ABSTRACT
Swint and Snuff’s Creature Compendium is a 40 page illustrated picture book for ages 9-12. The reader is invited to explore the world through a guidebook format written by the two mysterious authors, Lily Swint and Theodora Snuff-- two victori- an era naturalists with a penchant for adventure and discovery. Some of the creatures they detail include the Silver Snitch, a rascally little creature that steals and polish- es silverware, a Petal Nil, a small petal loving rodent that hides among flowers and leaves, and the deeply mysterious entity, the MultiCat--whose origin and species no one clearly knows.
The creatures draw from my experiences in the pacific northwest woods and Portland, and appeal to themes of nostalgia, magic, and whimsy. I have always tak- en interest in the small details of life in nature especially, and I strongly believe that seeing things as they really exist without judgement, whether or not they benefit hu- manity, is the first step to respecting them and protecting them. I hoped to express this ideology by asking the readers to take a look into the details of the lives of the creatures in this book, and to consider how they might intersect with our own lives.
The nonlinear narrative grew from a very small project to something broader than I had ever imagined it being-- It has gone from being a short-term idea into a starting point for a longer, several-book series that I hope to continue after graduation and create a series of book dummies to submit to publishers later. The ideal situation would be to submit this first dummy, and have it be picked up by a publisher to be continued in the series.
ARTIST STATEMENT
Olive Stephens (artist name oswinter) is an illustrator from the Oregon Coast who enjoys dabbling in the slightly spooky and cute.
Their work draws from their personal experiences living in the enchanted streets of Portland and wandering the rainy logging roads through the forests surrounding their hometown. Their art is both playful and dark
in intervals, and they enjoy playing between two distinct aesthetics to explore different themes and stories.
Olive graduated from Pacific Northwest College of Art in 2021 with their BFA in illustration, and before that completed their associate’s degree at Oregon Coast Community College in the small town of South Beach, Oregon.
Recently they have taken an interest in expanding on darker themes in their work and incorporating eerie spaces that serve as a setting for complex emotional expression. They live under the supreme authority of their two cats, Mochi and Potato Bob.
