisha (Random House UK). She is the award-winning illustrator of The Right at Home column in the New York Times. Prints of her work are for sale on her website, www.trishakrauss.com.