A DAVID SMALL WORLD

2021 SPRING EXHIBITION

A David Small World

Born on February 12, 1945 in Detroit, Michigan, David Small’s artistic gifts were obvious quite early to his parents and teachers. He began drawing at age two. Later, his mother took him for art lessons at the Detroit Institute of Arts. Being at the Institute, wandering through the galleries, and absorbing the great art there, including the murals of Diego Rivera, had a profound effect on him. As a child, he decorated the walls of the family basement with murals.

A bout with serious illness in childhood forced Small to spend long periods bedridden and alone. That, coupled with his shyness, set him apart as different and sowed the seeds for the themes of some of his future books that deal with the difficulties of being an outsider. He also had plenty of time to develop his art skills, but he did not consider art as a possible career path until college because it came so naturally to him.

Growing up, Small spent many summers in rural Indiana with his grandparents, which fed his love of animals and country life. This affection shows through in many of his books. One of his favorite things is to sketch outdoors.

His droll wit shines through both his art and the words he writes for his self-illustrated books like “George Washington’s Cows” and “Fenwick’s Suit.” It is especially evident in the art of his award-winning “So, You Want to be President?,” which was written by Judith St. George.

After receiving a Master of Fine Arts degree from Yale, David Small taught drawing and printmaking at the university level for fourteen years. He lost his job in the 1980s due to cutbacks. This brought both a crisis and a commitment to begin working on combining his love of art and writing. Submitted to more than twenty publishers, his first book “Eulalie and the Hopping Head” was eventually published in 1982. Some of his best books have been created in partnership with his wife Sarah Stewart, a native of Texas. Some of their later books include “The Library,” “The Gardener,” and “The Journey.” All three titles are laced with a sweet poignancy, but they also feature strong, energetic female characters. Most recently in his career he has produced two graphic novels

David Small works with watercolor, pen and ink, and pastels. His later works have a much softer look, but they continue to include his trademark attention to small details that beg to be poured over again and again. This 2021 exhibition will be the last public display of Small’s work before it transitions to a private collection.