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The Camden Public Library is delighted to welcome children’s book author and illustrator Chris Van Dusen for an exhibit in the Picker Room Gallery of original illustrations from his picture books during the month of May*. Don’t miss this chance to see Van Dusen’s brilliant gouache paintings and the printed books in which they appeared, spanning his 23-year career as a children’s book author/illustrator – from Down to the Sea with Mr. Magee to BIG TRUCK Little Island.
All ages are welcome to meet Chris Van Dusen at the exhibit opening and Read and Draw event on Saturday, May 6 at 1:00 PM in the Picker Room!
I was born in Portland, Maine on St. Patrick’s Day, 1960. As a child, my brothers and I would spend hours drawing pictures. We didn’t have video games or computers to entertain us, so we drew instead. One of my brothers would sketch intricate war scenes. Another would draw animals so realistic you’d swear they were breathing. My specialty was aliens, robots and monsters.
Dr. Seuss and Robert McCloskey were my heroes. I loved the rhythm of Dr. Seuss’ words and I was fascinated by the meticulous detail of Robert McCloskey’s illustrations. I had no idea back then that I’d end up writing and illustrating children’s books when I grew up.
After high school, I studied fine art at The University of Massachusetts at Dartmouth and graduated with a BFA in 1982. It took me a while to figure out what I wanted to do. First I was a waiter, and then I was offered a part-time job at a magazine for teenagers. Eventually I started drawing cartoons and illustrations for the magazine and my career as an illustrator was born.
For more than ten years I worked as a freelance illustrator specializing in art for kids. I was doing mostly editorial work and my illustrations appeared in magazines like Nickelodeon, Family Fun, and Disney Adventures. One day I started thinking about drawing a picture of a boat stuck high up in a tree. I thought that would be a really funny and intriguing illustration. At the same time, a refrain kept running through my head- “Mr. Magee and his little dog, Dee/ Hopped in the car and drove down to the sea”. The combination of these two things eventually became my first book, “Down to the Sea with Mr. Magee” which was published in 2000. I’ve been busy writing and illustrating children’s books ever since.
Now I live in a beautiful little town on the coast of Maine with my lovely wife Lori and a yellow lab named Opal. We have two sons, our oldest, Ethan lives in California and our younger son, Tucker, lives in Maine. Life is good.
*The Picker Room hosts meetings and library events and is not always open for viewing. Please call ahead or check our website calendar to see what’s happening daily.