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FLRC Newsletter - December 2004 |
| A Book Review: The Art Within My Dad is an Ironman | |
Artist and nationally ranked masters runner Coreen Steinbach has won numerous awards for her paintings, which are represented in collections internationally. Working from her studio in Pompey (near Syracuse), she specializes in architectural renderings and sports-related artwork.
Commissioned assignments include artwork for major U.S. road races, like the Utica Boilermaker and the Freihofer's Run for Women in Albany.
As a masters athlete, Steinbach is one of the best age-group 50–54 track and road runners in the nation. Last spring, she won silver medals in the 800 (2:35.93) and mile (5:36.49) at the national masters indoor track and field championships.
Now the 53-year-old Renaissance woman can add one more achievement to her impressive resume: children's book illustrator.
Steinbach and author Ray Hoese collaborated on the newly published book, My Dad is an Ironman (Breakaway Books, $15). The story is told in the voice of nine-year-old Jordan, a girl who loves to accompany her father as he trains for an Ironman triathlon.
"The nice thing about the book is that it's a real story," said Steinbach, who is married to former Drden School District superintendent Donald Trombley. "Although I've never met him, (Hoese) is the real father in the story who trains for triathlons."
Breakaway Books publisher Garth Battista contacted Steinbach in July 2003 and asked if she would be interested in illustrating the book. She was picked from over 100 illustrators who submitted portfolios, after Battista visited Steinbach's website (www.runningart.com).
"The publisher wrote me a letter asking if I was interested and that he wanted 30 illustrations submitted by December 30," Steinbach said. "I said I was definitely interested, but I had to think about it because this was all new to me. I suggested he needed a professional children's illustrator, or that I would need more time. The publishers were looking for sports-related art, not children's art. So, he doubled my (deadline) time and doubled my salary."
Battista mailed Steinbach the children's story text divided into numbered panels, each of which required a drawing. The author had written notes on each panel, explaining how he envisioned the art. To make the project more manageable and less overwhelming, Steinbach picked five panels, in no particular order, to illustrate for the initial review.
She then asked a real family of four—her neighbors—to model as the fictional family. For example, the fictional Jordan is really Colleen, the fifth-grader who lives next door.
Steinbach took numerous photographs of the family in their living room, and instructed them to pose according to the story line. For the "off to the Ironman" airport scenes in the book, Steinbach also took photos inside Hancock Airport in Syracuse—and briefly raised suspicions among the security personnel. She then utilized the photographs to create the real art.
"The author wanted real representative art, and not cartoons," said Steinbach, who is currently working on a baseball-themed mural in a client's basement. "But the author had little or no say with what I did with the art. The publisher signed off on everything.
"For example, I wanted Jordan to have red hair, because it's a wonderful artistic device that makes her stand out," she said. "The author wanted the hair brown like his own daughter's hair. I said, 'I still think it should be red,' and the publisher said, 'Yes, keep the hair red.'"
The illustrations were finished at the end of May, and Steinbach personally delivered all 30 16 ´ 20-inch paintings on canvas paper to Battista's home in the Catskills. The art was shipped to China, and proofs arrived back in August.
"When I delivered those 30 paintings, my heart was in my throat," Steinbach said. "But Battista didn't want to change a thing. Children's art and literature have always intrigued me, especially when my own sons were young. And, although I've never done an Ironman, because I'm a runner, I know the inside of the sport, and what it takes. (When I was illustrating) biking in the rain, I knew what I was shooting for."
My Dad is an Ironman is now available at Barnes & Noble, Borders, and Amazon.com, or contact Steinbach through her website. (Steinbach also will show 25 paintings in June at 171 Cedar in Corning.)
There's nothing more exciting than seeing the final product, especially one that reaches out to a diverse audience.
"There is a real paucity of children's books for kids whose parents are athletes," said Steinbach, who now has a painting on display at the Arnot Museum in Elmira. "This book shows you don't have to preach to the typical choir; it has appeal to others.
"When I saw the finished product, I thought, 'Oh, my goodness!'" she said. "It's thrilling and very satisfying to see all that time come together in a completed product. It's been an incredible experience from start to finish."
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