Raul Colón

Raul Colón grew up in Puerto Rico, where he studied commercial art. He moved to Miami in 1978 to work at an educational television center, and ten years later he made New York his home, and began a freelance illustration career. An acclaimed artist, Colon’s work has appeared in numerous publications including The New York Times, Time Magazine, The New Yorker, and The Wall Street Journal.
An award-winning illustrator of over thirty books for children, including gallery owner Richard Michelson’s: As Good As Anybody: Martin Luther King Jr. and Abraham Joshua Heschel’s Amazing March Toward Freedom, and Roberto Clemente, which was recently banned in Florida, and is being highlighted in this exhibition. The industry has recognized Colón with a Golden Kite Award, two Pura Belpré Awards, a gold and silver medal from the Society of Illustrators, and two Tomas Rivera Mexican American Children’s Book Awards.
Colón uses very unique techniques in his artwork to create texture and rich, deep colors. He begins with textured watercolor paper, adds 5 to 8 washes on top of each other, and then uses colored pencils and a scratchboard instrument appropriately called a ‘scratcher’ to draw down through the layers.”