Michael doodling biography
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Michael Foreman (illustrator)
British author and illustrator
Michael ForemanOBE (born 21 March 1938) is a British author and illustrator, one of the best-known and most prolific creators of children's books.[1] He won the 1982 and 1989 Kate Greenaway Medals for British children's book illustration and he was a runner-up five times.[2]
For his contribution as a children's illustrator he was UK nominee in 1988 and igen in 2010 for the biennial, international Hans Christian Andersen Award, the highest recognition available to creators of children's books.[3][4]
Life
[edit]Foreman was born and grew up in Pakefield, near Lowestoft, Suffolk, where his mother kept the village shop.[5][6] His father died a month before he was born.[7] When he was three, the family home was hit by a German bomb, but he survived along with his mother and two older brothers.[8] He studied at Lowestoft School of Art, and
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An important publisher once told Michael that he was impossible to advertise properly. There wasn’t one recognizable image to represent all of his work in the same way as Kinkade’s stone cottage or Wyland’s whale. Michael regards it as a good thing that his work can’t easily be commodified into a brand. Given his active mind and diverse interests he has much to express in both his illustration and his fine art works.
Michael has always enjoyed interacting with authors and artists in many fields. In 2008, he was able to expand that circle by participating in the extraordinary “lowbrow” art event Baby Tattooville. Over 3 days in October at the historic Mission Inn in Riverside, CA, a small group of artists and collectors gathered to paint, draw, and party. Conceived by Bob Self of Baby Tattoo Books, the weekend included a show at the nearby Riverside Art Museum.
In addition to creating a painting especially for the show, Michael also joined others in an “art jam” working on a
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‘Curiouser and curiouser’, said Michael.
Michael has always been curious. By the age of ten, he was breeding tropical fish, gardening, doing needlework and, of course, drawing. He found that – through simple gestures, by exploring, and with consistent work – the everyday could become extraordinary.
In 2010, he founded Chandler House in Cape Town. It quickly became a place for experiments, objets, antiques, art and whimsy. Not only does Chandler House offer products designed exclusively by Michael, it is also his studio, a destination boutique stuffed with glorious homeware, and a gallery for other artists and designers. A home as well as a house.
Michael’s work has appeared at the National Gallery in South Africa, at the Grande Palais in France, and on building-sized murals from Miami to Morocco. His collaborations include work with Standard Bank, Mr. Price, Dubai-based Mirzam, and the Robertson Small Hotel. You will also find Michael’s handmade, individually commi