A spirit of rebirth blossoms in our Living with Yuko series. Featuring a lively contemporary work by Japanese American artist Yuko Shimizu, our Holland Spring softcover Flexis bring a touch of whimsy to the Paperblanks collection.
Shimizu first studied advertising and marketing before devoting herself to her dual passions of art and travel. Today, she works full-time as an artist, both out of her studio in Manhattan and around the world giving lectures and running workshops.
Shimizu’s work combines her Japanese heritage with current cultural references, particularly comic books and graphic design. To create a piece like the one reproduced here, Shimizu begins with a sketch which is then loosely transferred to watercolour paper. After inking the drawing, she scans it to her computer and digitally adds in colour.
The illustration on our cover was handpicked by Ms. Shimizu herself to appear in her 2016 book of removable art prints called Living With: Yuko Shimizu.
And while you may think you recognize the name Yuko Shimizu, she is not the creator of Hello Kitty. She is, however, a recent Caldecott Medal recipient! The Cat Man of Aleppo, based on the true story of Mohammad Alaa Aljaleel (an ambulance driver in the city of Aleppo during the Syrian civil war), was written by Karim Shamsi-Basha and Irene Latham and illustrated by Yuko Shimizu. The picture book won a 2021 Caldecott Honor.
Holland Spring is available as: Midi and mini softcover Flexi notebooks (lined interior)
