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children's book illustration art

Children’s book illustration art featured at PBA Galleries auction Nov. 1

Tom Hoepf
Tom Hoepf
children's book illustration art
Jamichael Henterly, ‘Arthur on Horseback,’ original watercolor, 1996. Estimate: $600-$900. PBA Galleries image

SAN FRANCISCO – Most everyone remembers his or her favorite book as a child, a book with vivid illustrations that transported the reader to new places and adventures. Collectors often start their collection with one of these books from their childhood, but few have the opportunity to collect the original piece of art used to illustrate their favorite book. On Thursday, Nov. 1, PBA Galleries will offer a collection of original illustration art for children’s books. Absentee and Internet live bidding is available through LiveAuctioneers.

Many West Coast contemporary illustrators of children’s books are represented in the collection with significant offerings by Jamichael Henterly (Arthur on Horseback; above), Elisa Kleven (The Puddle Pail; below), Melissa Mathis (Turtle and the Moon), Stacey Schuett (Outside the Window) and Daniel San Souci (Antelope, Bison, Cougar: A National Park Wildlife Alphabet Book). Many of the illustrations will be offered with a copy of the book where the art appears.

children's book illustration art
Elisa Kleven, original watercolor collage for a full-page illustration in the artist’s book ‘The Puddle Pail,’ image: 10 x 8½ inches, 1997. Estimate: $500-$800. PBA Galleries image

A highlight of the sale is an original watercolor by Daniel San Souci for Steven P. Medley’s Antelope, Bison, Cougar: A National Park Wildlife Alphabet Book. The illustration for B is for Bison, show a group of four American buffalo relaxing on the grasslands of Theodore Roosevelt National Park. Included is a signed and numbered limited edition of the book. The colophon is an additional page featuring the Florida panther in the Everglades National Park. Also, included in the books is a numbered lithograph of a drawing used on the G is for Grizzly page and a separate color print of the Florida panther.

children's book illustration art
Original watercolor on paper for full page illustration ‘B is for Bison’ by Daniel San Souci from ‘Antelope, Bison, Cougar’ by Steven P. Medley, image 14 x 19 inches, 2001. Estimate: $1,500-$2,500. PBA Galleries image

Steven P. Medley has written about Yosemite National Park many times, but Antelope, Bison, Cougar: A National Park Wildlife Alphabet Book was his first children’s book. Dan San Souci has illustrated around 50 books for young readers and was the author for several of them. Both author and illustrator are Northern California natives with a passion for wildlife and national parks, as well as sharing the beauty with others. Daniel San Souci called this alphabet book the achievement of a lifelong dream, using his art to show the importance of wildlife in our national parks.

children's book illustration art
Original mixed media painting by Charles Turner for an illustration appearing in ‘The Turtle and the Moon’ by Melissa Bay Mathis, image: 10 x 9 inches. Estimate: $300-$500. PBA Galleries image

This auction is for new and seasoned collectors alike. Whether it is for a memory from childhood or for the love of collecting original illustrations, this sale will capture the eyes of many for all of the vivid images—ranging from bedtime stories, to ABC books, to just plain fiction.

The sale will begin at 11 a.m. Pacific time, 2 p.m. Eastern. For more information, contact PBA Galleries at 415-989-2665 or pba@pbagalleries.com.

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