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Arts & Entertainment

Local Children's Author Shows Beauty of Wrinkles

Richard McFarland will speak at the Huntley Public Library Tuesday night.

When he worked as a retouch artist for a large printer in Chicago, Richard McFarland spent a lot of time removing wrinkles from photographs in order to make faces appear more pleasing.

But the Huntley resident left all the wrinkles intact when he provided the illustrations for a children's book entitled "Grandfather's Wrinkles."

McFarland and his wife, Fran, have five children, seven grandchildren, and two great-grandchildren. In addition to being the illustrator of "Grandfather's Wrinkles" published by Flashlight Press, Richard is also the model for the book's main character, Granddad.

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McFarland will talk about how to create a children's book from start to finish during a personal appearance from 7 to 8 pm Tuesday at the Huntley Area Public Library,  11000 Ruth Road in Huntley.  He will also hold a reading of his book followed by a book sale/signing. The event is free and open to the public.

Kathryn England, the author of "Grandfather's Wrinkles," lives in Penrith at the foot of the Blue Mountains in New South Wales, Australia. "Grandfather's Wrinkles" was the first picture book for both England and McFarland.

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"It was interesting working with someone I've never met," McFarland said.

In the book, three-year-old Lucy looks at her Granddad's face and wants to know why "his skin was like a scrunched-up piece of paper, all crumpled and creased."

Granddad explains that each wrinkle was created by his smiles for special events like his wedding and Lucy's birth.

None of McFarland's grandchildren were the right age to portray Lucy at the time McFarland was working on the book. When one of his friends suggested Bekah Caskey, McFarland knew he had found the perfect model for Granddad's granddaughter.

Some of McFarland's friends and relatives appear as characters in the book. 

"Every scene in the book is a compilation of my photos and ideas," McFarland said. "The farmhouse in the background on one of the pages was inspired by a farm on Coyne Station Road in Huntley."

McFarland's cocker spaniel, Annie, appears as herself in the book. McFarland said it was hard at first to get the dog to look away from him so he could get just the right image.

"I tied a piece of hot dog on the end of a fishing pole," McFarland said. "Instead of looking at me, she looked at the hot dog."

The illustration on page 29 of the book shows Granddad and his wife meeting Lucy for the first time on the day of her birth at the hospital. The framed picture on the hospital wall depicts a scene from the movie "Somewhere in Time."

McFarland said that he once painted a portrait of actors Christopher Reeve and Jane Seymour, the hero and heroine of the movie.

"I got a call from Jo Addie, the woman who had advertising rights to the movie," McFarland said. "She wanted a painting of Jane and Chris in costume in front of the Mackinac Hotel (where most of the movie takes place). I worked on the portrait for six months. When they had a big 'to-do' at the Gateway Theater in Chicago, I brought the painting and Jo Addie bought it. The painting was displayed at Universal Studios in Hollywood, a theater in New York, and at the Grand Hotel in Mackinac Island. The portrait is now in Jo Addie's private collection."

Addie is the president of INSITE, the home of the International Network of Somewhere in Time Enthusiasts. The movie is celebrating its 30th anniversary this year.

In addition to illustrating "Grandfather's Wrinkles" and painting scenes from "Somewhere in Time," McFarland has provided illustrations to accompany some of his son Joe's articles.

Joe is a staff writer for Outdoor Illinois, the Illinois Department of Natural Resources magazine. He is also the co-author of the book "Edible Wild Mushrooms of Illinois and Surrounding States."

For more information on the "Grandfather's Wrinkles" event, contact the Huntley library at (847) 669-5386; www.huntleylibrary.org.

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