Charles Keeping VI

 

With Charles Keepings signature wood grain and heightened textural drawing, combined with vivid colour and expressive line this is  Charles Keeping "Willie's Fire Engine" published in 1980 by Oxford University Press.

The image above reeks of 'old reekie' (Edinburgh) to me, and I wonder if Charles was up and used sketches of the city for this book.

Charles Keeping V

'Shaun and The Cart-Horse' by Charles Keeping, published 1966 by Oxford University Press. I love finding and sharing Charles Keepings work his draughtsmanship is fantastic. This story set in London draws heavily on Charles's experiences growing up and being around and tending the working horses. As I find and study his work he obviously loved animals and birds, birds particularly feature in almost every illustration.

Margaret Bloy Graham I

It's odd, you get a new book and become aware of an illustrator, that you already had. I am sharing 'The plant sitter' written by Gene Zion, illustrated by illustrator and author Margaret Bloy Graham (1920-2015) published in 1959 by Harper New York. I love this book, the art room plant is named after my teaching room from years ago that was filled with plants, when I stopped working for that college, the plants came home with me and I now have a jungle in the house, many of these illustrations could be of our home. 

Margaret Bloy Graham was a Canadian illustrator who is mainly remembered for 'Harry the Dirty Dog',first published in 1956 and has never been out of print. Margaret studied art history at the University of Toronto and then undertook further studies at New York University. She married graphic designer Gene Zion in 1948 they divorced in 1968 and then Margaret wrote her own texts. Margaret Graham’s talent was recognised early in her career as she was twice a runner-up for the Caldecott medal for her illustrations: for All Falling Down; and for Charlotte Zolotow’s The Storm Book, 1953.

Charles Keeping IV

'Wasteground Circus' written and illustrated by Charles Keeping Published by London Oxford University Press in1975. What can I say this illustrator was a genius, just stunning work!

Bernice Myers VI

'How to write codes and send secret messages' written by John Lawrence Peterson, illustrated by Bernice Myers, Published by Four Winds Press in 1970. A wonderfully illustrated book combining clear clever graphic illustrations with collaged print work.

Alice and Martin Provensen VI

Today some treasures from 'The Golden Book of Fun and Nonsense' compiled by Louis Untermeyer (1885-1977)  illustrated by Alice and Martin Provensen and published in 1970. some isolated illustrations and other whole pages of magic!