DANBURY - Seven critically acclaimed Connecticut illustrators whose works are featured in a continuing exhibition at Western Connecticut State University will discuss their artistic works and careers at a panel discussion at 6:30 pm on Wednesday, November 15. "The Art and Business of Illustration" will be presented in Room 108 of the Visual and Performing Arts Center, on the WCSU Westside campus, 43 Lake Avenue Extension.wcsuvpac.eventbrite.com.Daddy is a Doodlebug and Jamberry.National Lampoon, The Nation, Time, Sports Illustrated, and other national publications, as well as children's books and advertising campaigns.The Sparkle Box, The First Christmas Night, The Sparkle Egg, and the series created for the American Girl doll characters Marie-Grace and Cecile.Boardwalk Empire and movies such as Silver Linings Playbook, National Treasure 2: Book of Secrets, and Quentin Tarantino's Hateful Eight.The Hobbit, has dedicated much of his artistic work over the past three decades to the visualization and illustration of characters and creatures from mythological, fantasy and folk tales, ranging from graphic novels such as The Wizard's Tale to children's books such as Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer and the Little Bear series.

Among the participants are Bruce Degen and Ross MacDonald of Newtown.

Also on the panel will be Randy Enos, James Grashow, Gerard Huerta, Christine Kornacki, and David Wenzel. Light refreshments will be served. The panel will be moderated by Associate Professor of Art Jack Tom and hosted by the WCSU Department of Art.

Admission will be free and the public is invited; donations to support the WCSU Art Gallery exhibitions program will be accepted. Reservations are requested, and can be made online on the VPAC events web page at

The panel will be held in conjunction with the current exhibition at the VPAC Art Gallery, "Thinking Visually: The Art of Connecticut Illustrators," which presents works by 15 local illustrators spanning a wide spectrum from popular children's book illustrations, magazine covers, cardboard constructions and stamp designs to graphic images for cartoons, albums, advertising, video games, films, and television series.

The exhibition is on view through Sunday, December 3. It is open for public viewing during gallery hours, Monday through Thursday, noon to 4 pm; and Saturday and Sunday, 1 to 4 pm.

Bruce Degen has gained international recognition as the illustrator for popular book series including The Magic School Bus, Jesse Bear and Commander Toad, and as author and illustrator of children's books including

Randy Enos has worked primarily with linocuts, a printmaking technique using a sheet of linoleum for a relief surface, to create illustrations and cartoons that have been featured in

James Grashow, whose recent exhibitions include his "Corrugated Worlds" show at WCSU and his replica of Rome's Trevi Fountain outside the Aldrich Contemporary Art Museum in Ridgefield, has created cardboard constructions featured in installations that have earned him widespread renown as "The Cardboard Artist."

Gerard Huerta is a premiere designer of letter forms for the recording and movie industries, national publications and major corporations, developing corporate alphabets for Time-Life, Pepsi, and Conde Nast, dials for the Swiss Army Watch, and logos for Nabisco, Waldenbooks, and Calvin Klein's Eternity.

Christine Kornacki is the author and illustrator of children's books including

Ross MacDonald's illustrations have been published in national publications and children's books; his skill with letterpress and drawing in re-creating retro-styled illustrations also has placed him in high demand for creation of period "graphics props" for many TV series including

David Wenzel, who has received international acclaim for his re-creation in graphic novel format of J.R.R. Tolkien's

For more information, contact the Department of Art at 203-837-8403 or the Office of University Relations at 203-837-8486.

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