 A Conversation with
Kyra Teis, Illustrator
Order@Amazon - Ages 9 Up It is not often that words and images come together as beautifully as they do in Daughters of Eve, Strong Women of the Bible. This illustrated volume brings to life the inspirational tales of some of the most famous Jewish women of the Bible and Apocrypha. For Kyra Teis, creating the artwork for such a book was an expression of her own spiritual and artistic journey.
She credits her studies as being the root of her desire to become an illustrator. "I was moved by the expressive power and potent symbolism in religious art and stories. Images continually rushed into my head and I had to put them to paper." She says that until then, she had always dabbled in art, but her true artistic voice did not take shape until she applied herself in a structured way. She decided to start building a professional portfolio and submitting her artwork to publishers. "When I got my first professional commission, I was so stunned! I didn't even have any real art supplies. I called my dad and he sent me a box of his, including a bunch of his trademark blotted papers. The papers added a depth of color to my paintings that I liked very much." Kyra adopted her father's distinctive paper-collage technique, and now uses her own blotted papers in her artwork. After graduation, Kyra went to Boston University for her Masters in theological studies. She views her time at BU as a period of spiritual and artistic growth. Fueled by the ancient stories of the Hebrew Bible, she spent most of her spare time painting. She became interested in the relationship of faith and artistic expression. She comments that in order to grow as an artist, it was helpful to explore her own spirituality. "Honest artwork comes from the same place as faith. Both compel you to hold them up to your ear and listen closely." While at BU, she had the great fortune to be able to study with several prominent scholars, including Elie Wiesel. She comments, "my discussions with him about storytelling and religious symbolism were a true gift, and are still a source of inspiration." The school of theology hosted two exhibitions of Kyra's paintings while she was a student there. Since her graduation, Kyra has illustrated several books for the educational market and numerous stories for Cricket Magazine. Her first children's trade book, Daughters of Eve, written by Lillian Hammer Ross, has just become available in bookstores in the U.S. and Great Britain. We asked Kyra what it was like to work on Daughters of Eve: KT: I was excited to be awarded the contract. I started doing all kinds of research, looking up archaeological digs in the Middle East, researching the ancient costume and architecture, etc. But it only served to make me very intimidated by the material. In the end, I had to take a few steps back and look at what the stories were really about - courage, faith, love, fear, and joy. I started over, focusing my attention on the human struggles that these women were experiencing. Were you able to make use of the research you did? KT: Certainly. It's my job as an illustrator to find a balance between research and imagination. Often, illustrations that rely too heavily on the facts come out dry and stiff. Whenever I could, I incorporated costume, architecture, and ancient design motifs from coins, pottery, and so on. But I tried not to lose sight of the fact that I was telling a story, not writing a report on the ancient Israelites. Was it hard to envision what these Biblical women looked like? KT: My goal was to make the women seem real. My editor wanted the women to look stately - to create heroes that girls could look up to. That wasn't difficult to do, given the heroic nature of their stories. But I hope I illuminated their human side as well. Your illustrations are very rich and detailed. How long does it take you to finish one? KT: It takes a week to do one illustration from start to finish. First I make a sketch with pencil which I use as the "blueprint" for the entire illustration. Next I paint the faces and hands with acrylic paint and cut them out. Then I work with the blotted papers, using the sketch to help me cut out the shapes of the other elements in the picture - clothing, background, etc. Piecing together the shapes and colors is a bit like making a quilt. When I have everything cut out, I glue it all into place on a piece of bristol board. I worked on Daughters of Eve for about a year. What do you feel is unique about this book in relation to other books on the women of the Bible? KT: There is a great interest right now in telling the stories of women heroes both modern and ancient. With a growing focus in the media on girls' self-esteem and mental health, the hope is that these stories will become inspirational models. There are several fine books out right now featuring Biblical women, but none of them reach the depth of Lillian Ross' fine narrative style. The way Lillian approaches these ancient tales is very personal and intimate, bringing the reader in close, and letting the reader experience the conflict and struggle that led each woman to make the choices she did. And the illustrations help bring the reader in even closer? KT: I hope so. |
Kyra Teis was born in 1970 and grew up in Newark,
Delaware. She attended the University of Delaware
where her father, a contemporary artist, served as
Chairman of the fine arts department. Although
interested in fine art, she found herself drawn to
those subjects that fueled the creation of art:
philosophy, ancient culture, and religion. She entered
a specialized program at the university through which
she could design her own curriculum and study
religious art and folklore.