Memorial Service – Paul van Schalkwyk
March 12, 2014In search of the elusive waterbuck | Namibia
March 14, 2014Wordweaver Publishing House is proudly launching “Das Elfen-Perlhuhn-Wunderland” by author Isabel Eckleben on 22 March 2014 at 18h30 at Die Muschel in Swakopmund.
This book is a German adaptation of “Elves and Feathered Friends”, which was printed in 2013 and sold over 1600 copies in the first 6 months.
The book features the adventures of elves and guinea fowls in a typically Namibian landscape.
The book has been enjoyed by both young and old, and Isabel’s incredible paintings keep the reader enthralled. The German translation promises to be as successful as the English version
Isabel Eckleben
One on One with Illustrator and Author Isabel Eckleben
What was the first memorable thing you ever painted?
A self portrait in acrylic. I used the acrylic paint like watercolor. Layer upon layer of paint which gave it an almost translucent look. Me, sitting on a chair inside a room with paper and pencil on my lap, looking out through an open window which had half open lace curtains.
How much do you feel your painting has improved in the last few years?
Significantly! Practice makes perfect. Painting is like playing music. You practise musical scales every day to keep your fingers supple and to perfect the sound and the music you play. The same goes for painting. If I don’t paint today, I will draw….. Eventually your hand will do exactly what your eyes see, more assured and quick.
What is your favorite theme to paint?
This is a difficult question because my mood dictates what I paint.
But in general it is people, animals, birds and my special little friends with wings and feathers that remind me that they are still out there
Where do you get most of your ideas?
I get my ideas from nature, watching people, while I’m driving in the car, going shopping or hanging washing on the line. Suddenly I see something and start drawing it in my mind…..
Elves – An illustration from the book
What room is your favorite to paint in?
My studio, where I am surrounded by photographs of friends family and animals, my paints, brushes and paper. Memories of things I collected, such as a stone, feather or a leaf.
What is your favorite place for thinking?
The kitchen. I do my best thinking while I cook and prepare our meals.
Who was your favorite childhood story or author?
Alice in Wonderland by Lewis Carroll.
From the book
How old where you when you first started writing?
I never really wrote for anybody other than myself, keeping private thoughts in diaries. I started writing ‘Elves & Feathered Friends’ in 2009.
Who is your favorite character(s) in Elves and Feathered Friends?
My favorite character is the ‘Namib Dude‘ or the ‘Wise old Man.’
With him everything began. My love for the Namib desert and its plants, insects, animals and the constant wonder which I still experience all the time, at how much life exists in this so often barren but beautiful landscape.
How did you choose the names for your characters?
They chose themselves as they came to life on my sketching and painting paper.
