The Mendocino Beacon
Thursday March 22, 2001
By Donna Bettencourt

Pamela Silin-Palmer’s large airy studio is in a woodsy Northern California setting. As we step though the door, a stunning array of fairyland scenery greets us. Giant 4’ x 6’ pieces of plywood painted with Pamela’s full-color illustrations from her latest book, "Bunny and the Beast," are stacked up on easels. Life-sized Bunny, Beast, and the other characters in the book magically take over the space.

Silin-Palmer barely conceals her excitement over her new book as she animatedly talks about this new release from Random House, a retelling of "Beauty and the Beast" written by Molly Coxe. With a professional background in decorative arts painting murals, screens, greeting cards, and magical one-of-a-kind furniture pieces, she is thrilled to be illustrating a children’s book.

"In my own childhood, the stories that stayed with me have done so because of visual impact."

In addition, Silin-Palmer’s work has been strongly influenced by such classic Disney fairy tale productions as "Snow White" because of their intricacy and vivid colors. She also has a high regard for the repetitive motifs found in tapestry art and draws on Renaissance paintings and the works of pre-Raphaelite artists for their magical storytelling qualities. She even invokes the improbable sources of Little Nemo and Marvel action comics.

These sources converge on every page of "Bunny and the Beast." As Silin-Palmer describes it, "It is colorful, it has action, and it has an energy of love." Like the fairy tales of old, she does not condescend to oversimplification for the sake of a children’s story. "I wanted this to be a visual game for parent and child so they could discover something new each time the story is read."

Without question, there is much to discover on every page. A trio of tiny frogs serves as a Greek chorus, linking parts of the story. Fanciful details and coded symbolism abound. One must pay special attention to these whimsical yet beautifully wrought images to fully appreciate the full rich texture of this rendition of "Beauty and the Beast." The book is meant to be read many times by child and adult alike, and as Silin-Palmer is quick to point out, "Bunny and the Beast’ transcends the children’s market."

Meet this talented artist in Mendocino at the Gallery Bookshop on Saturday, March 24 at 7 p.m. She will bring original artwork from "Bunny and the Beast," talk about creation of the book, and sign copies.

Buy signed copies of the book from
GalleryBookshop.com, Mendocino