charley harper: an illustrated life

a few weeks ago i was walking the aisles at the stationery show and one of the most surreal events of my life took place. my cell phone rang and todd oldham was on the other end. instantly my head was filled with visions of afternoons spent in front of the tv watching todd and cindy crawford on house of style. todd is such a fixture of my memories when it comes to design that i just about passed out. as it was he was calling to talk about a new project of his, a book on the life and work of charley harper. i've heard about a lot of projects over the past 3 years but it's not often that you hear someone discuss something with the sort of passion that comes only from truly living and breathing a project. todd discussed mr. harper's work with such reverence and admiration, it was easy to see why he would embark upon a book celebrating his career and dedication to art.

charley harper: an illustrated life hit shelves just a few days ago and i felt i'd be remiss not to mention it here. i've been scrolling through the preview site this weekend and was really taken with the sweetness in mr. harper's illustrations. harper, 84, still works in his hometown of cincinnati and his love of nature and wildlife comes through in such a delicate, genuine way. i've mentioned some of his pieces before (i especially loved his cardinals and ladybugs) but it's lovely to see so many of his works together along with photos of the artist himself. i think a lot of you will enjoy the book so if you're interested, you can click here to check out a preview of the book itself. you can find more information right here and shop online at ammo books or amazon . ammo also offers a limited edition copy for $400 that includes a gorgeous silkscreened print by charley harper. hope you enjoy.

[UPDATE: in sad news, it appears that mr. harper passed away this weekend.]