Claudia McGehee Illustration

Claudia McGehee Illustration I'm an Illustrator-Writer living in a tallgrass prairie state. I find inspiration around every corner. Some days I write about pictures.

Some days I draw about words. It's about telling a story. Please visit http://www.claudia-mcgehee.com Commercial illustrator and author/illustrator of children's books

We visited Wilson’s Orchard, a beloved local destination, in the late afternoon of 9/11. We had watched the horrific eve...
09/11/2026

We visited Wilson’s Orchard, a beloved local destination, in the late afternoon of 9/11. We had watched the horrific events of the day unfold on our TV screens, as so many of us did. My parents were visiting from out of state, and our daughter Lucy was just two year old, so being in nature when we felt so numb seemed to be a good choice. It was a perfect September afternoon. We adults sat at the picnic tables with our coffee, overlooking the orchard, and the rolling hillside beyond. There was a touch of autumn in the tree canopy. We then spied a formation of planes, streaking high above. All commercial air traffic had been grounded earlier in the day, so these planes could only be Air Force One and its Security entourage. Later, we did confirm, this flight formation was flying back from Offutt Air Force Base, Nebraska, with President Bush on board. Seeing that particular flight path across Iowa is one of the clearest memories I have of the day, 25 years ago. Contrails on a clear blue sky still get me. May you have a day of quietude and reflection 🧡 #9/11 wilsonsorchard

Have your hummingbird eyes 👀open this week! A birdie friend of mine reported a big group of hummingbirds in her fabulous...
09/09/2026

Have your hummingbird eyes 👀open this week! A birdie friend of mine reported a big group of hummingbirds in her fabulous garden this week, no doubt fueling up for their impending flights booked to Argentina. But a few hummers are still hanging around our Iowa patio, feasting on the last Grandpa Ott Morning Glories and the purple salvia. Let me know your hummer sightings!

Thank you for your inspiring words, written and voiced 🧡
09/04/2026

Thank you for your inspiring words, written and voiced 🧡

I look to September as my second New Year, accessing where I am, turning over new leaves, renewing good habits, ridding ...
09/02/2026

I look to September as my second New Year, accessing where I am, turning over new leaves, renewing good habits, ridding myself of unhelpful ones. It’s also a good month to dig into big projects! Appropriately, I’ve been working on a picture book about seeds, with beautiful, stirring words by Charlotte Gunnufson, fellow Iowan picture book maker! The title, “Seeds Go, Seeds Grow” hints at the theme, of the many ways seeds disperse and find their way to perfect habitats to grow. A parallel story note has a human family growing along with these leafy forest inhabitants. You know I work traditionally, so everything is hands on, hands smudgy at the board at this point. I’m at the full scale, pencil rough stage now. Scroll to see the tiny dummy book of my simple thumbnail sketches. I refer to this for a quick check on flow and feel! May your September mark some new beginnings, with a touch of autumnal auld lang syne! 🍁🍂⏰

Thank you all the nice comments on the last post, indulging me on the National Gallery dress! It did bring home the fact...
08/31/2026

Thank you all the nice comments on the last post, indulging me on the National Gallery dress! It did bring home the fact that a little dress-up can highlight life:) Back to the studio jeans, the Midwest, and the last day of August. This piece is part of the scratchboard Tallgrass Prairie series, a nod to that part of the summer when the sun is almost white (maybe it just worn out the sky this year). I call this Tallgrass Midday.

On a lighter note to end the week…some have kindly asked for photos of the long gown that was part of my illustration su...
08/28/2026

On a lighter note to end the week…some have kindly asked for photos of the long gown that was part of my illustration suitcase to London 👗Here are some details that evening at the conference event held at the National Gallery that Dan and I attended. My dress had a chambray prairie hemline, shimmery champagne colored fabric, and I paired a lapis lazuli bolo to make it my own (and a shout out to friends who gave me shawl and clutch options!). Dan wore the classic tux (tricky silk bow tie, with authentic skew!), and had a James Bond appeal for his date;) The painting behind us is an Edouard Manet (“Portrait of Eva Gonzales”, an artist herself!). We had a short, after hours tour of the wing the dinner was held in. Pretty magical. I was overwhelmed to eat cheesecake within yards of a Turner and a Caravaggio. “The Ex*****on of Lady Jane Grey” (eeekks!) is such a devastation, a masterpiece. A reminder to myself, getting gussied up is nice every once in awhile! An extraordinary venue.

The sounds of summer are still loud and strong here in the Midwest, with the cicada still thrumming away at their little...
08/27/2026

The sounds of summer are still loud and strong here in the Midwest, with the cicada still thrumming away at their little tummy muscles! For the picture book “Rings of Heartwood” MNHS Press Molly Beth Griffin, I was challenged to illustratively guide readers through this beloved insect’s life cycle, as Molly Beth’s words described. Who says larva can’t be cute! Scroll for the finished design with text. And enjoy the season of sun for a few more weeks! Don’t let your grocery store candy aisle lure you into thinking it’s Halloween!! 👻

The state bird of Tennessee for Dolly Parton, who flew ahead today. Thank you for your music, wit, humor, your beauty an...
08/25/2026

The state bird of Tennessee for Dolly Parton, who flew ahead today. Thank you for your music, wit, humor, your beauty and grace, your generosity, your gifts to humanity.

It’s the 110th birthday of the National Parks Service today. I’ve felt most proudly American while visiting our parks, m...
08/25/2026

It’s the 110th birthday of the National Parks Service today. I’ve felt most proudly American while visiting our parks, monuments, and seashores. That’s why I’m taking a stand in the nationwide Day of Action today, to protest so many threats aimed at our public lands right now- most pointedly staffing and funding slashes and development policies- under the Trump administration. Help support, protect and preserve these sacred nature spaces for now and for generations; keep aware of the current issues and what is at stake.

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