Robert John Byrd (born January 11, 1942) is an Americanauthor andillustrator fromHaddonfield, New Jersey.[1][2]
Byrd was born inAtlantic City, New Jersey. Following high school, Byrd joined theU.S. Navy in 1961, leaving in 1962 to attendTrenton Junior College. After a year at Trenton, he switched to study at thePhiladelphia College of Art (later called the University of the Arts).[3]
Byrd wrote and illustrated fivepicture books includingLeonardo, Beautiful Dreamer, which chronicles thematically the life and work ofLeonardo da Vinci.[2][3]
"I always drew as a child, but oddly enough never thought of it as a profession, or what you did when you grew up... Out of all my creative work, illustrating children's books gives me the greatest satisfaction. It is my 'fine art'. It keeps me going aesthetically. The books have a permanence and a quality of something meaningful."[3]
He has also illustrated at least sixteen books for other authors, including Jack Stokes,Robert Kraus, Bruce Kraus,Laura Amy Schlitz,Kathleen Krull,Marilyn Jager Adams, andPaula Fox.[1][2][3][4][5]
His work has been exhibited by theSociety of Illustrators, thePhiladelphia Art Alliance, and The Rosenfeld Gallery, in Philadelphia. He has also been exhibited in various locations withinSwitzerland,Italy, andIllinois. His work is a part of permanent collections at theFree Library of Philadelphia and thePhiladelphia College of Art.[1][2][3]
He has won theGolden Kite Award, and received other accolades from theChildren's Book Council and theSociety of Illustrators.[2][3]
Robert is a member of theGraphic Artists Guild, Philadelphia Children's Reading Round Table, and thePhiladelphia College of Art Alumni Association.[3]And he teaches Children's Book Illustration at theUniversity of the Arts, andMoore College of Art and Design, in Philadelphia.[1][2]
