As I was roaming around the downtown Los Angeles public Library I noticed a new exhibit called "The World of William Joyce." The walls of the library from the right of the entrance were covered with beautiful, detailed illustrations. Joyce is reknowned as being a children's book writer, but what most do not recognize is his value of expressing himself through artwork. What stood out most to me was not that William Joyce is the creator of my favorite childhood show, Rollie Pollie Ollie, but his admirable, one of a kind style. Joyce uses powerful colors within his illustrations and his shading and rendering is flawless. Joyce is known for his childrens books Dinosaur Bob and George Shrank but he also had paintings displayed all over the nation and his artwork has appeared on the front cover of The New Yorker several times. In addition, amongst all the wonderful illustrations there was a direct quote painted on the wall where William Joyce stated, " When I was growing up no one thought you could make a living by painting or writing...but things worked out and this is my job. It's like getting paid for recess." To me, this quote shows how William Joyce does not only see artwork as a source of revenue but as a pleasurable and enjoyable way of life.
