David, the husband of Goffstein, (for the publication of "Osakana Rice" ").We asked David Allender). The following is a summary of it.
Two places that Gofstein loved
M. B. Goffstein has two places that have been particularly valued throughout your life.
The first is a summer villa that spent the childhood on the shores of Lake Minnesota, Minnesota. Brook (nicknamed Goffstein) clearly remember the memories of the fun childhood spent there. Old trees swaying in the wind, light of yellow light bulbs, the smell of mold, the time to play cards with family with a screen door, dreams of drawing their own comics, and the fun of making paper dolls and their costumes. 。
Brook has made paper dolls for a long time. Each gave the personality and story, and for the first time, we created a stylish character.
The second place was Benington College in Vermont. When I was a girls' school, this school was a place where I could learn a variety of fields in earnest, and Brook learned letters and sculptures there. She can dig up dolls from cherry blossoms and walnut logs, and some of them can be seen with "Conversions of a doll". My favorite is a cut that looks like she's taking a picture.
About "Conversations of a Doll", which is first released in the BOX set
After graduating from college, Brook, who published six picture books in monochrome line drawing, began to want to express the story in photos. Just like when I was a child, she placed the carved dolls and accessories found in a flea market, and shot with love like when I was a child. The first attempt was "Conversations of a doll" in 1973. The result was not satisfactory, and the work was unfinished, and it was never published until now. But now, all of these may help you understand her work more.
Many Brook books are written in the voice of children playing with dolls. "Brookie and Her Lamb" has the same tendency as "Fish for Suppers", but especially in "Conversations of a Doll". Reading this book may revive the memories of talking about the story to toys when you were a child.
The photo is Lillian Vikura, a neighbor of Lake Minnetonka.
Brook named the wooden doll that appears in Conversations of A Doll after her.
Photo and goffstein
For five years from 1973 to 1978, Brook tried to express all book illustrations in photos. However, I finally returned to draw. One of the attempts, Me And My Captain (1974), is similar to the conversions of a doll in terms of talking about the dream of a wooden doll. After several experiments, she understood that the picture could be more effectively conveyed to the story, and eventually chose a picture. (Therefore, the captain, the main character of "Me And My Captain", was not carved.)
Of course, M. B. Goffstein's works are diverse. In 1969, Brook published a completely different tone, Goldie The Dollmaker, which is completely different from the previous book. This book was a way to explain her ideals as an artist to the outside world. Very ambitious works include "Natural History", "An Artist", and "A Writer". However, the affection for things and their imaginations has not disappeared for a lifetime, and his later work "Artists' Helpers Enjoy The Events" (1987), "An Actor" (1987), "OUR PRAIRIE HOME: A Picture Album) (1988), "A House, A Home" (1989) also has an effect. Until he died in 2017, he was writing a comic "MARIO'S GARAGE" using photos.
Memories of "Osaka rice"
In the memories of Lake Minnetonka, "Fish for Supper" is a special meaning for Brook. Because my grandmother who was fishing on the lake is a model. One day, I asked Brook. "Do you are delighted with that book?"
Her response was "No!" "When I handed a book to my grandmother, she said," My hat and small shoes are on. "She said only my small shoes. I wasn't able to say my family! I think it is.
Brook loved people and was blessed with many friends. But she believed that the greatest joy in life was creativity born from her own discovery and honesty. Her work tells us that even the greatest creative results start from one playfulness.