it’s no secret that the last couple of years i’ve been outside the loop of everything creative. especially in israel. but since i’m trying to get back into the groove of blogging, i need to tell you about one of my favorite illustrators, alon braier, who wrote and illustrated his first book and published by salomon & daughters. you may refer to it as a greenery bible or a 101 houseplants psychology.
full disclosure, the book was published two years ago but that won’t stop me from writing about it.
so, the minute i discovered this gem of a picture book, i asked alon if he could share with us some of his early sketches and he obliged! getting a glimpse into an illustrator’s world and journey is one of my greatest joys and alon didn’t disappoint. his illustrated world has so many layers and under layers and the fact that at the end, alon decided to only use black, white and green (duh!) adds yet another depth. when both the plants, their owner and their environment are illustrated just in black and white, the plants become more human and the owners become more vegetative.
but wait, let’s start with the description.
“good houseplanting” is a user’s guide to a better, healthier relationship with your houseplants, for the novice, traumatized, and the experienced. yep, just as i said. alon is taking us all on a journey inside his own house and his relationship with his own plants. at least that’s how it all started.
“in recent years, many books about houseplants and growing them are popping all over. most of the books and the instagram pages are filled with pictures of perfect homes, healthy plants and happy couples, which is beautiful to see but not really the reality of everyday life.” alon decided that his illustrations should be much more authentic and a reality check. that’s when he also decided that the narrative and the text would talk more about the unexpected ongoing relationship between the plants and their owners. we can all agree that it’s much more intriguing than any other gardening tips.
alon was all about his plants’ emotional well being and state of mind. it’s “the secret lives of pets” gone green.
for the record, i ordered myself (and a few of my green loving friends) a copy but in corona times, the israeli postoffice takes its time… i’ll be reporting back on my instagram, once i lay my hands on this black, white and green beauty!
oh and, you can read an interview with alon about his process on prtfl. it’s in hebrew but there’s nothing the good old google translate won’t solve.
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www.alonbraier.com
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