E.B. Lewis' illustrations help bring life to books
Thursday, February 5, 2004

By KEVIN RIORDAN

Courier-Post Columnist

Invited to illustrate a children's book a decade ago, artist E.B. Lewis at first demurred. Then he took a second look.

"Some of the best artwork in the country," he now observes, "is being done in children's books."

Including the work of E.B. Lewis; in the last 10 years he's illustrated 34 children's books, including Fire on the Mountain, I Love My Hair, and The Bat Boy and His Violin. His Talkin' About Bessie, a book about the first licensed African-American pilot Elizabeth Coleman, won the Coretta Scott King Award in 2003.

Illustrations "make the book come to life," Lewis told an eager audience of students Wednesday at Lindenwold School Four, where an enormous "Welcome E.B. Lewis" banner and cheery renditions of his book covers decorated the building.

"My books basically deal with very tough situations," he explained. "Issues of death and loss and love and friendship." And he noted that he typically includes an illustration of an embrace somewhere in each book.

Lewis, whose preferred medium is watercolor, brought his talk alive with a slide show of some of his work, including Philadelphia street scenes, waterscapes ("I love water . . . sometimes I've got a paintbrush in one hand and a fishing pole in the other") and portraits.

His paintings and illustrations are visually and emotionally rich, as well as technically impressive. His colors are simply exquisite.

A 47-year-old Folsom, Atlantic County, resident, Lewis was invited to the racially diverse school as part of its Black History Month observance. A father of two and an educator himself, Lewis makes about 50 such appearances annually, all over the country.

He was witty, entertaining and affecting as he explained the research, modeling, photography and other elements involved in his illustration work.

He spent five weeks in Ethiopia doing research for one book about pigeon-raising, the details of which (pigeon chicks must be fed pre-masticated food) drew a chorus of "eeeuuww" from the audience. But "ooohh" was the reaction when Lewis showed them a photo of a girl he arranged to be suspended in midair (he needed to get the details right for an I Love My Hair illustration).

When he goes into the studio, "I don't know what's going to happen," Lewis said. "The music - I listen to everything from rap to classical to jazz - is blasting, and paint is everywhere. This is how I make my living."

During an interview following his presentation, Lewis - who grew up poor in Philadelphia - said it's important for students of modest backgrounds to see what's possible.

"Hopelessness is kind of setting in," he said. "What I'm trying to instill in them is that it isn't hopeless. (As a child), I heard this too . . . and look what happened to me."

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