Mothers of Invention: Calendar Girl

McClure feels a dearth of mother-artist friends who understand her predicament. Many friends have moved away from Olympia, and she gave up her previously beloved studio when the new tenants were all young male artists who blared loud music and created a lot paint fumes, leaving her to feel like the prudish, breast-feeding older woman. But she has taken heart in the career of a friend who is ten years her senior. “I watched her during her shutdown, little kid period, when she coasted on old work and styles,” says McClure, “But now she’s getting an MA and waking up.” It’s a reminder to her of all the opportunities that will still exist as Finn gets older.

When we spoke, McClure was just moving into a 200-square foot studio that Jay-T had built in their backyard. It’s a place where Finn can be with her, surrounded by her fruit trees. Her drafting table is busy with an increasingly diverse array of projects. Last year, Abrams published a book of her art, Collect Raindrops, and she recently designed manhole covers for the City of Olympia, featuring Finn’s baby feet and some tiny salmon. Patagonia has commissioned her to design fabric, and she’s illustrating a non-narrative poem written by Caldecott-winner, Cynthia Rylant. When she admits that she doesn’t even have a portfolio of her work, I ask where all of these great projects are coming from. Reflecting for a moment, she laughs and then says earnestly, “You know, that calendar was really a good idea.”

“Treasure,” Photo courtesy of Nikki McClure