The Best Little Artist in the World

Happy 4th birthday to my very favorite artist of all!

* this is a picture of a hug

A Full Life

Beautiful, layered, dreamy artwork by Evaline Ness. It's worth reading about her personal life. She was married to Eliot Ness, the leader of "The Untouchables", who enforced prohibition in Chicago. She was also a student all her life, constantly learning and experimenting with her artwork, even after she became a commercial success.

The Frog Drama

It seems like all I'm posting lately are mid-(20th)-century children's book Illustrators. Well, here's another one: Alexander Lindberg. I especially love this frog because it closely resembles the giant frog in one of the bizarre made-up stories I tell my toddler. We have a story repertoire that has devolved, over time, into complete nonsense — but she loves it. I wish I could report more about Lindberg but it was difficult to find info.

Kind of Fishy

Does this fish have a moustache? Is it eating a squid? I do not know, but I like it. By Maria Szymańska, another favorite from Poland.

More from Poland...

Since I'm sharing my obsession with Polish illustrators, today I've got Irena Przewlocka for you. Lovely, lovely work.

Finding Treasure

One of the reasons I keep blogging (yeah, irregularly) is to keep track of all the amazing artists that exist in the world. I just stumbled upon the work of Józef Wilkoń (his work above) and uncovered a treasure trove of mid-century children's book illustrators from Poland. Who knew? Now I do, and so do you.

Roadsworth

Cool public space art by Roadsworth (aka Peter Gibson), a street artist who began his career covertly painting bike lanes in Montreal as a gentle protest against the city's lack thereof. He continues to use his artwork as a form of social activism. It's interesting to read his story here. See more of his work here.

A Perfect Balance

I am head-over-heels for the work of Yoko Tanji. Everything is so perfect about these images, I'm at a loss for how to describe why I like them so much — is it the composition? the drawing style? The texture? Whatever it is, they amaze me.

Shady Tigers

Ooh, I so love this image by Monica Ramos. The shady, monotone jungle and the orange tigers are a lovely combination.

Whale's Tale

Artist Rich Gemmell is brilliant. Love the layering here, the pen work combined with (what looks like) watercolor and they fadey-in-out areas of the drawing. His site here.

Mr. Tiger Goes Wild

A recent trip to the library introduced me to Mr. Tiger Goes Wild by Peter Brown. The pictures are beautiful, the humor is cute and the message is poignant. What's not to like?

Swarming Sharks and a Fairy Forest

Beautiful work by Lara Paulussen. Lara is an art student in Germany who is already coming up in the art world. Good job, Lara!

Pretty in Blue

Oh! What rich wallpaper from the Wallpaper Collective. The Artist is the fabulous Camilla Meijer.

A Confident Handshake

I super-love artwork by Adam Hill. The happy, destructive octopus with ye-olde ships and the snakey handshake are my faves. See more here.

Atak!

I love the work of Atak (a.k.a. German Artist Hans-Georg Barber) whose work reminds me of early American folk art. This spread is from Topsy Turvy World, a children's book published by the always-cool NoBrow Books. Atak's website here.

A Mysterious Art

This beautiful image is from a Japanese Artist named 山下由介. That's all I know. Twenty minutes of Googling tells me nothing more. If anyone knows about him/her feel free to comment. No matter who our mysterious Artist is, the work is mesmerizing. I love the perspective, the use of white and the peaceful mood.

A Legacy

Oh my! I just discovered Alice and Martin Provensen. They were an adorable couple from the era of early animation and they became an illustrating duo. I had an awful time choosing which pieces to show on this blog — they were prolific and all their work is fabulous. Alice, in her 90s, is still illustrating. It's worth reading their Wiki bio.

Queen of All the Flowers

Harry Clarke was an Irish Artist most noted for his work in stained glass. His book illustrations are equally beautiful, though. The composition and colors in this one make me swoon. It's called, "She Should Be Queen of All the Flowers".

Other-Worldly Visions

Alexandro Garcia is an Artist from Uruguay who, apparently, saw a UFO some years back. He has been making art about it ever since and the results are beautiful. See more here.

Loveliness

I just like this. Color, texture, line variety and loveliness by Richard Faust. His site here.