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Earl Bradley Lewis was born on December 16, 1956, in Philadelphia, PA.
E.B. Lewis has illustrated more than fifty books for children, including Nikki Grimes' Talkin' About Bessie: The Story of Aviator Elizabeth Coleman, the 2003 Coretta Scott King Illustrator Award Winner; Alice Schertle's Down the Road, an ALA Notable Book; Tolowa M. Mollel's My Rows and Piles of Coins, an ALA Notable Book and a Coretta Scott King Honor Book; Bat Boy and His Violin by Garvin Curtis a Coretta Scott King Honor Book, and Jacqueline Woodson's The Other Side, a 2002 Notable Book for the Language Arts.
Inspired by two artist uncles, as early as the third grade, Lewis displayed artistic promise. Beginning in the sixth grade, he attended the Saturday morning Temple University School of Art League and studied with Clarence Wood. Lewis attended the Temple University Tyler School of Art. There, he discovered his medium of preference was watercolor.
During his four years at Temple, Lewis majored in Graphic Design and Illustration and art education. After graduating, he taught art in public schools for twelve years. Presently, Lewis teaches at the University of Arts in Philadelphia, continues to paint and illustrate and is a member of The Society of Illustrators in New York City.
In 1992, Elizabeth O’Grady read a story about Lewis and saw examples of his wonderful watercolors in Artist Magazine. Previously, at a Society of Illustrators Annual Children’s Art Show, an art director from Simon & Schuster had asked Elizabeth to contact her if Elizabeth found any talented Afro-American artists who might want to illustrate children’s books. Elizabeth handed the magazine article about Lewis to her partner, Jeff Dwyer. He telephoned and explained the business of children’s book illustration to a quiet Earl B. Lewis. Lewis asked Jeff the names of other African-American children’s book illustrators, and after Jeff gave him the names of the “usual suspects,” Lewis told Jeff that he’d get back in touch with him if he was interested in pursuing children’s book illustration. About a week later, Lewis called and said, “Hey, I can paint better than those guys!” Within a year, Lewis had delivered his illustrations for Fire On The Mountain (S&S), quit his teaching job and began a career as a full-time children’s book illustrator.
In 2003, the Kerlan Collection at the University of Minnesota purchased a collection of original watercolors from Lewis’ first twenty-five children’s books. His work is owned by numerous private collectors and sold by art galleries throughout the United States.
E.B. Lewis' illustrations help bring life to books
AWARDS:
2003 Coretta Scott King Award Winner
2005 Caldecott Honor for "Coming on Home Soon"
BOOK AWARDS:
—"The Other Side" 2002 Notable Books for the Language Arts by Jacqueline Woodson
—"Down the Road" ALA Notable - 1996 by Alice Schertle
E.B. Lewis has illustrated more than fifty books for children, including Nikki Grimes' Talkin' About Bessie: The Story of Aviator Elizabeth Coleman, the 2003 Coretta Scott King Illustrator Award Winner; Alice Schertle's Down the Road, an ALA Notable Book; Tolowa M. Mollel's My Rows and Piles of Coins, an ALA Notable Book and a Coretta Scott King Honor Book; Bat Boy and His Violin by Garvin Curtis a Coretta Scott King Honor Book, and Jacqueline Woodson's The Other Side, a 2002 Notable Book for the Language Arts.
Inspired by two artist uncles, as early as the third grade, Lewis displayed artistic promise. Beginning in the sixth grade, he attended the Saturday morning Temple University School of Art League and studied with Clarence Wood. Lewis attended the Temple University Tyler School of Art. There, he discovered his medium of preference was watercolor.
During his four years at Temple, Lewis majored in Graphic Design and Illustration and art education. After graduating, he taught art in public schools for twelve years. Presently, Lewis teaches at the University of Arts in Philadelphia, continues to paint and illustrate and is a member of The Society of Illustrators in New York City.
In 1992, Elizabeth O’Grady read a story about Lewis and saw examples of his wonderful watercolors in Artist Magazine. Previously, at a Society of Illustrators Annual Children’s Art Show, an art director from Simon & Schuster had asked Elizabeth to contact her if Elizabeth found any talented Afro-American artists who might want to illustrate children’s books. Elizabeth handed the magazine article about Lewis to her partner, Jeff Dwyer. He telephoned and explained the business of children’s book illustration to a quiet Earl B. Lewis. Lewis asked Jeff the names of other African-American children’s book illustrators, and after Jeff gave him the names of the “usual suspects,” Lewis told Jeff that he’d get back in touch with him if he was interested in pursuing children’s book illustration. About a week later, Lewis called and said, “Hey, I can paint better than those guys!” Within a year, Lewis had delivered his illustrations for Fire On The Mountain (S&S), quit his teaching job and began a career as a full-time children’s book illustrator.
In 2003, the Kerlan Collection at the University of Minnesota purchased a collection of original watercolors from Lewis’ first twenty-five children’s books. His work is owned by numerous private collectors and sold by art galleries throughout the United States.
E.B. Lewis' illustrations help bring life to books
AWARDS:
2003 Coretta Scott King Award Winner
2005 Caldecott Honor for "Coming on Home Soon"
BOOK AWARDS:
—"The Other Side" 2002 Notable Books for the Language Arts by Jacqueline Woodson
—"Down the Road" ALA Notable - 1996 by Alice Schertle
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Statement
Earl B. Lewis already knows how he wants to leave this world. “I want to go out like Matisse,” he said, painting a verbal picture of an old photograph showing the famous French artist on his deathbed holding a long, chalk-tipped bamboo pole, drawing on a wall.
But Lewis isn’t ready to leave this world yet. In fact, he’s on top of it.
“I am very blessed, I wake up in the morning and I thank God for everything I have,” Lewis said. Lewis has had a thing for art since he was a child. And he was blessed even then, because that love was nurtured by his family.
Besides his supportive parents, there were art teachers in the family and his mother’s brother – a painter and a sculptor – graduated from Temple University’s Tyler School of Art in Philadelphia.
Lewis ended up majoring in graphic design and illustration at Temple while studying art education. After graduation, he started teaching, freelancing in graphic design and painting.
His award-winning watercolors have been exhibited nationally in prestigious galleries since 1985.
Lewis’ successful segue into children’s book illustrations started in 1993. Soon the artist/teacher had contracts with nine major publishing firms.
Winner of the prestigious Coretta Scott King award, Lewis prefers contemporary stories but said the setting doesn’t really matter as long as it is a good story. “I like strong human-interest stories … The kind that evoke emotion … Stories that touch the heart.”
Lewis laments that art education often is a casualty of school’s budget cuts. As a teacher at the University of the Arts in Philadelphia, Lewis says his lesson plan includes a primer on passion because it is vital to be passionate about what you do. “I tell them, you know, that thing you can sit down and do for hours? That is passion.”
Excerpted from “Painting with Passion”
Earl B. Lewis already knows how he wants to leave this world. “I want to go out like Matisse,” he said, painting a verbal picture of an old photograph showing the famous French artist on his deathbed holding a long, chalk-tipped bamboo pole, drawing on a wall.
But Lewis isn’t ready to leave this world yet. In fact, he’s on top of it.
“I am very blessed, I wake up in the morning and I thank God for everything I have,” Lewis said. Lewis has had a thing for art since he was a child. And he was blessed even then, because that love was nurtured by his family.
Besides his supportive parents, there were art teachers in the family and his mother’s brother – a painter and a sculptor – graduated from Temple University’s Tyler School of Art in Philadelphia.
Lewis ended up majoring in graphic design and illustration at Temple while studying art education. After graduation, he started teaching, freelancing in graphic design and painting.
His award-winning watercolors have been exhibited nationally in prestigious galleries since 1985.
Lewis’ successful segue into children’s book illustrations started in 1993. Soon the artist/teacher had contracts with nine major publishing firms.
Winner of the prestigious Coretta Scott King award, Lewis prefers contemporary stories but said the setting doesn’t really matter as long as it is a good story. “I like strong human-interest stories … The kind that evoke emotion … Stories that touch the heart.”
Lewis laments that art education often is a casualty of school’s budget cuts. As a teacher at the University of the Arts in Philadelphia, Lewis says his lesson plan includes a primer on passion because it is vital to be passionate about what you do. “I tell them, you know, that thing you can sit down and do for hours? That is passion.”
Excerpted from “Painting with Passion”
source
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© E.B. LEWIS
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