Susan Condie Lamb ’77
There was no promise of work at the time, and although she had been advised never to work for free, she decided to give it a try. The editor loved her ideas and so she began work on her first project. It took a couple of years to come to fruition, but the book was published in 1992 and was very well received. It continues to sell and has won numerous state awards. Her last book, Prairie Primer A to Z by Caroline Stutson, was described by the publisher, Dutton Children’s Books, as “a rhythmic alphabet book that perfectly captures the flavor and feeling of the Midwest at the start of the twentieth century.” Susan’s style of painting captures the era eloquently with humor and dreamy realism. On reminiscing about Taft, Susan told us, “Last year we had a triple reunion at Taft. My father, Charles Lamb ’42, returned for his 60th reunion, my sister, Ashley Lamb Fischer ’72, returned for her 30th, and I came back for my 25th.” Her sister, Ashley, talented in her own right, did not pursue a career in the art industry, but helped Susan form her interest in art from childhood. Susan was also greatly influenced by the late Mark Potter ’48, her art teacher at Taft. “He was one of the best teachers I ever had and I feel that I received an incredible gift from him.” The challenges of the theater gave Susan the background to put vision to the words. “In the theater world, the words of the play along with a director’s
Lamb illustration in My Great-Aunt Arizona
vision give inspiration for the costume and set designs,” she notes, “and so it is with illustrations for a book.” If a manuscript does not immediately inspire her, she chooses not to become involved in the project, but if it does, she usually begins with scribbling thumbnail sketches in the margins right away, and often finds that she stays with those initial drawings for the finished artwork. Though she has done some illustrations in pen and ink, or pencil, she works mostly with watercolors. For her current project with HarperCollins, a book about an “everyday hero,” similar to the character in My GreatAunt Arizona, she traveled to Asheville, N.C., to gain inspiration by walking in the footsteps of the character and to see
her world. “It’s important to me,” Susan states, “that, in today’s edgy world, stories about special people whose lives are about making contributions to the world and human connections get told.” In between her painting, Susan is a full-time mom to Charlie, 13, and Ella, 9, who she is raising in Connecticut with her husband, still-life photographer, Christopher Bartlett. Anne Gahl is Director of Alumni Relations at Taft and Jackie Maloney is Assistant Director. Illustration from My Great-Aunt Arizona used by permission of HarperCollins. Text copyright © 1992 by Gloria Houston. Illustrations copyright © 1992 by Susan Condie Lamb.
Taft Bulletin Spring 2003
31