Best of Bologna: Edgiest Artists of the 2008 International Children's Book Fair

Original Exhibit: July 8 – October 8, 2009:
Deering Library, Third Floor
Permanent Exhibit: Completed October 2010:
Main Library, Fourth Floor

Hernán Cañellas
Born: Buenos Aires, Argentina
Currently resides in: Buenos Aires,
Argentina

Unpublished

Personal  Statement

I enjoy illustrations that push the reader to go back and read the story over and over again, coming across new atmospheres and meanings each time. That’s the effect that I look for through my work. I anticipate the reader’s desire to go back into those worlds. The work described is part of a series of illustrations from a story by Federico Reggiani. The story is about a boy who is looking for his lost bird. He finally finds it through an absurd game at the end of a tunnel that ends in a skywalk over the clouds. The image of the sky prevails in every illustration and is the motivation behind my drawings.

In each illustration I've tried to create a mysterious and melancholic mood through the use of simple lines. I didn’t want the characters to be the most important part of the scenery; rather, I wanted the sensations, dark atmosphere and broader settings to play a central role in the story.
I draw for children while not thinking of them as children. I work with plain shapes. Beyond that simplicity, I try to use colors, concepts and atmospheres that can be enjoyed by people of all ages; I believe that beautiful shapes do not belong to any particular age.