"River" Illustration
Limited edition, signed, print on archival paper, 20" x 11.5"
Artist: Elisha Cooper

"River" is an adventure book, sort of. A young woman launches her canoe in the Adirondacks and paddles three hundred-miles down the Hudson River to New York City, and home. A modern Odyssey, with fewer monsters and more tugboats.

I did not canoe down the Hudson myself - I'm not a capable enough canoer. But as I explored up and down the river, I think I felt the same wonder of any adventurer. I loved discovering the Hudson's forested headwaters, or sketching New York harbor from a ferry, or biking over to the Brooklyn Navy Yard to draw boats. My sketchbook filled up. I loved drawing my daughters, too - they modeled as the canoer, sitting on our couch and holding a paddle (I imagine the book's hero as my daughters, grown up). Then I put everything together and wrote the story.

I don't know if I've enjoyed making a book more. Observation is at the heart of why I love making books. Seeing something new, overcoming that unmoored feeling of being far from home, then coming home. And with luck, when we see the world in all its beauty, whether it's the Hudson River or our local park, we protect it. That's my hope for this book.

"This stunningly illustrated account of a woman's solo canoe trip down the Hudson is a remarkable example of the art of the picture book?Cooper's oversize gem is for the ages, and for people of all ages." - The New York Times Book Review - Maria Russo

Caldecott honor winning illustrator Elisha Cooper will paint an original commissioned piece of art work for the winner of this auction lot. Working from a photograph of your choosing, Elisha will create a one-of-a-kind work of art of your favorite place or scene - your favorite Hudson River vista, your lake home, your favorite tree, or any view you would like to capture in art. Elisha's stunning watercolors will transform a place that is close to your heart from a photo to a beautiful custom painting for you to treasure for years to come.

Elisha Cooper received a Caldecott Honor in 2018 for "Big Cat, Little Cat," and his following book "River" won the 2020 Robin Smith Picture Book Prize. One of his earlier books, "Dance!," was a New York Times Best Illustrated Children's Book of the Year, and "Beach" won the Society of Illustrators Gold Medal. In 2016 he was awarded a Sendak Fellowship.

After playing football at Yale, where he majored in History, Elisha worked at The New Yorker Magazine. He published his first book, a sketchbook of New York, then followed his wife on her academic trajectory to California, then Chicago, before returning to New York, where she is a professor at NYU. He has written twenty-five books, mostly for children, and also books for adults including the family memoirs "Crawling: A Father's First Year," and "Falling: A Daughter, a Father, and a Journey Back." His essays and sketchbooks have appeared in the sports section of The New York Times. Cooper lives with his wife, daughters, and cats in New York City.

The winner of this item will be connected with Elisha following the auction to set up the artwork consultation.

elishacooper.com
Instagram: @elisha_cooper