In 2005 I met a couple who owned a six foot Iguana. It was a time in my life of so many challenges, and they were such a lovely couple and their story was so enchanting and fun that I asked them if I could write a children's story about them. I had the feeling that if I could write the story in an engaging way that it could become a series, and I had in my mind the idea of a Curious George type of character, an animal, or in this case an Iguana, that is owned by humans and is always exploring and discovering and learning about life, sometimes getting into mischief, but always loveable and with a message in the stories that transcended the story itself to help people of all ages to think about their own lives and experiences in new ways.
The couple I met were named Jo and Joe, and when they said enthusiastically yes, that I could I write the story, I sat down and as happens often when I write creatively, it just flowed out of me. I always used to say that I'm not an Artist, but what I realized in recent years is that what I really mean is that I'm not a figurative Artist. I don't know how to draw figures or portraits, and so when I had my children's story written and I'd shared it with Jo and Joe, I started asking people I knew who were Artists and Illustrators and Animators if they or someone they knew would be interested in drawing the characters and illustrating the book. Over the years I've met many people who really liked the idea, and at the time I wrote it I was introduced to someone who worked with the Cartoon Network and I submitted it as a proposal for a show. They liked it too, but even when there were people who liked it, the story somehow just never sparked that certain thing that makes someone want to illustrate or animate or collaborate.
A few months ago, Serena Cacace who is an Artist I'd met in my neighborhood and who had visited YES Gallery a number of times, asked me if I had an ideas for a collaboration. She had moved out of the area and so we would have to work on something together that could be done online of by mail, and when I read her message, I thought about my children's story. I told her about it and sent it to her, and she responded with an enthusiastic yes, and within a very short time she started showing me sketches and ideas. We sent messages to each other and I shared some ideas and images I have from other children's stories with a variety of Artist illustrators and their styles, and what emerged from Serena was so completely her own creation and so wonderful that I began to see my story coming to new life.
The title of the story is Arugula The Iguana, which is the Iguana's real name. Jo and Joe named her that because she loves eating Arugula. As I reread the story and began to see the beautiful illustrations that Serena was creating and sending to me, I realized that in a way Arugula's story is partly reflected in my own life. At the time that I wrote it, my life was in such a difficult place, and the story and journey of Arugula is about finding love and hope and acceptance and a family in sometimes very unexpected and nontraditional ways. I'll be sharing more about this story as the journey continues, but for now here are a few of the gorgeous illustrations created by Serena Cacace for you to enjoy.
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