Judy Mastrangelo - Author and Artist

Author and Artist - Judy Mastrangelo

We recently did an interview with her and here is what we asked and she answered for us.

 AUTHOR MIGRAINE CENTRAL 

Interview Questions for Authors and Artists 

Tell us your name/Pen Name. Judy Mastrangelo 

A little about your self (ie, your education, family life, etc.). I have always been inspired by great Artists throughout history, and regard them as my teachers. 

Some of your favorites? Those of the Italian Renaissance, the Pre- Raphaelite Brotherhood, The Hudson River School, and the Artists of the Golden Age of Illustration. 

Who do you live with? I live happily with my dear and talented husband Michael, who is a great inspiration to me. 

You are an artist/painter. Who influenced you most? I come from an artistic family of painters, sculptors, cartoonist, and musicians. 

My Art has been licensed in many fields, such as fine art prints and posters, wall coverings, puzzles, calendars, greeting cards, Embroidery kits, Home Décor etc.

Tell us your latest news.

 I’m finishing up my second Oracle Card Deck that I’ve both written and illustrated entitled 

"Dream Your Joy"

https://judymastrangelo.com/inspirational-oracle-card-decks/

 

  It will be on the market at the end of 2022, and is a companion deck to my deck. 

 “Inspirational Visions”  

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0764360000/ref=dbs_a_def_rwt_bibl_vppi_i17

 

They are both about developing one’s imagination, and creativity, healing, and living with Joy. for “RED FEATHER MIND BODY SPIRIT”, a division of Schiffer Publishing.

 I’m also working on some new books that I’ve both written

and illustrated. They should be on the market soon too.

When and why did you begin writing?

I always enjoyed writing, even as a child. I was always very

imaginative and my stories were very fanciful about fairy tale

worlds. My writing usually began as drawings and paintings, which I then developed into illustrations for these original stories.

My recent book, I wrote and illustrated is entitled:

 “The Magic Blanket”.

 https://www.amazon.com/MAGIC-BLANKET-JUDY-MASTRANGELO-ebook/dp/B09VDBS3X4/ref=sr_1_1?crid=SYDD0N3L14GH&keywords=Judy+Mastrangelo&qid=1660755009&s=digital-text&sprefix=judy+mastrangelo%2Cdigital-text%2C112&sr=1-1

 

 

Website: https://judymastrangelo.com/books-2/the-magic-blanket/

I enjoyed writing and illustrating it as I “let my imagination go” to the fullest. It was a wonderful experience for me to  create a fantastical fairy tale world. I felt that this would be a good book for families and friends to share together, and also partake in some fun filled activities after the story, at the end of the book. My hope is that it would bring people together.

          The story is about little Amy, whose Mother gives her a Magic

Blanket that she decorated with pictures of a Wondrous

Dream World. As Amy goes to bed that night, a little Elf hops

out of the Blanket and asks her to go with him on an exciting

voyage to this Fairy Tale Realm. She happily agrees, and

upon arrival, he introduces her to the Royal King and Queen,

and other whimsical little people, who invite Amy to see their

incredible “Enchanted Land”.

Her Mother’s Magic Blanket was an entrance to the “Enchanted Land”,

which is a Realm where Goodness Reigns,

 and all who are kindhearted are welcome to enter.

Children and Parents alike will love reading this Fairy Tale

book together, with its charming illustrations and captivating

adventures. And since this is part of my series of “Come

Play With Me” books, along with the story, it also contains

several engaging, fun filled, and Artistic things to do. Some

of these Activities are: Baking Yummy Cookies, Coloring

Pages, Performing a Play, Learning the Magic of Colors, and

Painting Rainbows and Scenes from your Imagination.

Who designed the covers?

Besides writing my original stories or poetry for my books,

and/or adapting literature in the public domain, I do all the

artwork, including the covers. I also design them as well.

"POEMS TO DREAM ON"

Artist Judy Mastrangelo’s magical and colorful paintings beautifully bring to life this collection of famous and beloved poetry, written by great poets of the past. Here are a few of her favorite poems she has chosen to illustrate for this enchanting anthology:

From Robert Louis Stevenson’s volume “A Child’s Garden of Verses”, you can have fun flying up in the air with “The Swing”, and looking for tiny Garden Fairies in his poem “The Flowers”. Eugene Field, known as “The Poet of Childhood”, recounts a comical “Duel” of the whimsical Gingham Dog and Calico Cat. And his lovely “Rock-a-By Lady from Hushaby street” takes us to visit her wondrous Land of Dreams. Joyce Kilmer expresses the beauty of “Trees” who wear “a nest of robins in their hair” in his celebrated poem. You will recognize the popular lines “All things bright and beautiful, All creatures great and small”, in the poem by Cecil Frances Alexander. The funny “Three Little Kittens” will give you a chuckle as they search for their mittens, and you will marvel at the beauty of the “road from earth to sky” in “The Rainbow”, by Christina Rossetti. The poem “Toyland”, written by Glen MacDonough, contains the familiar verse “Toyland, toyland, Little girl and boy land”. This was set to music for the charming operetta “Babes in Toyland" by Victor Herbert.

Judy has also included some of her own original poems that she wrote and illustrated, such as the “Graceful Swan Boat”, in which you can sail away “to lands where dreams are born”. From her series “Garden Gates”, you will enjoy playing with children in the Buttercups, having a Foxglove Tea Party, marching in a Tulip Parade, and making a wish on a Water Lily Pond.

Both Children and Adults of all ages will delight in reading this engaging medley of poetry, as well as looking at Judy’s captivating, detailed, and stunning artwork, which enhances and illustrates it so perfectly. In her “Poems To Dream On”, she has created an endearing and tender book, which will be cherished by readers for many years to come.

https://judymastrangelo.com/poems-to-dream-on/

Any advice for other writers?

You have to love the Art of writing in order to have patience

to stick with it and never give up. I have had many set backs

in my career, as have many others. But I don't let these bad

experiences get me down. I just pick myself up and continue

on. That is because I love doing it so much. The world of

Painting and Writing is a great joy to me, and if I gave it up,

there would be a great void in my life.

"Enchanted Fairy Tales" 

ENCHANTED FAIRY TALES is a collection of some of the most famous and beloved classic Fairy Tales, written by great authors of the past. These stories have been adapted and illustrated by Judy Mastrangelo, who is a world-renowned Artist and Author specializing in fantasy artwork. Her beautifully detailed and colorful paintings follow in the Fine Art tradition of the “Artists of the Golden Age of Illustration”. For those of all ages who enjoy the world of fantasy, this book will be a magical delight. Some of the stories she has chosen for this book are: Peter Pan, Hansel and Gretel, Cinderella, Thumbelina, The Wizard of Oz, Alice in Wonderland, The Frog Prince, A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Sleeping Beauty, King Arthur, Jack and the Beanstalk, etc.

https://www.amazon.com/POEMS-DREAM-JUDY-MASTRANGELO-ebook/dp/B0B35N7DVW/ref=sr_1_10?crid=SYDD0N3L14GH&keywords=Judy+Mastrangelo&qid=1660755253&s=digital-text&sprefix=judy+mastrangelo%2Cdigital-text%2C112&sr=1-10

My first published book was entitled 

“WHAT DO BUNNIES DO ALL DAY?”.

https://judymastrangelo.com/what-do-bunnies-do-all-day-paperback-books/

It was inspired by our adorable little Netherlands Dwarf pet

rabbit named “Bunny”. He was so very cute and playful. He

was the star of my story, in which I imagined him going on

his first adventure, looking for his identity as a little bunny.

He met several delightful characters in this story, such as

Daffodils, Butterflies, and a Cloud, and had a wonderful first

adventure, before he hopped back home to his Mama Bunny.

How did you come up with the title?

I got the title from the question that he asked all his new

friends that he met: “WHAT DO YOU DO ALL DAY?”

Then, after his adventure, when he arrived home, his mother

asked,

“Well, Little Bunny, what did you do all day?”

He answered her:

“I hopped, skipped, and jumped.

Then I nibbled dandelions,

washed in the warm sun,

took a nap, ate raspberries,

and sipped cool water from a Stream.

“But,” said Little Bunny sadly,

“I never did find out

what Bunnies do all day.”

“What Bunnies do all day is exactly what my Little Bunny

did,”

said Mother Bunny as she hugged him tightly.

Then they ate their supper, and went to bed.

Is there a message in your book that you want readers to

grasp?

I’d like to quote here some of the reviews about my book that

are on Amazon. I think they have understood my message

well:

Children will love to discover What Bunnies Do All Day and

will learn ways to create their own adventures with nature.

the story involves little bunny conversing with all of nature,

the sky, the land and the water. It's bound to spark the imagi-

nation of the young (and the young at heart) and encourage

their connection with nature, and nature spirits.

Here is an opportunity to teach appreciation of nature, and to

introduce the concepts of independence and intellectual cu-

riosity.

My children loved this book. I don't know whether it was the

simpleness of the story or that they could associate with the

baby bunny. With the parents running around and doing all

this stuff and getting so stressed, emphatic children are not

sure if they are doing their part. This books reassures them

they are doing exactly what they are suppose to be doing -

exploring!

I think the story line is ideal for young children. It is natural

for a child to wonder, "What does a bunny do all day?" The

book gives credible and understandable answers in the

young bunny's adventuresome day.

This is a good bedtime story for a child because the last line

reads, "Then she [Mother Bunny] fed Little Bunny his supper

and put him to bed.”

 

Do you remember the first book you read?

When we were young by A.A. Milne

Is there one person, past or present, you would love to meet?

Why? I would love to meet Leonardo da Vinci, the great Renaissance Polymath. I’d really enjoy talking with him about his great paintings, and his amazing inventions.

He was such a genius.

Favorite foods, colors, music?

I’m a lacto-vegetarian and enjoy eating fresh veggies, fruit,

and yogurt etc.

I love all the colors in the color wheel.

Music that I mostly enjoy listening to is Baroque (such as

Johann Sebastian Bach), Classical and Romantic (such as

Ludwig van Beethoven), and Modern (such as Igor Stravinsky).

Anything specific you want to tell your readers?

I daydream about my paintings for a while before putting

them on canvas.

This preliminary technique of "Mind Painting" helps me to

develop an imaginative Work of Art. I do the same when I

create an original story.

 

Here are some links to my books and artwork:

AUTHOR’S PAGE on USA AMAZON:

https://www.amazon.com/Judy-Mastrangelo/e/B08TGNL7D9?ref=sr_ntt_srch_lnk_3&qid=1660755339&sr=1-3

Website BOOK page:

https://judymastrangelo.com/books-2/

Website SHOP PAGE:

https://judymastrangelo.com/portfolio/shop/

Website ART PAGE:

https://judymastrangelo.com/art/

Do you have a blog or website readers can visit for updates,

events and special offers?

www.judymastrangelo.com