Animal Wisdom by Charles Van Sandwyk

Very Fine, as new, First Edition printed in 1999, French Fold wraps, copy on beighe and light brown paper, equisitely bound, copper gilt lettering over cobalt-blue paper wraps on cover, paperback with an artist statement folded in and a book mark, 1999 published by CVS Fine Arts. [GCB #2]

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The work of Charles van Sandwyk is a delight for all book lovers. Recalling an earlier age, his artwork portrays whimsical animals, fairies, and elves in unique, and sometimes magical settings. As a child, van Sandwyk immersed himself in the works of J. M. Barrie, Beatrix Potter, and J. R. R. Tolkien. These influences are evident in his own creations, as is his admiration for classic illustrator Arthur Rackham. Van Sandwyk was born in Johannesburg, South Africa in 1966. In 1977, he emigrated with his family to Vancouver, Canada. By the early 1980’s, he was selling his drawings and watercolors in a style reminiscent of the old prints and paintings in his family home. Van Sandwyk studied graphic design at the Capilano College art program in North Vancouver. Upon completion in 1986, the wanderlust of younger years sent him travelling to the South Pacific. He discovered the Fiji Islands, and fell in love with a remote island and its inhabitants. In that same year, van Sandwyk won an Alcan award for his limited edition book A Selection of Neighbourly Birds. This first attempt at publishing prompted a passionate venture into the world of hand-made and private press books and prints He began to divide his time equally between Vancouver and Fiji, leasing land from the neighboring family and building for himself a simple home of grass thatch, in the traditional island style. His watercolors, etchings and books are now collected across North America and in Europe. The National Library of Canada has maintained archives on his work since 1986. The book Wee Folk won Juror’s Choice award at the 1994 Seattle Book Fair and also third prize at the Alcuin Awards ‘95 for limited editions. Some of van Sandwyk’s paintings hang in the National Library of Canada and in several important private collections.

$ 195.00

Out of stock