As I watch my little collection of illustrated art grow, I am reminded of the woman who first inspired me to work harder at supporting my fellow illustrators.
I don't know if many of you know about the life work of Betsy Beinecke Shirley, but she was a phenomenal supporter of the arts. When I was in college I slowly started noticing her name as it popped here and there, once at the Field Museum in Chicago, At the Illustrator's Guild, Here and there at Children's Museums. After a lot of research I found that she had bequeathed her entire collection to Yale University. In all my She Sure is Sketchy nerdiness, nothing has ever said "road trip" so strongly. I can chart my art on a timeline pretty well and I have to tell you that after visiting Connecticut I hit a major run of prolific sketchiness. The pencils rarely hit my drafting table for a good month after I got back to Brooklyn. The collection is vast, awe inspiring and goosebump inducing.
Recently I stumbled on a book documenting her dedication to the arts.
Here's an excellent preview: Drawn to Enchant
It showcases artist's studies and original works spanning centuries of time. Among them are many of my influences, namely:
I don't know if many of you know about the life work of Betsy Beinecke Shirley, but she was a phenomenal supporter of the arts. When I was in college I slowly started noticing her name as it popped here and there, once at the Field Museum in Chicago, At the Illustrator's Guild, Here and there at Children's Museums. After a lot of research I found that she had bequeathed her entire collection to Yale University. In all my She Sure is Sketchy nerdiness, nothing has ever said "road trip" so strongly. I can chart my art on a timeline pretty well and I have to tell you that after visiting Connecticut I hit a major run of prolific sketchiness. The pencils rarely hit my drafting table for a good month after I got back to Brooklyn. The collection is vast, awe inspiring and goosebump inducing.
Recently I stumbled on a book documenting her dedication to the arts.
Here's an excellent preview: Drawn to Enchant
It showcases artist's studies and original works spanning centuries of time. Among them are many of my influences, namely:
How wonderful to see all the artists that she has inspired! Thanks for sharing.
ReplyDeleteOMG. You're right about the goosebumps! Before even finishing reading your post already I forwarded the link and asked for this book for my birthday! This is awesome. My heroes...and 12 little girls in 2 straight lines, and everything.
ReplyDeleteThanks for sharing this!