Artist and author Larry Moore and his cousin Holly Barbo (who’s also an author) have uncovered an entire children’s book beautifully written and illustrated by their grandmother and shepherded it into print – nearly 100 years after the manuscript was almost lost.
“I remembered Grandma’s book from a corner of childhood memory and tracked down one of the original two copies (Larry’s dad had one and my mother the other),” Holly says in an online post about the project. “As an author myself I didn’t want this story to be lost when my sisters and cousins passed away and I figured if I could just get enough copies for families the story would survive. My publisher was enthusiastic and I sought out Larry’s help in bringing color to the wonderful story… We hadn’t realized the depth of the talent threads that came from my magical grandma.”
Larry and Holly’s grandmother, Helen Bixby Moore, wrote and illustrated “Jackie Boy and the Sea Folk “while living in Coral Gables, Florida. When a massive hurricane came through in 1935 and wiped out much of the city, the original art was lost. However, among the very few objects Helen waved was a handbound book she’d made out of plank wood with cabinet hinges. Inside it contained the neatly typed pages of an entirely fleshed-out story with original characters and intriguing events. And inset into the book were black and white copies of the original art lost in the storm. And that’s where Larry’s talent came in.
Illustration from the book by Helen Bixbie Moore, captioned “Coral and the sea folk.”
“I don’t know if she intended to get it published or not, but she put a lot of work into it,” he says. “When I saw the art, I went – this stuff is so good – it’s like NC Wyeth’s illustrations for say, Treasure Island. And when I saw how good they were I said, I’m not going to redo these – I’m going to bring them to life while preserving as much of their original character as possible.”
Moore’s father and her sister are the story’s main characters, the descendants of whom are all involved in some way with the project. “The children of the children of the children of this children’s book” went all-hands-on to make it a reality, he said. It took about two years to bring the project to completion.
A writer, painter and former illustrator himself, Larry says Helen’s illustrations are surprisingly good for an amateur who never studied with a professional illustrator or attended an art school, but no one in the family has any idea where she would have gotten any training. “One thing I do know is that you don’t just pick this up one day and go, ‘Yeah I’m going to illustrate a children’s book’ and do it to this level,” Larry says. “Nobody seems to know how she learned it. She never spoke about it.”
“The thing that I’ve learned is – the people who came before us, the lives that they had – to know who they are and to really know them. Once I dove into the project, I realized it isn’t just the book, it’s her whole life was a crazy, self-pioneered event …. If I had one word, it’s utter amazement at the whole project….. That’s actually my father on the cover and spread when he was about 10!”
The book is available at Barnes & Noble, Amazon, and other booksellers as a hardcover, a paperback, and as an ebook.
Larry Moore, “The Harpist’s Mistress,” oil, 24 x 24 in.
Larry is a professional oil painter. “Every artist comes from somewhere, my journey has been guided by curiosity,” he says. “I spent much of my life as an illustrator and an on-site painter, both paths led me to where I am today.”
Check out Larry’s video here, The Creativity Course: Finding Your Unique Painting Language.
Ukrainian artist Sergei Chernyakovsky took first place in the Floral category in November’s PleinAir Salon for his 23.6 31.5 in. oil, “Bouquet of Chamomiles.”
The monthly PleinAir Salon rewards artists with over $50,000 in cash prizes and exposure of their work. A winning painting, chosen annually from the monthly winners, is featured on the cover of PleinAir magazine. The deadline is ongoing, so visit PleinAirSalon.com to learn more.
