Stephen T. Johnson - April 2023 Featured Author

Stephen’s inventive children’s books explore a wide range of subject matter and concepts that playfully tease out ideas through words and art. He is the recipient of a Caldecott Honor, two New York Times Best Illustrated Book of the Year awards, three ALA Notables, and four medals from the Society of Illustrators in New York City.

Congrats on your upcoming book release. Tell us a little about it, including the inspiration behind it.

Thank you so much! I had the idea for My Big Silver Rocket Ship many years ago after publication of my book My Little Blue Robot, which features removable die-cut parts that fit together to build a robot. A rocket ship seemed like a perfect companion book, though it took me quite a long time to flesh out the particulars and see it as being a viable project even with the support from my editor Paula Wiseman. The book required creating a strong narrative in addition to problem solving the mechanics of how to build a rocket ship out of die-cut pieces. In 2020, all the elements of making this book came together and it was a joy to create.  

We'd love to hear more about your creative journey. What's the process been like?

Such an interesting question for I feel like I am still on this creative journey of discovery, trying out new ideas, and artistic techniques as required by the subject I’m currently working on. My illustrations have evolved over the years from hyper-realistic paintings in my books Alphabet City (1995) and City by Numbers (1998) to abstract paintings, installations, sculpture, etc. for A is for Art: An Abstract Alphabet (2008). I tend to view illustrating a children’s book much like an actor embarks on creating an entirely new and different character from their previous acting roles. I make visual imagery that reflects the nature of each book, and at times, there are some really severe and lengthy learning curves! A recent example was the artwork I generated for my accordion book Music Is… (2020) I struggled for a few years trying to find the right visual language that implied a sense of “music.” Eventually, inspiration came from mid-century illustration and design, as well as from elements of cartoons, and artists such as Henri Matisse and Joan Miró. 

Several of my children’s books end up informing my public art commissions where I weave together imagery from their pages into various, permanent materials. For example, my mosaic triptych titled Interconnections at the Lenexa City Center Library in Lenexa, Kansas (2019), celebrates the twenty-six letters of the English alphabet through a profusion of typographic fonts, both uppercase and lowercase, intermixed with images from my books — Alphabet City, Alphabet School, and A is for Art: An Abstract Alphabet. Recently, I installed a large steel sculpture titled Scherzo for the Marshalltown Performing Arts Center (2022) based on imagery from Music Is….

So many of your books are artistic. Which typically comes first for you -- the art or the text?

Generally, I develop them at the same time, moving back and forth, slowly honing in on the right wording and related imagery. A good example of this is how I generated the art and text for my book A is for Art: An Abstract Alphabet, a project that expanded over six years to complete. It was a marvelous experience where I came to appreciate that anything might function as the source for making art. I really grew as an artist with this book. So, to make an alphabet book revolving around abstraction I selectively chose and organized particular words from each letter of the alphabet and based solely on the meanings of the words, developed a visual work of art paired with witty titles and playful alliterative captions. 

Colors, sizes, materials, etc. became crucial in how the artwork was made. For example, the letter C is titled Camouflage and the text reads: “Countless colorful candies consciously collected, crammed, crushed, and confined crowd a clear circular container filled to capacity." The artwork is a custom Plexiglas case measuring 48 inches in diameter and filled with hundreds of individual candies. Hidden among the candy are blue gumballs in the shape of the letter C.

What challenges have you experienced that you didn't expect?

The changing nature of what is being published today and what publishers are looking for and of course, understanding what they are not interested in. Book ideas of mine that might have been fine a decade or two ago no longer seem to find a voice in today’s marketplace I’ve found to my disappointment, particularly alphabet books which I love making. 

What is the best advice you've ever been given about writing or illustrating?

Write about what you know if possible and/or dive deeply into a subject matter and make it your own. Make work that is honest, meaningful and significant to you. Even if it may not find commercial success or a publisher, the process of making it will inform future projects as well as feed your creativity. 

What are you currently working on? 

I am currently working on a selection of new children’s book ideas for my agent Andrea Morrison at Writers House to consider. I also constantly apply to public art RFQ’s (Requests for Qualifications) across the country. They are very competitive, maybe more so than Children’s Book publishing even, and the application work seems never to be finished. On a brighter note, I am happy to report that I am a finalist for a public art project in Kansas City, Missouri so fingers crossed!