But I want a person to see what I’m using: I want them to see this was a piece of paper, this was a brushstroke. “It’s important for me,” says Robinson, “to make pictures that feel hand made.
He enjoys the control and precision of collage while paint offers fluidity and endless color possibilities. The artist freely combines collage and acrylic paint for his illustrations. Robinson’s inclusive cast of characters includes animals too! In Gaston and its sequel Antoinette, his colorful compositions bring the books’ Parisian setting to life as the dogs run past busy street cafés and even sneak into the Louvre. In his re-illustrating of The Dead Bird, originally written by Margaret Wise Brown in 1938, Robinson locates the tale in an urban setting, using the green of a city park as replacement for a forest.
On her way to the laundromat, Carmella discovers a dandelion growing “among the concrete weeds” of the sidewalk and deliberates on her birthday wish, the premise of Carmela Full of Wishes.
Through every story, Robinson’s message persists: You Matter.Įllen Keiter, chief curator at The Carle, notes “Robinson has a special talent for communicating sensitive stories and the urban environment in beautiful ways.” The young protagonist in Milo Imagines the World considers the lives of fellow subway passengers while, in Last Stop on Market Street, CJ and his grandmother meet riders on a public bus. He brings music to the printed page in picture-book biographies on Josephine Baker and Florence Mills. He addresses emotional wellbeing in Rain! and models gratitude in Last Stop on Market Street. They need to see their color, hair texture, their disability, themselves.” He empowers readers in books like The Smallest Girl in the Smallest Grade and celebrates friendship in Leo: A Ghost Story. He understands the power of representation and knows the books children read today will impact the world they create as adults: “Children need to see themselves in books. Drawing became a way to make space for himself in a crowded environment and to create the kind of world he wanted to see. Robinson was born in Los Angeles and grew up in a one-bedroom apartment with his grandmother and five other relatives. Through his colorful collages and painted illustrations, he creates welcoming worlds where children who have long been under-represented in picture books can see themselves. In only 10 years, Christian Robinson has emerged as a transformative voice in children’s literature. It opens Januand is on view through June 4, 2023. The Eric Carle Museum of Picture Book Art is delighted to present its newest exhibition: What Might You Do? Christian Robinson.
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