In June, Glens Falls native Marika McCoola (the New York Times bestselling writer of Baba Yaga’s Assistant) and artist Aatmaja Pandya, released Slip, a coming-of-age graphic novel that takes place at the Art Farm, a fictionalized version of Salem Art Works (SAW). 

The Artist’s Path

Slip was written nine years ago while Marika was teaching at Skidmore College and working in the children’s department at Saratoga’s Northshire Bookstore. 

In Slip, Jade, a young artist excited to spend a summer at the Art Farm, learns that her best friend, Phoebe, has attempted suicide. 

While at the art center, Jade meets the upbeat Mary, and love blossoms. 

Jade is thrown off-balance by the disconcerting duality of her emotions, then, something happens that’s beyond belief: the ceramic creatures Jade has been making come to life!

Where Anything is Possible

The magical animals in Slip were inspired by the fantastical, mythical human/animal hybrids Marika made during her 2008 SAW residency. 

It was an experience that gave her the opportunity to intensely focus on her artwork while exploring the emotions that fueled its creation.

“This was like an exorcism for everything I was feeling at the time,” said Marika. “Lots of times they shift and change and become a different animal.” 

“When you have the space and time to have those deep moments,” she added, “everything opens up. It’s incredible.”

Illustrating That Grey Area 

The book’s two-color illustrations (printed in blueberry midnight for the primary storyline, and a bright raspberry sunset pink for instances of high-emotion) have been drawn by hand in a mixture of charcoal, graphite, pen, and ink techniques by New York City-based artist Aatmaja Pandya. 

Inspired by high-energy Manga art, Aatmaja designed the character Jade to resemble herself at that time. 

“It’s like part of my life is getting thrust into their lives,” she said.

“I really like messy stories, complicated stories about that grey area in life,” she continued. “I also added in universals of the artist experience. It’s exciting for me for this book to come out because I feel like I nailed it.”

Art that Increases Understanding

In recent years, a wave of legislation across the country has restricted LGBTQ+ offerings, something that has not yet affected Slip sales. 

Its creators believe that access increases understanding and that sometimes, art needs to be uncomfortable to be effective.

“There needs to be room for LGBTQ art that is messy and complicated,” said Aatmaja. “Every aspect of our lives is getting curated and that’s part of the problem.”

“You can choose what you read, but access to it needs to be out in the world,” said Marika. ““Everyone, especially children, need to have a window into someone else’s life and a mirror for their own.”

Signed copies of Slip, by Markia McCoola and illustrated by Aatmaja Pandya, are available for purchase online or in-person from Northshire Bookstore, 424 Broadway, Saratoga Springs.