Visual Artist Violet Kitchen on Creatively Illustrating a Climate Solutions Book

By Peterson Toscano

Violet Kitchen was just at the beginning of her career as a visual artist, illustrator, comic book artist, and graphic designer. Then came a big break: a deal to illustrate a new book, written by Violet’s friend, Solomon Goldstein-Rose, that publishers believed would make a splash. She she got to work and created dozens of illustrations for The 100% Solution. A Plan for Solving Climate Change.

Then in March, when the book finally appeared in print, the COVID-19 pandemic shut everything down. In lieu of live readings and events, Solomon and Violet have begun to speak about the project in virtual spaces, including in Ep 50 of Citizens Climate Radio.

The book is filled with Violet’s whimsical and technically accurate illustrations. This project came with constraints, however. For one, other than the cover art, all of the illustrations are black-and-white while Violet usually works in bright colors. In addition, the illustrations had to display a lot of complex information in an easy-to-digest format. 

Violet shares how she adapted as an artist and discusses the role art can play in change movements.

Next month, writer, photographer, and climate action figure, Princella Talley, talks about her art, living in rural Louisiana, and being a queer woman of color in predominately heteronormative white climate spaces. 

If you like what you hear, you can listen to full episodes of Citizens’ Climate Radio on iTunesStitcher Radio, Spotify, SoundCloudPodbeanNorthern Spirit RadioGoogle PlayPlayerFM, and TuneIn Radio. Also, feel free to connect with other listeners, suggest program ideas, and respond to programs in the Citizens’ Climate Radio Facebook group or on Twitter at @CitizensCRadio.

(Top image: Illustration by Violet Kitchen.)

This article is part of The Art House series.

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As host of Citizens’ Climate Radio, Peterson Toscano regularly features artists who address climate change in their work. The Art House section of his program includes singer/songwriters, visual artists, comics, creative writers, and playwrights. Through a collaboration with Artists and Climate Change and Citizens’ Climate Education, each month Peterson reissues The Art House for this blog. If you have an idea for The Art House, contact Peterson: radio @ citizensclimatelobby.org

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Artists and Climate Change is a blog that tracks artistic responses from all disciplines to the problem of climate change. It is both a study about what is being done, and a resource for anyone interested in the subject. Art has the power to reframe the conversation about our environmental crisis so it is inclusive, constructive, and conducive to action. Art can, and should, shape our values and behavior so we are better equipped to face the formidable challenge in front of us.

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