Yvonne Gilbert

One of the most prolific and acclaimed illustrators practicing today, Yvonne Gilbert’s work runs the gamut from children’s book illustrations and postage stamps to posters and record sleeves. The richness of her imagination reflects her lifelong research and interest in the quality of materials and surfaces, from the familiar glint of an embroidered cloak to the soft, unblemished skin of an infant. Her exceptional sense of composition and design, together with her attention to proportion and detail, results in truly sumptuous visual representations of both real and imaginary worlds.

Born and raised in Northumberland, England, Yvonne Gilbert studied at Newcastle College of Art and Liverpool College of Art. After lecturing full-time for 5 years Yvonne became a free-lance illustrator in 1978 since when she has worked with many of the major publishing houses and design-groups worldwide. Yvonne Gilbert now lives in Toronto, Canada.

Yvonne has designed and illustrated many books including The Iron Wolf by Richard Adams, Goodnight, My Angel by Billy Joel, The Wild Swans by Hans Christian Anderson and more recently contributed to Wizardology, Pirateology and Spyology for Templar Publishing. She has designed and illustrated 3 sets of stamps for the Royal Mail, her 1984 Nativity winning both the "Il Franco Bollo díor" (The Golden Stamp Award) and the "Gran Premio del'Arte Filatelica" (The World’s Most Beautiful Stamp). Yvonne’s provocative and innovative record sleeve for Frankie Goes to Hollywood’s Relax was recently chosen by Q magazine to be one of "the 100 Best Record Sleeves of All Time" and termed a "Design Classic" by BBC Television.

Yvonne’s work has won many major national and international awards and her originals sell in galleries both in the UK and the USA. Her work is held in private collections including those of Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger, the late H.R.H. Princess Margaret, Larry and Barbara Seeborg and Monica Seeborg. Her website ( http://www.yvonnegilbert.com ) showcases a small sample of her work, prints of which are for sale.