Leap into winter! Artist Elly MacKay reveals how she created this charming CBC Arts logo

Every month, we feature a new take on the CBC Arts logo created by a Canadian artist. Check out our previous logos!

Ready or not, December is here and it's time to leap into winter. But if the plunging temperatures have got you feeling glum, this month's logo design could be the cure.

See that fox? Be like the fox. Artist Elly MacKay will explain all in the conversation below. (She answered our questions about the scene over email.) An award-winning children's-book illustrator, MacKay is known for building enchanting dioramas like this one, which she photographs in a special setup that's a lot like a table-top theatre. She'll tell you more about that whole process, too. Read on!

Name: Elly MacKay
Age: 40
Homebase: Owen Sound, Ont.

Your work is so charming. What inspires your aesthetic?

I am always looking to capture fleeting experiences: the way weather changes, brief encounters and childhood too, I suppose. I make picture books for a living and I think it shapes the way I view the world, often looking for narratives or seeing everyone and everything as a character in a story.

Let's talk about your logo! What's the story behind the concept?

For the month of December I wanted to create something to celebrate winter. I love looking for tracks in the snow — how the snow tells the story of the animals that were there on previous days. I drew several animals that we might see here: a deer, a rabbit, a snowy owl, some chickadees and a fox. I played with all of them in my little theatre. 

This little fox seemed just right. Foxes are such adaptable animals. They'll thrive no matter the weather and in almost any place. That seems very Canadian.

It's such a magical winter scene. What are all the components that went into creating it? Can you tell me a little about your process?

To create the snow, I spray-painted a layer of packaging wrap and put it in the foreground. The middle ground is made of cut paper. I used ink to paint the fox. The background CBC logo was cut from paper and placed behind a layer of translucent paper. I back-lit the scene with a blue transparency to make it glow.

I like to play with different types of paper with a range of opacities since I am using back-lighting. I'll often use Yupo paper, tracing paper or washi papers. I am always looking at the packaging things come in too, to see if I could make use of it in one of my photos.

How long have you been making art this way? How did you stumble on this technique?

I started making dioramas when I was 15 after a trip my mom took me on to meet paper artists. I sold a few dioramas at a gallery in Toronto called First Hand and it was so exciting to think I could make money from what I loved doing.

Foxes are such adaptable animals. They'll thrive no matter the weather and in almost any place. That seems very Canadian.- Elly MacKay, artist

I was looking for a way of adding more light to the scenes so I started experimenting with using frosted glass and translucent papers on the back and sides. I was still making dioramas and tunnel books in my 20s but there was no room for boxy dioramas in my tight living quarters. My husband Simon made me a miniature theatre and I started setting things up temporarily and photographing the scenes. The photos then became the finished art. 

What's the project you're most proud of?

I loved working on the covers of the Anne of Green Gables and Emily of New Moon books for Tundra. It really was a dream job and it is funny how one thing leads to another. Through that, I was asked by Planet Word, a new museum in Washington, to create a diorama for a permanent installation. I made one of Anne and Diana set in Idlewild. 

Anything new that you can tell us about? What are you working on these days?

My new book In The Clouds comes out this spring. It is about a girl that travels on the back of a bird, asking questions about the clouds and questions about life too. It is a book about boredom and how it can spark curiosity and imagination. I've been working on it in little ways for years. I'm glad it is finally becoming a real book. It seems relevant right now when all of us have been stuck inside so often and long for a bit of an adventure. 

What's your favourite place to see art?

We have a gallery here in Owen Sound, the Tom Thomson Art Gallery. Right now, Kristine Moran has a show on called swimming at the edge of utopia. I went to her artist talk a couple of weeks ago and it felt so amazing to hear her thoughts on life right now — to see these huge vibrant paintings and to just be there with the community. I have really missed that sort of experience. 

Who's the last artist you discovered online?

I just came across Maria Kristofersson's ceramics this morning, first through a series of clocks and then I saw some pieces that reminded me of dimensional drawings. Really intriguing work.

What work of art do you wish you owned?

My favourite work of art is called The Time Machine by Joyce Wieland. I always visit it when I go to the AGO. 

Where can we see more from you?

Instagram and my website. My next book, In the Clouds, is with Tundra Books. The two that came out this year are Hidden Treasure and The Secret Fawn, written by my friend Kallie George.

This conversation has been edited and condensed.