Albert Aquino Mid-century Illustration

Hello again from my weekly blog. I’ve just been putting the finishing touches to this and have been updating the images after the weekend Craft Fair.

I knew you’d want to see it !  This is how my stand looked, a good spot for me, with the ledge behind, for my bigger framed prints too!

Scott Millar from GAO-Industries (who I’d met in the summer) had some new wonderful bird head/coat hooks on show, and a couple of his new Brown Bears too. Sarah Malone (one of the organisers) had her beautifully crafted, Japanese inspired, ceramics on show.

Freestyle embroiderer Rachel Nettles had a fabulous stall, packed full of inedible home grown goodies that she had embroidered and fashioned into recognisable vegetables. Good enough to eat ! certainly good enough to buy : )

The show was a great success and there was a constant stream of people from 10am when we opened until 5 when we closed. Many thanks to the organisers (Sarah and Jo Lavelle ) and to everyone who popped in and said hello, or bought something from my stand. Such enthusiastic customers certainly made the day race by lol.

Great designs as ever from Juliette Hamilton, she makes such beautiful animals.

I was very tempted by a lovely knitted hat by Clare Wright from Love and Clare, but oddly my head always stays warm even when it’s freezing outside. Maybe I’ll commission a neck warmer instead ! We had a great chat about dogs and I can see some in Clare’s designs.. there’s no escape once you own one lol

Onto this weeks post.

There is little to be found about the American artist Albert Aquino, apart from the fact that he worked in the 1950’s & 1960’s illustrating Children’s Books and Magazines. I believe did some illustrations for the New Yorker and Humpty Dumpty Juvenile magazine. He also was the illustrator for a few children’s books, amongst them the classic tale of “The Old Man and the Tiger” featured at the end of this post. I love his fun and enthusiastic style.

Here’s a cookery book called ‘The Home Meal Planner’, I love the simplistic colour use and the pencil quality to the shading.

I discovered a few of his cartoons online, I wonder if this was early or later work ?

His children’s illustrations are punchy and fun.

Thanks to Wardomatic for this leaflet about Fire prevention.

Meet Arty the Smarty.

And finally this not-so ferocious little Tiger.

Superb work, as usual if anyone knows any more information, then please share the details.