Donovan Bixley
“I had an idea that I would create a trilogy of picture books for grown-ups…
They would be, I decided biographies of three of the world’s greatest artists. I was inspired by the lush, artistic vision of John Howe, Lord of the Rings illustrator and art director for the films. It took me six years to create that first book, Faithfully Mozart. Now, more than twenty years since I began, the third and final book is about to be released. A Portrait of Leonardo is the book I’ve dreamed of creating, since the beginning. I saved Leonardo for last — for me he was the most daunting subject. I knew that I needed to bide my time, build up my skill set — and my contacts — for it to be the work I was dreaming of.
One thing I do, largely for myself, is keep timesheets. On a book like Leonardo, it means I know how much time I’ve spent on a task, for example researching an incident, or drawing an illustration. I can see that I’ve put thousands of hours into Leonardo. It also emphasises just how difficult it is to do this job, and become highly skilled at it, if you’re only able to do it in your spare time.
Copyright is how I earn a living. It’s the reason I’m able to work on my books full-time, and it also helps me hold onto my creativity. It took me a number of years to build up enough intellectual property to make writing and illustrating my own books my day job. I’ve created over 100 books and it’s the IP in these that pays royalties which collectively make a liveable income. A book like The Wheels on the Bus, which has been selling steadily since it came out in 2010, allows me to dedicate the time I do to a book like Leonardo. And working fulltime as an author and illustrator, I’m able to hone my craft, to learn and develop, and get better and better.
There’s also a measure of calculated risk involved — you gamble on yourself. When I began Faithfully, Mozart writing and illustrating my own project was something I hadn’t done before. I had no idea whether it would succeed. But it was a dream I needed to act on. I saw something important in it, and I hoped others would too.
So you have to dream, and be driven, and my rights in my work are directly connected to my dreams. Having work succeed internationally is part of this. While my books are published in a number of countries, I had just hit my stride when the pandemic arrived. The last two years have been difficult: international book fairs came to a halt making it very hard to sell New Zealand books overseas. So now, there’s a lot of work to be done.
Sometimes, my books interest other creative people, who want to adapt them into a new form. Copyright ensures that I have the choice to exercise creative control — and to come along on the journey. In 2019, more than a decade after Faithfully, Mozart was published, the Auckland Philharmonic Orchestra contacted me out of the blue with the idea of performing it. It was something I’d never thought of. The collaboration became Amazing Mr Mozart. My illustrations were projected onto a large screen, the orchestra played Mozart’s Clarinet Concerto, Symphony No.40 and excerpts from some of his operas. And I (in full Mozart regalia, wig and all) performed as narrator, using an adapted version of my book’s text.
I have a vivid memory of being backstage at the Aotea Centre, dressed as Mozart, waiting to go on stage. The house lights were up, the theatre was packed and in that moment, my mind went blank. If you’re worried reading this, don’t be. Everything fell into place. When I opened my mouth, the right words flowed out. But it was quite something: the large audience, the orchestra, my illustrations on that big screen — and me narrating the performance. A performance based on that very first book of mine, the book that began the dream.”
Donovan Bixley is an award-winning author and illustrator