THE MIGHTY MIKKO Children's Coloring Book: Color in the Abstract illustrations of Jay van Everen

By John Halsted

The purpose behind this book is not only to give children a lot of enjoyment by freely splashing colour on a page, but also to introduce them to one of America’s forgotten artists – Jay van Everen. It also serves another purpose - to introduce them to abstract art.

So often we think of abstract art belonging to the hippie movement of the 1960’s and 1970’s. However, Jay van Everen, and other similarly minded artists, were creating abstract art at the turn of the last century, now well over 100 years ago.

Then, you may ask “Why is this an eBook and not a paperback?”
The answer is quite simple. Instead of colouring in a picture once and then throwing away the book when fully used, with this ebook you will be able to print off as many of the 103 images as you like, and as often as you like ad infinitum.

In this book not only will children be encouraged to fill in the white spaces on the 103 images, but they will also be encouraged to create their own abstract art. To enable this we have provided a number of blank templates in the book. There are even more at the rear which can be printed off time and again.

All pages have been created to A4 size, which is 29.7cm x 21cm or 8.27” x 11.69”.The closest American size is Size A or 8.5” x 11.0”.

Jay Van Everen is unknown to most collectors of American art. The artist's career was cut short by financial demands, and his art was largely forgotten. In 1917 he met James Daugherty*, joined the Synchromists, and shortly thereafter embarked on a series of highly original colour abstractions utilizing a custom set of geometrically shaped wooden blocks, which he dipped in colour and freely manipulated to make his abstractions. Of the artist Daugherty wrote, "Van was aesthetically provincial and singularly free from influences. His delicate visions of a bright and ordered universe were subtle and complex." Van Everen's unique vision was ahead of its time, and remains remarkably fresh today.

* James Henry Daugherty (June 1, 1889– February 21, 1974) was an American modernist painter, muralist, children's book author, and illustrator.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Abela Publishing
• Release date: Jul 13, 2017
• ISBN: 9788826482224

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