Amadee Ricketts, who co-authored a new children’s book with her husband, James Orndorf, looks through the book at Maria’s Bookshop recently. The book, Cortez the Gnome, details the adventures of Cortez as he combs the Four Corners landscape in search of his long lost brother./Photo by Jennaye Derge

Going gnome

Durango couple introduces locally based children’s book

by Stew Mosberg    

Walk along Durango’s Third Avenue, look down at a few tree trunks, and you might discover tiny doorways suggesting a miniature world below the fashionable street. Hobbits, faeries, leprechauns and gnomes all come to mind, leaving a smile on one’s face before going about his or her business.

Such wee people have populated myth, legend and literature for centuries, and now the Four Corners has a tiny mascot all its own. “Cortez the Gnome” is the brainchild of local creatives Amadee Ricketts, a writer and photographer, and her photographer husband, James Orndorf. The couple recently released a children’s book of the same name – a delightfully divergent chronicle of the adventures of Cortez in his journey to reconnect with his brother, Winslow.

Although tiny, mythical characters in children’s books are nothing new, Cortez is different in that it uses convincing, lifelike photos to enthrall adults and children alike.

Created by Ricketts, the tiny dolls wear hand-made clothing, are completely accessorized and inhabit diminutive sets that lend scale and a sense of believability to their world. Orndorf photographed the gnomes in real landscape surroundings, cleverly using depth of field and placement to produce an alternate reality.

Ricketts, a children’s librarian at the Durango Public Library, said she has always loved miniatures and spent her childhood reading stories about tiny people. The idea for the book came out of a trip the couple took to the Grand Canyon a few years back. “James and I visited Grand Canyon and imagined gnomes living there without people noticing,” she said. “Cortez the Gnome grew out of that idea.”

The couple said the entire project was a collaborative effort, with both taking part in photography, writing and set creation. “I made the characters, their clothing and some of their belongings (such as) baskets and blankets,” she said. “James made their houses, furniture, wagons, and other accessories.”

A tiny replica of Cortez sits nea r his book at Maria’s. Ricketts hand-crafted the figurines used in the book, right down to their tiny clothes, while husband James did most of the photography. /Photo by Jennaye Derge

Working as a team was a perfect solution to the couple’s endeavor, he said. “Amadee is a pretty accomplished macro photographer, so she is used to small details. I largely shoot landscape, so we met in the middle.”

Orndorf, who also did the layout, admitted to the challenges of working outdoors with such minute objects – Cortez and Winslow are only 3.5 inches tall and the smallest figures are less than 2.5 inches. “While it is fairly easy to set up a diorama in a house, it can be a challenge to do it out of doors with something so small and light,” he said. “There was a lot of worry about keeping things clean, not getting blown over a cliff, and not losing things in general.”

In the story, Cortez, using a simple map drawn by artist and Telegraph contributor Clint Reid (who also did the hand lettering on the cover), sets out to find Winslow, whom he misses greatly. Winslow is married to Daisy and they have a son named Bloomfield. If the monikers sound familiar, Ricketts explains they always thought of the gnomes as living in the Four Corners. “(We) tried to choose names that reflected the four states,” she said.

Likewise, anyone who has traveled the Four Corners will recognize landscapes such as Shiprock and the San Francisco Peaks as backdrops for the narrative. Orndorf specializes in Western landscapes, and said he loves photographing the Four Corners. Along with prints of his work, he sells stock photography for the publishing industry and freelances on corporate work.

Aimed at children from preschool through first grade, the book allows the photos to tell much of the story, with text that is simple and appropriate to the age group.

Excerpts from the book exhibit the story’s tone and charm: “Cortez walked on for days, and found himself farther from home than he had ever been. When he came to a towering rock that looked like a sailing ship, he recognized it from the map. He was exactly where he should be. He just needed to keep walking.”

With a nod to prior fables, the authors include a closing statement, acknowledging that when people think of gnomes they tend to think of the garden statuettes.

“Real gnomes,” they point out, “avoid people’s houses and gardens, and never, ever wear red hats.” They further advise anyone who ever meets a gnome to treat them “with the same respect you would show any grownup person.” And lastly, they recommend never trying to “pick one up or put it in your pocket.”

As for gnomes’ everyday lives, the couple had complete artistic license. For the most part, the tiny forest creatures live in, or under, trees. They also love a varied diet, including seeds, berries and vegetables, especially mushrooms. Not complete vegans, they occasionally like to eat fish and an egg, although they feel badly for the birds when they do.

Asked what they might do differently if a sequel is written, Orndorf remarked that he would come a little more prepared for the desert landscape. “I would buy some knee pads, and always bring a Leatherman to pull out cactus spines; we did a lot of spine and thorn removal.”

Cortez the Gnome is available at Maria’s Bookshop and also online at Amazon.com.