When author Ken Budd approached a local middle school teacher with a small problem related to the cover of his upcoming novel, the last in his Adventures of Buddy Williams series, she knew just who could help. Within what seemed like minutes, three young lads, all very near to the age of the book’s protagonist, Buddy, and his cohorts, Riel and Mokey, emerged to volunteer as the talent for the book cover photo shoot.
A couple of weeks later, on a weekday lunch hour, the group made their way through a stand of mixed conifers to a clearing that housed the lone, sleek-skinned deciduous tree that would stand in for a prairie poplar. From there, Ken and the boys went to work.
Click play to see how the stage was set for one of Jakub Kania’s best artistic works so far.