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Many thanks to Yasuko Doi and the International Institute for Children's Literature, Osaka (IICLO) for organising this in-depth discussion with David Wiesner, well known US creator of books both written and wordless, such as Tuesday, Flotsam and Mr Wuffles! Find out more about David’s work at

David offers an excellent summary of the history of wordless picture books, having curated a recent show at the Eric Carle Museum, ‘Speechless: The Art of Wordless Picture Books�. This is followed by a conversation of conceptual and technical aspects of working with this form, particularly Tuesday and The Arrival.

You can watch this discussion between March 26 and May 9, 2002 via Peatix, with tickets at 1,500 Yen, or about $12USd / $16AUD. It runs from approximately 2 hours, in English with Japanese subtitles.

As a child I rarely stopped to think about the reasons for drawing so many weird creatures, and even now I don’t contemplate it much at the easel or sketchbook. I just trust in some deeper attraction that is not especially studied, just the simple allure of drawing a creature to which I always return, as if sitting right beside my three-year-old self. It’s an attraction as old as a prehistoric carving (from which I often draw inspiration), and as new as a robot cobbled together from roadside junk. The idea of a novel and nameless living being ­� as all animals, including ourselves, inherently are ­� never fails to fascinate, and each begs to tell its own secret story.

CREATURE runs from March 28 to April 18, 2021 at Beinart Gallery in Brunswick, Melbourne. A full online catalogue of works is accessible here:

The March, pastel on paper, 70 x 50cm, 2021

I was invited late last year to create the poster and other visual materials for Children’s Book Week 2021, on the theme ‘Old Worlds, New Worlds, Other Worlds�. The resulting oil painting references The Arrival, my own experiences of fatherhood and also to some extent the feeling of coming out of a tough lockdown in 2020 Melbourne. I wanted to somehow collapse ideas of the past, present and future into a single image that also suggests alternate history.

Painting for this year’s Book Week, August 21-27, on the theme ‘Old Worlds, New Worlds, Other Worlds�. For more info, visit

Original paintings and sketches for the 2013 picture book Rules of Summer will be exhibited throughout Western Australia over summer 2020 and until late 2021 courtesy of Art On The Move.

My hope is that everyone will feel as free as possible to find their own ‘nostalgia� in these painted dreams, and perhaps unlock some other real emotion relating to friends, siblings and partners. Objects in a rear-view mirror may be closer than they appear: the same might be said for many works of so-called fiction, where strange and far-away things are not really so strange, and not really so far away. Shaun Tan, 2014.

ÌýExhibition DetailsÌý

The Cannery Arts Centre, EsperanceÌý September 18 - November 8, 2020

Geraldton Regional Art Gallery November 20 � December 12, 2020

Ellenbrook Arts Ìý January 15 â€� February 14, 2021

Goldfields Art CentreÌý February 24 â€� March 20, 2021

Shark Bay World Heritage Discovery Centre April 2 � May 31, 2021

Bunbury Regional Art GalleryÌý June 19 â€� August 22, 2021

Katanning Art GalleryÌý October 7 â€� November 7, 2021

For more information, interviews and images please contact Grace on (08) 9249 3479 or [email protected] .

About ART ON THE MOVE

ART ON THE MOVE is a not-for-profit visual arts organisation encouraging connections and fostering a sense of belonging, creativity and a greater understanding of ourselves and the world through visual art. We do this by touring quality contemporary art with appropriate learning and development opportunities that speak to and develop the unique cultural narratives of communities whatever the cultural practice, age, ability and engagement with culture.

The last day of summer, oil on canvas, approx. 130 x 60cm

DOG, an illustrated story previously published in Tales from the Inner City has been released as a stand-alone picture book in Australia this month by Allen & Unwin, and last month by Walker Studio UK.

For an archive of older blog posts, pre-2020, please visit The Bird King, thebirdking.blogspot.com, and you can also check Instagram @shauncytan