Toria Zimmerman

Senior Exhibition Toria Zimmerman B.A Studio Art & Design

Artist Statement For my Senior Show, I decided that I wanted to create reimagined illustrations of popular children’s books and nursery rhymes using watercolor and colored pencil. The books and rhymes that I chose specifically for this project are one’s that I have read and enjoyed as a small child. It was the illustrations in particular that became my earliest motivations and inspirations to become an artist, which is the main reason I chose to do illustrations. I believe that children’s books and the pictures within play a vital role in a child’s artistic development and expression.

Not only are they learning to read but they are also using the illustrations to help them understand what is going on in the story when the words become too difficult, and in a way, they are seeing the story’s world through the artist's eyes which can then encourage them to use their imaginations to envision these worlds in their own special way. This was the case for me when I saw the drawings of artists like Maurice Sendak, Shel Silverstein, etc... I was captivated by how their unique styles brought the book to life. They had such a profound effect on me that they started me on my own journey as an artist, prompting me to fill pages upon pages of my own colorful worlds and characters.

It is the type of inspiration I hope my art can one day inspire in the younger generations, just as the artists in the past did for me.

“Where the Wild Things Are”, 2021 watercolor & colored pencil 9 x 12

“There Was an Old Woman Who Lived Under a Hill”, 2021 watercolor & colored pencil 9 x 12

“Winnie the Pooh”, 2021 watercolor & colored pencil 9 x 12

“Twinkle Twinkle Little Star”, 2021 watercolor & colored pencil 9 x 12

“The Very Hungry Caterpillar”, 2021 watercolor & colored pencil 9 x 12

“Mary Had a Little Lamb”, 2021 watercolor & colored pencil 9 x 12

“Row Row Row Your Boat”, 2021 watercolor & colored pencil 9 x 12

“Harold and the Purple Crayon”, 2021 watercolor & colored pencil 9 x 12

“The Giving Tree”, 2021 watercolor & colored pencil 9 x 12

“I’m A Little Teapot”, 2021 watercolor & colored pencil 9 x 12

“Matilda”, 2021 watercolor & colored pencil 9 x 12