Current Exhibitions
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Oliver Jeffers: 15 Years of Picturing Books
On view through August 7, 2022
Born in Australia and raised in Northern Ireland, Oliver Jeffers is an award-winning artist and author working in painting, bookmaking, illustration, collage, performance, and sculpture. From his 2004 debut How to Catch a Star to his more recent titles such as 2017’s Here We Are, his work has been translated into more than fifty languages and sold more than fourteen million copies worldwide.
This retrospective exhibition showcases nearly one hundred artworks, some never seen, including original line drawings, sketches, and finished illustrations, from sixteen of Jeffers’s picture books, including the wildly popular The Day the Crayons Quit and its sequel, The Day the Crayons Came Home; Here We Are; The Incredible Book Eating Boy; and Once Upon an Alphabet.
The exhibition is organized into six sections, focused on Jeffers’s artistic process, character development, and storytelling. They will also highlight some of Jeffers’s most popular book series, including those that explore the secret lives of crayons and the relationship dynamics of the Huey family, who are inspired by Jeffers’s childhood.
In addition to engaging graphics and design elements, the galleries will feature a few reading areas where families can dig deeper into the stories.
Selected Images
Click on an image below to learn more.
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Two Sleeps, Page 11, 2014, from The Hueys: None the NumberTwo Sleeps, Page 11, 2014, from The Hueys: None the Numbermixed media, gouache, watercolor, and pencil on paper, National Center for Children’s Illustrated Literature, Abilene, Texas. © 2014 Oliver Jeffers.
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“A, An Astronaut” Spread, Full-Color Unused Art, 2014, from Once Upon an Alphabet“A, An Astronaut” Spread, Full-Color Unused Art, 2014, from Once Upon an AlphabetMixed media, gouache, collage, and pencil on paper, National Center for Children’s Illustrated Literature, Abilene, Texas. © 2014 Oliver Jeffers.
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Henry Sketch with Pantone Reference, 2006, from The Incredible Book Eating BoyHenry Sketch with Pantone Reference, 2006, from The Incredible Book Eating BoyGouache, ink, and pencil on paper, National Center for Children’s Illustrated Literature, Abilene, Texas. © Oliver Jeffers.
Henry Sketch with Pantone Reference gives insight into Jeffers’s process. In this sketch, he labels the colors to be used for Henry from The Incredible Book Eating Boy based on the Pantone standardized color identification system.
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“Child of Books / World of Stories,” Pages 26–27, 2016, from A Child of Books by Sam Winston and Oliver Jeffers“Child of Books / World of Stories,” Pages 26–27, 2016, from A Child of Books by Sam Winston and Oliver JeffersMixed media, collage, gouache, pencil, and pen on paper, National Center for Children’s Illustrated Literature, Abilene, Texas. © Oliver Jeffers.
Jeffers wrote A Child of Books with fellow artist Sam Winston to celebrate their love of stories. Throughout the book, they reference multiple beloved tales from their childhood—with these pages from A Child of Books alluding to Black Beauty, Alice in Wonderland, and Little Red Riding Hood among the images.
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Dragon Pursuit, 2013, from The Day the Crayons Quit by Drew DaywaltDragon Pursuit, 2013, from The Day the Crayons Quit by Drew DaywaltCrayon on watercolor paper, National Center for Children’s Illustrated Literature, Abilene, Texas. © Oliver Jeffers.
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"The Great Paper Caper” Cover, 2008, from The Great Paper Caper"The Great Paper Caper” Cover, 2008, from The Great Paper CaperMixed-media collage on book cover, National Center for Children’s Illustrated Literature, Abilene, Texas. © 2008 Oliver Jeffers.
Jeffers uses multiple types of materials and media for his illustrations, such as drawings with pencil, watercolor and gouache, found papers, and Photoshop. This cover from The Great Paper Caper is primarily a collage on a used book cover.
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“Stuck” Print with Whale, Pages 20–21, 2011, from Stuck“Stuck” Print with Whale, Pages 20–21, 2011, from StuckDigital print, edition AP 1/5, National Center for Children’s Illustrated Literature, Abilene, Texas. © 2011 Oliver Jeffers.
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Boy and Star Play Hide and Seek, 2001Boy and Star Play Hide and Seek, 2001Watercolor on watercolor paper, National Center for Children’s Illustrated Literature, Abilene, Texas. © 2001 Oliver Jeffers.
Oliver Jeffers conceived the story of How to Catch a Star while on a gap year during college at the University of Ulster. He originally illustrated the book as his final project in art school but reillustrated it for its 2004 publication.
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Keeping Warm, 2017, from Here We AreKeeping Warm, 2017, from Here We AreMixed media, gouache, watercolor, and pencil on paper, National Center for Children’s Illustrated Literature, Abilene, Texas. © 2014 Oliver Jeffers.
Jeffers wrote Here We Are as an instruction manual on how to live on Earth. As his first nonfiction book, it was originally meant to be a letter but developed into a picture book as Jeffers began writing. At the top left corner of Keeping Warm is an ode to the inspiration for the book, Jeffers’s son Harland: “Harland did this.”
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Hart X-Ray, from The Heart and the BottleHart X-Ray, from The Heart and the BottleInk and pencil on paper, National Center for Children’s Illustrated Literature, Abilene, Texas. © 2016 Oliver Jeffers.
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The Day the Crayons Quit Cover Art, 2103, from The Day the Crayons Quit by Drew DaywaltThe Day the Crayons Quit Cover Art, 2103, from The Day the Crayons Quit by Drew DaywaltMixed media, gouache, crayon, and pencil on watercolor paper, National Center for Children’s Illustrated Literature, Abilene, Texas. © Oliver Jeffers.
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O, The Owl & the Octopus Solving Problems, Full Color Unused Art, 2014, from Once Upon an AlphabetO, The Owl & the Octopus Solving Problems, Full Color Unused Art, 2014, from Once Upon an AlphabetMixed media, gouache, collage, and pencil on paper, National Center for Children’s Illustrated Literature, Abilene, Texas. © 2014 Oliver Jeffers.
Oliver Jeffers: 15 Years of Picturing Books is organized by the National Center for Children’s Illustrated Literature.
Major funding for this exhibition is provided by the Lettie Pate Evans Foundation.
This exhibition is made possible by
Premier Exhibition Series Sponsor
Premier Exhibition Series Supporters
ACT Foundation, Inc.
Sarah and Jim Kennedy
Louise Sams and Jerome Grilhot
Dr. Joan H. Weens Estate
Benefactor Exhibition Series Supporters
Robin and Hilton Howell
Ambassador Exhibition Supporters
The Antinori Foundation
Corporate Environments
The Arthur R. and Ruth D. Lautz Charitable Foundation
Elizabeth and Chris Willett
Contributing Exhibition Series Supporters
Farideh and Al Azadi
Sandra and Dan Baldwin
The Ron and Lisa Brill Family Charitable Trust
Lucinda W. Bunnen
Marcia and John Donnell
Mrs. Peggy Foreman
Helen C. Griffith
Mrs. Fay S. Howell/The Howell Fund
Mr. and Mrs. Baxter Jones
Joel Knox and Joan Marmo
Dr. Joe B. Massey
Margot and Danny McCaul
Wade Rakes and Nicholas Miller
The Fred and Rita Richman Fund
In Memory of Elizabeth B. Stephens by Powell Stephens, Preston Stephens, and Sally Stephens Westmoreland
USI Insurance Services
Mrs. Harriet H. Warren
Generous support is also provided by
Alfred and Adele Davis Exhibition Endowment Fund, Anne Cox Chambers Exhibition Fund, Barbara Stewart Exhibition Fund, Dorothy Smith Hopkins Exhibition Endowment Fund, Eleanor McDonald Storza Exhibition Endowment Fund, The Fay and Barrett Howell Exhibition Fund, Forward Arts Foundation Exhibition Endowment Fund, Helen S. Lanier Endowment Fund, Isobel Anne Fraser–Nancy Fraser Parker Exhibition Endowment Fund, John H. and Wilhelmina D. Harland Exhibition Endowment Fund, Katherine Murphy Riley Special Exhibition Endowment Fund, Margaretta Taylor Exhibition Fund, and the RJR Nabisco Exhibition Endowment Fund.