Born 1950, Erick Ingraham’s artistic talent blossomed under the guidance of his artistic mother and practical father. At Kutztown University Ingraham earned a BFA in art and began to gravitate toward illustration, which led to his first book contract in 1974. Since then Ingraham has published thirteen children’s books, been featured in Organic Gardening Magazine, and illustrated Natural Childbirth the Bradley Way, a preeminent text in its field.Ingraham’s work evokes a sense of Magical Realism, noted particularly in illustrations of “Henry” with Mary Calhoun, that imbues his subjects with life and movement that sparks interest in viewers of all ages. Ingraham’s children’s illustrations are so beloved that his first collaboration with Calhoun, “Cross-Country Cat” (Morrow 1979) is still in print after four decades.Aside from the stunning oil portraits, landscapes, and fantasy scenes for which Ingraham has gained an elite following, work for Disney Imagineering, Crabtree and Evelyn, Badger Balm, PC Connection, and Washington Post Magazine sets Ingraham aside as an exceedingly versatile artist of our era.Now based in Paonia, Colorado, Ingraham is finally living the life he dreamed of while illustrating “Cross-Country Cat.”