Kinuko Y. Craft facts for kids

Kinuko Yamabe Craft (born January 3, 1940) is an amazing artist from Japan who now lives in the USA. She is famous for her beautiful paintings and illustrations. Her art often appears in fantasy books and fairy tales.

Discovering Kinuko Y. Craft's Art

This is a pencil drawing of a moon goddess by Kinuko Y. Craft.

Kinuko Yamabe Craft was born in Kanazawa, Japan, on January 3, 1940. She loved art from a young age. In 1964, she earned a special art degree from the Kanazawa College of Art. After that, she moved to the United States in 1964. She continued her art studies in Chicago.

Her Artistic Style and Inspiration

Early in her career, Kinuko Y. Craft created art for magazines and advertisements. She has a deep love for European fine art. She often gets ideas from famous artists like Leonardo da Vinci. She also admires the Pre-Raphaelites and Symbolist painters. These artists inspire her to create her unique works.

Kinuko Y. Craft uses a special mix of oil paints and watercolors. She paints on panels called clayboard gesso. This helps her create detailed and magical images.

Bringing Stories to Life

Kinuko Y. Craft has illustrated eight picture books. These books are often fairy tales and classic mythology stories. They are made for children and young readers. Since the mid-1990s, she has focused on creating art for fantasy book covers.

Her art has graced the covers of books by many famous fantasy authors. These include Patricia A. McKillip, Juliet Marillier, and Tanith Lee. She has also designed posters for operas. Her work has appeared on the covers of big magazines. These include Time, Newsweek, and National Geographic.

Collaborations and Recognition

Kinuko Y. Craft often works with other people. She has collaborated with her husband, Mahlon F. Craft. She has also worked with her daughter, Marie Charlotte Craft. Her original paintings and prints are shown in art galleries.

Her beautiful art is also used on many products. You can find it on calendars, posters, and greeting cards. Her fairy tale books are popular around the world. They are sold in the USA, Europe, China, and Korea. She has won many awards for her art. These include gold and silver medals from the Society of Illustrators.

Awards and Exhibitions

Kinuko Y. Craft has been nominated five times for the World Fantasy Awards. This award is for the best artist in the fantasy world. She won the World Fantasy Award for Best Artist in 2011.

She also shares her knowledge with others. She has given talks and workshops at many art schools and universities. In 2022, a large book was published about her art. It is called Visions of Beauty. This book features over 300 of her drawings and paintings.

Art Exhibitions

• The Cornish Colony Museum, Windsor VT "Heroines in Literature" (Winter 2006/2007)
• The 21st Century Museum of Contemporary Art Kanazawa, Kanazawa Japan "A Spring Night's Dream" Spring 2006

See also

• Books with cover art by Kinuko Y. Craft