THE PARADE TO PARADISE : AN ILLUSTRATED FABLE

SIGNED by CHARLES VAN SANDWYK 

Penned & Illustrated by Charles Van Sandwyk

Published by Summerwild Publishers,

Distribution by Raincoast Books

1992 FIRST EDITION   

This book is a Maroon HARDCOVER in Fine Condition with 43 pages

including marbled endpapers and coloured full page illustrations with the accompanying text.

The Dust Jacket is also in fine condition.

SIGNED by CHARLES VAN SANDWYK 

An illustrated poetic fable set in Fiji about a flock of birds by the celebrated South-African born, Vancouver fantasy artist / illustrator.

"The world is such a hard-edged place. I don't want to lose the soft part, the child in me." -- Charles van Sandwyk to journalist Daniel Wood.
Charles Van Sandwyk is a Vancouver artist and author who has attained renowned status and won numerous awards as a fantasy artist. His paintings can be found in the National Gallery of Canada and his illustrations are featured in such books as the Folio Society's "The Wind in the Willows", the Blue Fairy Book, the limited edition Alice in Wonderland as well as his own self published books

such as: "Sketches from the Dream Island of Birds".

MORE ABOUT = Charles van Sandwyk (born South Africa 1966) is a Canadian artist, illustrator and author.

Charles van Sandwyk was exposed to art from an early age, as his father was a graphic designer. At age 12, he emigrated to Canada where his family settled in Deep Cove, North Vancouver, British Columbia. While a high school student he earned income by performing for children as a magician and unicyclist. His artistic ability began while still in elementary school, where he was an exceptional calligrapher, a talent which he still uses in his illustrations to this day. He experimented with copper plate etchings as a teen, and developed his unique style. He studied commercial art at Capilano University. At age 19, he travelled to Fiji and developed a deep connection with the South Pacific.

For a number of years, he spent several months annually on the tiny island of Tavewa, five hours by boat from Fiji's main island of Viti Levu. Inspired by the surroundings and people of Tavewa Island, van Sandwyck, as the first white resident of Tavewa since 1926, spent six to eight months per year on the island, making his fanciful drawings and adding narratives to them, and spent the rest of each year back in Deep Cove, North Vancouver slowly building his reputation among gallery owners by exhibiting at Tigers Cafe on Granville Street. As his work became collectible, he published books of his fantastical illustrations in conjunction with his exhibits. Van Sandwyk's How To See Fairies is a 'fairy gift box' with notecards, a poster, a bookmark and a journal. Ostensibly a guide to finding fairies, its whimsical and detailed combination of art and writing can be compared to the literary design works of Nick Bantock.

Some of van Sandwyk's paintings hang in the National Library of Canada, as well as in several important private collections. He is the author and illustrator of several books including The Parade to Paradise, How to See Fairies, and Sketches from the Dream Island of Birds. He has provided illustrations for Folio Society editions of The Blue Fairy Book, The Wind in the Willows in 2005 which was the winner of the Grand Prix in the Printing World Awards 2006 for the finest achievement in British Printing, and Alice in Wonderland 2015-2016  and a Limited Centenary Edition of Wind In The Willows.

Partial list of publications

1986 A Collection of Neighbourly Birds

1991 Strange Birds

1991 Affairs of the Heart According to Birds

1992 The Parade to Paradise Raincoast / Smithmark Books

1992 The Parade to Paradise [signed, with an etching]

1992 Affairs of the Heart According to Birds

1993 How to See Fairies

1994 Wee Folk Seattle Bookfair Award winner

1995 Sketches From the Dream Island of Birds

1996 Sketches From a Tropic Isle

1997 Pocket Guide to the Little People

1999 Animal Wisdom

1999 How to See Fairies Box Set

2000 The Gnome King's Treasure Song

2001 The Fairies Christmas

2002 The Meaning of Mice

2004 Mr. Rabbit's Christmas Wish

2007 Twenty-One Years, Twenty-One Prints & Suites

2007 The Simple Line

2008 Mr Rabbit's Symphony of Nature

2008 After Glow

2009 The Philosopher's Cupboard, signed, limited to 199 numbered copies

2009 The Fairy Market

2009 Canadian Content

2011 Betwixt And Between: The Art and Influences of Charles van Sandwyk, signed, limited to 100 numbered copies

2012 Will O' The Wisps, signed, limited to 35 numbered copies

2012 Full Moon Eyes

2012 I Believe

2014  Christmas in July

2016  Tree Whispers