AMHERST, MASS.- A new exhibition at the Eric Carle Museum of Picture Book Art honors the work of celebrated artist Raúl Colón, whose signature style of textured watercolor and colored pencil paintings are showcased in more than 50 books. On view from January 18 through June 1, 2025, Created in Color: The Picture Book Art of Raúl Colón includes images for tales inspired by the artist’s Puerto Rican heritage, biographies of Latin American heroes, and stories of activists who fought for justice, as well as books about creativity and poetry. Organized by the National Center for Children’s Illustrated Literature, Created in Color features more than 80 original works on display with bilingual (Spanish/English) exhibition texts.

“A daydreamer since childhood, Raúl Colón has never stopped capturing the world around him or imagining new cinematic situations,” said Isabel Ruiz Cano, Associate Curator at The Carle. “Whether recounting a folk tale, an inspiring biography, or interplanetary journey, every scene Colón illustrates opens an entire universe to get lost in.”

Colón’s jewel-toned artwork features delicate, etched mixed-media drawings bursting with depth and texture. To create these works, he first lays down a transparent wash of yellow watercolor onto textured paper. He adds shadows and mid-tones in layers of sepia hues. The magic happens when Colón uses a unique tool called a “scratcher” to etch into the painting, creating patterns of parallel lines. Filling out the illustration with vibrant colored pencils and lithograph crayons reveals the engravings below and brings depth and texture to the finished work.

“The Eric Carle Museum of Picture Book Art is dedicated to celebrating the artistry and cultural richness of creators from around the globe,” said Jennifer Schantz, Executive Director of The Carle. “By showcasing diverse perspectives and unique traditions, we aim to foster understanding, inspire creativity, and honor the universal language of picture book art that connects us all.”

Exhibition Highlights

Created in Color explores 25 years of Raúl Colón’s work through five thematic sections. Ábrete sésamo! expresses his sentiment that “when you read a book, you are going to another land.” In his youth, Colón spent hours reading comics and books due to childhood asthma, meticulously copying images and eventually drawing stories of his own. In his illustrations for Bookjoy, Wordjoy (2018), a book about reading, he gives each poem a personality of its own, with fluid lines and glowing colors that evoke the joy of sharing stories.

Our Journeys explores the diverse excursions that Colón and others have taken to, and within, the United States. Born in New York City to Puerto Rican parents, Colón moved back to the island at ten years old, then returned to the U.S. as an adult to pursue an artistic career. Images on view include Colon’s illustrations for Paula Young Shelton’s memoir Child of the Civil Rights Movement (2010), which introduces readers to important historical moments of activism through the point of view of a child, such as swimming at the YMCA with Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., who Shelton knew as “Uncle Martin.”

Their Stories presents Colón’s talent for bringing inspiring biographies to life. For each book, he embarks on research trips to historical locations, scours libraries and the Internet for period photographs, and develops unique color palettes that evoke the mood of the era. Images on view from Counting the Stars (2019), about Katherine Johnson’s contributions as one of the only Black women mathematicians at NASA, feature diffused washes of galactic colors on her clothing, and the cover illustration for José! Born to Dance: The Story of José Limón (2005) interprets the Mexican modern dancer’s movements through smooth, flowing lines.

Reading, Writing, Dreaming highlights Colón’s re-imaginings of classic stories. His work for A Weave of Words: An Armenian Tale (1998) includes intricate geometric borders and deep red and blue hues inspired by traditional Armenian carpets. The final section, Colorín Colorado, shows how Colón’s work conjures entire universes to spark readers’ imaginations. In Child of the Universe (2020), Colón took inspiration from the cosmic vistas in Stanley Kubrick’s film “2001: A Space Odyssey” to express the poetry of astrophysicist Ray Jawaradhana’s words. In Imagine! (2020), a love letter to museums, Colón used sapphire blues, verdant greens, and gleaming golds to create a surreal romp through New York City.