Neighbors Knock, BAM! BAM! BAM!
Ashley Bryan
Unique hand-colored linocut, 5” x 7”
This original illustration for the book, Why Leopard Has Spots, Dan Stories from Liberia, accompanies the story “The Talking Vegetables.” An autographed copy of the book, written by Won-Ldy Paye and Margaret H. Lippert, and illustrated with Bryan’s linocuts, is included with the framed print.
Ashley Bryan's story is one of courage, generosity, and inspiration. Born in 1923, in Harlem, to Jamaican immigrants, his first memories are of attending government-run WPA classes where he learned to draw, paint, and play musical instruments. Bryan self-published his first book in kindergarten — an alphabet book he authored, illustrated, bound, and distributed. He attended Cooper Union Art School, served two years in WWII, studied philosophy at Columbia University, earned a Fulbright scholarship to study art in Europe, and became head of the art department at Dartmouth College. With over 30 books to his credit, Bryan now lives on Little Cranberry Island, off the coast of Maine, where his studio — often open to visitors — is filled with art, toys, and handmade puppets.
