William Joyce
“ I wake up every day (pretty early, now that I have kids) and draw and think until I get an idea for a story or a picture. That’s my job. On the best days, writing and illustrating is like getting paid for recess…”
William Joyce was born in Shreveport, Louisiana, where he fell in love with classic books as a child. Raised on literature like Peter Rabbit, Winnie the Pooh, and Where the Wild Things Are, Joyce developed a love for whimsical storybook characters. His first book, Billy’s Booger, was written in the fourth grade, and while it initially sent him to the principal’s office, it is now a kid favorite.
Joyce studied film in college, and went into children’s illustration upon graduation, publishing his first self-illustrated work, George Shrinks. He went on to publish Dinosaur Bob, Santa Calls, and The Leaf Men. His love of film led him next to become a producer and production designer for Blue Sky, after his work George Shrinks was televised.
Joyce continues to combine storytelling, drawing, and animation in his picture books and his film series. His film Robots was met with great reviews and his Guardians of Childhood book series continues to be a favorite. Joyce continues to work as a filmmaker, but illustrating books is still his favorite job.
Related Exhibitions: The World of William Joyce (1998, 2004), William Joyce: Guardian of Childhood (2014)