Caribbean Picture Books: The Importance of the Illustrator
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With my recent post on Trinbagonian illustrator James Hackett, I have begun translating my conviction about the importance of Caribbean children’s illustration into action, by bringing attention to the work of wonderful artists doing fantastic work right here in our region. Now, the artists profiled on the blog may not have ever illustrated a children book. Many of the artists I will interview or feature on the blog in upcoming posts are Caribbean individuals who have only considered children’s illustration but who have not actively explored or gotten into the field. Nevertheless, I am dedicated to highlighting these Caribbean artists on the blog: people who have the talent, who have the potential, who have the interest, but who simply haven’t been approached to do the work of children’s illustration.
I may get some grief for this, but I am going to say it anyway: I simply don’t think Caribbean children’s illustration as it stands today is all that great. I mean the work that currently appears in published Caribbean children’s books. To put it plainly, Caribbean children’s illustration as it looks today, lacks versatility, seriousness (in the sense of professionalism) and sustained effort. Caribbean children’s illustrators (who by the way, are a small group) simply haven’t been inventing much, and we are waaaaaay behind our continental counterparts in this respect. Much― and that is not all, there is some great work out there― but again, much of the illustration currently appearing in Caribbean picture books is basically clichéd: cute, simplistic, uninventive, cartoony, and computer-generated. Not that computer-generated in inherently bad, but in my opinion, if it’s computer-generated it has to be really well-done.
Looking at many of the illustrations in Caribbean picture books, I might be tempted to say that Caribbean artists are simply not that talented. This I know, is far from the truth. There is abundant, fantastic artistic talent in the Caribbean. What is missing in our region, is a sense of the importance of the role of the children’s illustrator. Also, many of us do not yet understand that works of children’s illustration are as much “fine art” as the creations we see displayed in Caribbean art galleries and museums. Caribbean artists fail to see children’s illustration as the lucrative business and fine artform that it is, and we are decades behind continental children’s illustrations (UK, Asia, USA, Africa) in this sense. So that is where we are right now in Caribbean children’s illustration: abundant talent to choose from, but no cohesive, well-respected children’s illustration field/industry with ties to an organized, professional and active Caribbean children’s publishing mechanism with plenty and sustained work opportunities for illustrators.
Just check out the American picture book, The Blizzard’s Robe illustrated in batik by Robert Sabuda and his other picture book, Saint Valentine which is illustrated in mosaics created from marbleized and hand-painted papers. Or, check out the award-winning American children’s book Smoky Night, illustrated by David Diaz which uses acrylic with mixed-media collage illustrations. Clearly, as the children’s literature market becomes more globalized, children’s illustrators all over the world have begun to use media like fine artists: to reflect and express culture, to tell complex and unheard of stories, to grapple with important social and human issues, all through the fine, increasingly high art of children’s illustration.I hope our artists in the Caribbean will also come to see children’s illustration as a fluid, socially-conscious and versatile artform with the potential for dynamic approaches. If Caribbean children’s illustration is to really do something for our children and for our culture, we need savvy fine art illustrators (i.e. not just ordinary, run-of-the-mill illustrators) who can experiment with a mixture of forms and techniques to define and redefine a truly authentic Caribbean children’s book aesthetic. Our modern Caribbean artists are creating fabulous showroom masterpieces using batik, acryclics, and other media. If only they could see children’s books as another showroom, another “museum” into which our children wander to learn, wonder, gaze and explore. I am not saying everyone will want to, or is cut out to be a children’s illustrator, but I highly suspect that more people would be drawn to it if they knew how important, how fulfilling (and yes, how lucrative) it is.
So I keep encouraging Caribbean people and artists to keep an open mind about children’s book illustration. The work of the Caribbean illustrator especially is so crucial, so special. We’re not there yet, but if I have anything to say about it (and I’m sure you know I do :-)) we will be soon.
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[van Summer Edward Blogspot]
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