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This image of a sumptuous kitchen is filled with
food, fun, and fantasy to
explore and discover. The lushness of his backgrounds, combined with
the
charming believability of his human subjects and the delightful humor of
his
fantasy characters, has made Gustafson a best-selling favorite among art
lovers.
"The original rhyme gave me an opportunity to contrast a little kid with
a big,
friendly animal," Gustafson explains. "The cake the rhyme refers to isn't
in the
print because it's not what I consider a cake...it's more of a shortbread,
I think."
Beyond the elements suggested by the poem, Gustafson added his own
imaginative touches. How many can you find? "The living pots
and pans are a
nod to some of my old illustrator heros, like Arthur Racklam," Gustafson
expains.
"They took every opportunity to put some animated object into the
background.
None of my original sketches included these fellows, but when it came time
to
prepare the print, I thought, 'Let's have some fun with this!'"
© Greenwich Workshop
