The Artsy Girls met last night at Ellen Highsmith Silver’s magical home in Rye, NY. She hosted our mid-summer event and gave us a tour of her creative surroundings before the program began.

In addition to the dozens of wooden pig cutting boards gracing the walls of her kitchen and dining room, my other favorite decor detail was the yardstick wainscoting in her craft studio. Everywhere you look in Ellen’s house, your eye falls on something whimsical, colorful and uplifting. The tour and our surroundings set the stage for an inspiring talk by Page McBrier.

Page has been writing children and young adult books for years, most recently in association with Heifer International. Their first collaboration produced Beatrice’s Goat which went on to reach the NYTimes Bestselling Book status. During her talk at Ellen’s, Page showed slides and talked about a recent volume she wrote based on her experiences in SW China, Winter in Songming.

I experienced Page’s joy as she brought to life the small village she visited, their customs, celebrations and personalities. What was so inspiring was how the particular poem she based the book on provided the lens through which she viewed her surroundings. She showed us the collection of images she took during her stay. Then she leafed through the published book with the illustrator’s interpretations of those photos and showed how they fit with the words she wrote bringing this quiet tale to readers.

The 20+ of us were spellbound and enchanted by Page’s adventure in this foreign land and how she wove together the seed of an idea with the village and life of its inhabitants.