Dear Mr. Lewis, I know you must recieve many letters...

from so many people, but I couldn’t bear the thought that one day I might look back and realize that I never took the opportunity to talk to you.

To begin with, I want to thank you. You have used your artistic skill for a good purpose, for bringing the stories in books to life, and in doing that you have multiplied your gifts through inspiring future illustrators.

I am eighteen, not your usual children’s book audience’s age most likely, but I am so grateful and enjoy your illustrations so deeply, especially so as a young artist. I will be in college and majoring in Art in the fall, with the intent of becoming a children’s book illustrator. One day, I want to win a Caldecott medal.

I was introduced to your books in this last year as I started checking out from the children’s picture book section at my local library every week. I want to know for what kind of world I intend to do art for, and in children’s books I find it is a beautiful, daring, and yet deeply comforting one. I found that in children’s books, the world is boiled down to its core conflicts and emotions and imagery, and yet they can be movingly wise in the way they can interpret these issues.

I read the books I take to my three younger siblings. Three nights ago one of the books we enjoyed was Coming on Home Soon,and we went back through the book again just to look at your illustrations. They were windows to worlds of warmth and connection previously unthought of. This week I was delighted to find Homegrown House, and all the little details to be discovered in it.

You, in your honest, realistic, perfectly imperfect, wonderfully colored, finely composed illustrations have been key in in my experience and in my decision to pursue illustration as a way to use me talents. You are inspiring me to illustrate, and illustrate exceedingly well. I can see, now, the difference excellent artwork makes in a book.

So thank you, Mr. Lewis, for sharing your skills with the world this way, for being unabashed in not limiting the children in your stories to any single skin color, for showing how full and full of wonder life can be through your illustrations, and for going above and beyond in the quality of your paintings. I and my younger siblings appreciate it, and I am constantly inspired by what you’ve done to create great art that all people can enjoy and add to life with, whether they are children or adults, whatever ethnicity they are, and whether they are accomplished artists or only beginning.

Thank you!

God Bless,

Michelle Yee

Watercolor Workshops, Registration Signup Here

 

Rusty Scupperton talks about artist EB Lewis.

This painting entitled The Last Supper was commisioned by Archbishop Desmund Tutu.

Current Exhibitions:
*R. Michelson Galleries
*Deloney Newkirk Galleries

Past Events...
Watercolor Workshop - January 29-31, 2010
Registration
October 1-4, 2009 Watercolor Workshop

June 4th - October 4th 2009 Myrtle Beach Art Museum -
September 28-29 2007 GLBA 2007 Trade Show Renaissance Schaumburg Hotel & Convention Center 1551 N. Thoreau Drive Schaumburg, Illinois 60173 (800) 745-2460

September 30 2007 Book signing 3:00 pm Borders Book Store Mays Landing NJ

October 6, 2007 Book Signing 10:00-12:30 Whale's Tale 312 Washington Mall Cape May NJ (609) 884-4808

October 6, 2007 Book Signing 2:00pm Sun Rose Words & Music Store 756 Asbury Ave, Ocean City, NJ 609-399-9190

October 7, 2007 Garden State Wine Festival Cape May-Lewes Ferry Terminal Cape May NJ 12:00pm-4:00m

October 10, 2007 School Visitation, William Henry Middle School 65 Carver Road Dover DE (302) 672-1620

October 12, 2007 DSRA Fall Conference Sheraton Inn, Dover DE 8:00 am- 5:00 m

October 15, 2007 NAIBA Fall Conference Children.'s author /illustrator show & tell 12:00 pm- 1:30 pm

October 16-17 School Visitation HEATHWOOD HALL EPISCOPAL SCHOOL 3000 South Beltline Blvd Columbia South Carolina

October 18th School Visitation HAMMOND SCHOOL 854 Galway Lane Columbia SC