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P. J. Lynch

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For persons of a similar name, see Patrick Lynch (disambiguation).

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P.J. Lynch
BornPatrick James Lynch
(1962-03-02) 2 March 1962 (age 62)
Belfast, Northern Ireland
OccupationArtist
Illustrator
Author
GenreChildren's books
Years active1984—present
Notable awardsKate Greenaway Medal
Christopher Award
Children3
Website
www.pjlynchgallery.com

Patrick James Lynch (born 2 March 1962), known professionally as P. J. Lynch, is an Irish artist and illustrator of children's books. He has won a number of awards, including two Kate Greenaway Medals and three Christopher Awards.[1] His most successful book, The Christmas Miracle of Jonathan Toomey by Susan Wojciechowski, has sold more than a million copies in the United States alone.[2]

Early life

Lynch was born in Belfast, Northern Ireland in 1962 as the youngest of five children to a Catholic family.[3][4][5] His mother's family was from Dunloy, County Antrim and the family often spent their summers there.[3][6] Lynch was interested in art from an early age and spent his free time drawing on any scrap of paper he could find.[3][7] He credits one of his three brothers, Denis, as who inspired him to start drawing.[3] He recalls that Belfast during The Troubles was a "scary" place for a teenager, and he used drawing and reading as a "way of escaping for a while from the horrors that were happening around me in the real world."[4][6]

As a child, he thought his drawing skills could be applied to a career in architecture but lost interest in his early teens.[6] He attended St. Malachy's College for secondary school.[8] Both his parents were very supportive of his decision to pursue art school.[9] and he continued on to Brighton College of Art, where he was tutored by Raymond Briggs.[8][10] At the time, Briggs headed the illustration department and encouraged Lynch to pursue a career as an illustrator, which he did upon graduating in 1984.[10][11][12]

Career

Book illustrations

Lynch's first illustrated book was A Bag of Moonshine by Alan Garner (1986), a collection of folklore tales from England and Wales.[13] In 1987, he was presented with the Mother Goose Award,[14] which recognises the "most exciting newcomer to British children's book illustration."[15] Since then, folklore and other traditional stories, legends, and fairytales, have been regular subjects in his work.[16][17]

Susan Wojciechowski's book The Christmas Miracle of Jonathan Toomey has been considered a Christmas classic[18] since selling out within three weeks of its first publication in 1995.[19] Lynch initially turned down the opportunity to illustrate the book, afraid he would not do it justice, but later changed his mind.[10] He dedicated himself so deeply to the story that he hired actors to help create a world he could put on paper.[10] The book won both Lynch's first Kate Greenaway Medal[1][10] and his first Christopher Award.[20] According to WorldCat, more than 3,096 member libraries worldwide own at least one copy of Jonathan Toomey.[21]

Lynch won his second Greenaway Medal in 1997 and his second Christopher Award in 1998 for illustrating When Jessie Came Across the Sea by Amy Hest.[22][1] His third Christopher Award came from Grandad's Prayers of the Earth by Douglas Wood in 2009.[23][24] In 2014, he won the Bisto Book of the Year Honour Award for Illustration for Mysterious Traveller by Mal Peet and Elspeth Graham.[25][26] He has also been nominated twice (2010, 2014) for the Hans Christian Andersen Award.[1][27][28] In 2016, he was named the fourth Laureate na nÓg, following Siobhan Parkinson, Niamh Sharkey, and Eoin Colfer.[29][30][12]

Other media

Lynch has worked in a number of areas other than illustrations for children's books, including creating posters for Opera Ireland[31] and for the Abbey Theatre's 2016 production of The Importance of Being Earnest.[29][32] He has designed a number of stamps for An Post, including Christmas sets and individual stamps inspired by books such as Gulliver's Travels and The Happy Prince.[33][34][35] He was commissioned by Cavan County Library for two large oil paintings inspired by Gulliver's Travels to hang in their entrance.[36][37] As with Jonathan Toomey, Lynch acted out the characters in his library paintings to get a better sense of their world.[38] In 2020, he designed a 14 metre by 14 metre, 1.5 million-piece mosaic featuring the Virgin Mary for Knock Basilica in County Mayo.[6][39][40]

Lynch also lectures and holds workshops at galleries (e.g., the National Gallery of Ireland), conferences, events (e.g., Irish Film Institute's Family Festival), and colleges (e.g., the Long Room at Trinity College Dublin.[37][41][42][43] As Laureate na nÓg, he hosted a video podcast series called The Big Picture! featuring drawing techniques.[44][29] In 2019, he was commissioned by the Royal Mint to design the Year of the Rat (2020) coin in the Mint's Shēngxiào Collection.[40] In 2021, he was again chosen to create a coin, this time featuring a woman of colour; he chose to draw Britannia as a Black woman.[45]

Despite not initially being interested in writing, Lynch has published two books: The Boy Who Fell Off the Mayflower, or John Howland's Good Fortune (2015) and The Haunted Lake (2020).[46][11][12]

Style

Lynch illustrates using mainly watercolors and gouache[8][24] and illustrations are considered painterly.[11] They are typically colorful, detailed, and realistic,[47][15][10] and are lauded for their "exceptional range of texture and colour"[14] Each of Lynch's works begins with him reading and rereading the story until he gets a sense of what he wants to draw; he then produces rough sketches that he can later polish and turn into a final product.[48][47] He tries to avoid using too many digital programs "in case they get too slick"[11] and, while he already has a distinctive, traditional style, he is open to trying new techniques such as the "charcoal and chalk rubbing" he did for The Boy Who Fell Off the Mayflower.[11]

Research plays a large part in Lynch's creative process and he has been known to act out or hire actors to play characters in the story so he can get a visual sense of the scene he wants to capture.[8][38] Historical accuracy and cultural respect are important enough to him that, while illustrating Jessie Came Across the Sea, he consulted the Jewish Museum in New York City to ensure he was correctly depicting Jewish immigrant life.[8] For stories centering on humans, Lynch often relies on photographs and his actors wearing historically accurate garb to help visualise body language, but rarely uses this method when working with fairytales and folklore.[8][49][48][10]

Lynch was influenced by Arthur Rackham and Edmund Dulac in his early years, and later Maxfield Parrish, NC Wyeth, Norman Rockwell, Alan Lee, Gennady Spirin, and Brian Selznick.[41][48][8]

Personal life

Lynch and his wife Barbara were married on 2 March 2002, his 40th birthday.[4] As of 2020, they live in Dublin with their three children.[15][25][40] His second cousin is playwright Martin Lynch.[6]

Published works

As author

Year Title Publisher Age Genre ISBN References
2015 The Boy Who Fell Off the Mayflower, or John Howland's Good Luck Candlewick Press Middle-grade Historical 978-0763665845 [11]
2020 The Haunted Lake Candlewick Press Middle-grade Folklore 978-1536200133 [50]

As illustrator

Year Title Author Publisher Genre Pages Awards Notes ISBN References
1986 A Bag of Moonshine Alan Garner HarperCollins Folklore 144 Mother Goose Award (1987) Collection of folkloric stories 978-0385295178 [14][51]
1987 Johnny Reed's Cat and Other Northern Tales Kathleen Hersom A & C Black Folklore 79 978-0713627732 [52]
Moondial Helen Cresswell Faber and Faber Fantasy 214 978-0571148059 [53][54]
1988 The Raggy Taggy Toys Joyce Dunbar Orchard Books Magic 30 978-1852130343 [55]
Melisande E. Nesbit Walker Books Fairytale 37 Illustrated collection published 64 years after Nesbit's death [56][57]
1990 Stories for Children Oscar Wilde Simon & Schuster Fairytale 94 Illustrated collection published 90 years after Wilde's death [58][59]
Fairy Tales from Ireland William Butler Yeats HarperCollins Fairytale 160 Illustrated collection published 59 years after Yeats' death [60][61]
1991 East O' the Sun and West O' the Moon Peter Christen Asbjørnsen and Jørgen Moe Walker Books Fairytale 40 Illustrated version published 106 years after Asbjørnsen's death, 109 years after Moe's [62][63]
The Steadfast Tin Soldier Hans Christian Andersen Andersen Press Fairytale 30 Illustrated version published 116 years after Andersen's death [64][65]
1992 Forbidden Doors Susan Price Faber and Faber Fantasy [66]
1993 The Candlewick Book of Fairy Tales Sarah Hayes Candlewick Press Fairytale 92 Collection of classic fairytales 978-1564022608 [67][68]
The Snow Queen Hans Christian Andersen Andersen Press Fairytale 48 Illustrated version published 118 years after Andersen's death 978-0862644130 [64][69]
1994 Catkin Antonia Barber Walker Press Fairytale 41 Shorted listed for 1994 Greenaway Medal [70][71]
1995 The Christmas Miracle of Jonathan Toomey Susan Wojciechowski Walker Press Christmas fiction 40 Winner of Greenaway Medal and Christopher Award [10][72]
1996 Boy in Darkness Mervyn Peake Hodder Children's Books Fantasy 114 Illustrated version published 28 years after Peake's death 978-0340683231 [73][74]
The King of Ireland's Son Brendan Behan Andersen Press Fairytale 31 Illustrated version published 32 years after Behan's death 978-0862646936 [75][76]
1997 Favourite Fairy Tales Sarah Hayes Walker Press Fairytale 92 Collection compiled by Sarah Hayes [77]
When Jessie Came Across the Sea Amy Hest Walker Press Historical 40 Winner of 1997 Greenaway Medal and 1998 Christopher Award [22][78]
1999 Grandad's Prayers of the Earth Douglas Wood Walker Press Bereavement 28 Winner of Christopher Award 978-0744556483 [24][79]
Alphabet Gallery: An ABC Of Contemporary Illustrators Gina Pollinger (editor) Mammoth Publications 55 978-0749740450 [80]
2000 The Names Upon the Harp Marie Heaney Faber and Faber Folklore 95 Collection of Irish legends 978-0571193639 [81]
2001 Ignis Gina Wilson Walker Press Fantasy 38 978-0744575286 [82]
2002 A Witch in Time Terry Deary A & C Black Fantasy 72 978-0713662023 [83][84]
2003 The Bee-Man of Orn Frank R. Stockton Walker Press Fantasy 48 Illustrated version published 101 years after Stockton's death 978-1844285068 [85][86]
2006 A Christmas Carol Charles Dickens Candlewick Press Christmas fiction 156 Published 136 years after Dickens' death 978-0763631208 [87][88]
2008 The Gift of the Magi O. Henry Candlewick Press Christmas fiction 40 Published 98 years after Henry's death 978-0763635305 [89][90]
2009 The Nutcracker Simon Stewart (adaptor) W5 LTD Christmas 40 978-0956383402 [91]
Lincoln and His Boys Rosemary Wells Candlewick Press Historical 96 978-0763637231 [92]
2010 The Story of Britain Patrick Dillon & Martha Dillon Walker Press Historical 340 978-1406311921 [93]
2011 No One But You Douglas Wood Candlewick Press Nature 32 978-0763638481 [94]
2013 Mysterious Traveler Mal Peet & Elspeth Graham Candlewick Press 48 978-0763662325 [95]
Fields of Home Marita Conlon-McKenna O'Brien Press Historical 192 Part of the Children of the Famine Trilogy 978-1847176028 [96]
2014 The Snow Globe: Beyond the Stars Marita Conlon-McKenna HarperCollins Fantasy 50 978-0008103378 [97]
2015 Once Upon a Place Eoin Colfer (editor) Little Island Poetry, Ireland 208 Collection of 6 poems and 11 short stories from Irish authors 978-1910411377 [98]
2017 Patrick and the President Ryan Tubridy Candlewick Press Historical 40 978-0763689490 [99]
2021 The Dog Who Lost His Bark Eoin Colfer Candlewick Press Animals 144 978-1536219173 [100]
'Twas the Night Before Christmas Clement Clarke Moore Candlewick Press Christmas 32 Illustrated gift edition published 158 years after Moore's death 978-1536222852 [101][102]

See also

References

  1. ^ a b c d "The Christmas Miracle of Jonathan Toomey". CW Agency. n.d. Retrieved 18 October 2021.
  2. ^ "P.J. Lynch". Our White House. n.d. Retrieved 18 October 2021.
  3. ^ a b c d "P.J. Lynch". Aisling Beecher. n.d. Retrieved 17 October 2021.
  4. ^ a b c "P.J. Lynch". Walker. n.d. Retrieved 17 October 2021.
  5. ^ "PJ Lynch". Hodder Children's Books. n.d. Archived from the original on 16 February 2012. Retrieved 14 September 2008.
  6. ^ a b c d e "Meet the Belfast man who has designed stamps, created Europe's biggest mosaic and illustrated bestselling books". 15 February 2017.
  7. ^ "Bios: P.J. Lynch". Candlewick Press. n.d. Retrieved 17 October 2021.
  8. ^ a b c d e f g "ACHUKA's Special Gust #6 P.J. Lynch". Achuka. n.d. Archived from the original on 21 March 2016. Retrieved 17 October 2021.
  9. ^ "Meet the man who's helping Irish children embrace their artistic sides". The Journal. 9 October 2016. Retrieved 18 October 2021.
  10. ^ a b c d e f g h Heil, Lillian H. (1998). "P. J. Lynch: the Artist Who Fills Stories with Magic". Children's Book and Media Review. 19 (2): 3–4. Retrieved 17 October 2021.
  11. ^ a b c d e f Keating, Sara (2 November 2015). "PJ Lynch and the man who fell to water". The Irish Times. Retrieved 18 October 2021.
  12. ^ a b c Doyle, Martin (17 May 2016). "PJ Lynch announced as Laureate na nÓg by President Michael D Higgins". The Irish Times. Retrieved 17 October 2021.
  13. ^ "A Bag of Moonshine". Publishers Weekly. n.d. Retrieved 18 October 2021.
  14. ^ a b c Eccleshare, Julia (1996). "NORTHERN LIGHTS AND CHRISTMAS MIRACLES". Books for Keeps (100). Archived from the original on 25 June 2009. Retrieved 14 September 2008.
  15. ^ a b c Bookbird Staff (2010). "P. J. Lynch: Ireland Illustrator". Bookbird: A Journal of International Children's Literature. 48 (2). Retrieved 18 October 2021.
  16. ^ Drabble, Emily (17 May 2016). "PJ Lynch is Ireland's new children's laureate". The Guardian. Retrieved 18 October 2021.
  17. ^ "P.J. Lynch". Through the Magic Door. n.d. Archived from the original on 14 July 2011. Retrieved 14 September 2008.
  18. ^ Martin, Clara (19 December 2015). "Clara Martin: The Christmas Miracle of Jonathan Toomey". Clarion Ledger. Retrieved 18 October 2021.
  19. ^ Kotlarz, Amy (8 January 2007). "Fame finds Catholic author". Catholic Courier. Retrieved 18 October 2021.
  20. ^ "The Christmas Miracle of Jonathan Toomey". Penguin Random House. n.d. Retrieved 18 October 2021.
  21. ^ "Lynch, Patrick James". Worldcat. n.d. Retrieved 18 October 2021.
  22. ^ a b "When Jessie Came Across the Sea". Diverse Families Bookshelf. n.d. Retrieved 18 October 2021.
  23. ^ "Grandad's Prayers of the Earth". Powell's. n.d. Retrieved 18 October 2021.
  24. ^ a b c Brussat, Frederick; Brussat, Mary Ann (n.d.). "Grandad's Prayers of the Earth". Spirituality and Practice. Retrieved 18 October 2021.
  25. ^ a b "Mysterious Traveller". Walker Books. n.d. Retrieved 18 October 2021.
  26. ^ "Award Winning Books for Children". Clare County Library. n.d. Retrieved 18 October 2021.
  27. ^ "2010 Andersen candidates". International Board on Books for Young People. 2009. Retrieved 18 October 2021.
  28. ^ Bird, Elizabeth (15 May 2013). "Press Release Fun: 2014 Hans Christian Andersen Award Nominees Released". Fuse 8 Production. Retrieved 18 October 2021.
  29. ^ a b c "The Big Picture". this is Ireland. n.d. Retrieved 18 October 2021.
  30. ^ "Children's Books Ireland Celebrates 20 Years". Children's Books Ireland. 11 May 2017. Retrieved 18 October 2021.
  31. ^ "Illustrators Ireland Awards 2004". Illustrators Ireland. 10 December 2004. Archived from the original on 14 May 2008. Retrieved 15 September 2008.
  32. ^ "THE IMPORTANCE OF BEING EARNEST POSTER POST". PJ Lynch. 24 November 2016. Retrieved 18 October 2021.
  33. ^ "EUROPA Collections". Post Europ. 2021. Retrieved 18 October 2021.
  34. ^ Doyle, Martin (25 October 2018). "An Post Irish Book Awards give Man Booker winner stamp of approval". The Irish Times. Retrieved 18 October 2021.
  35. ^ "IRISH STAMPS Collectors News" (PDF). Irish Stamps Collectors News. 2006. Archived from the original (PDF) on 14 January 2007. Retrieved 14 September 2008.
  36. ^ "Johnston Central Library & Cavan Library HQ". Library Buildings. 2006. Retrieved 18 October 2021.
  37. ^ a b "Jurors". Olive Stack Gallery. n.d. Retrieved 18 October 2021.
  38. ^ a b Michell, Mark (2 June 2012). "P.J. Lynch: Story Illustration A-Z". This Way That Way Drawing. Retrieved 18 October 2021.
  39. ^ Sontag, Richard (4 June 2020). "New Mosaic Unveiled at Knock Basilica". Tekton Mininstries. Retrieved 18 October 2021.
  40. ^ a b c "Belfast artist PJ Lynch designs Chinese New Year coin". BBC. 2 January 2020. Retrieved 18 October 2021.
  41. ^ a b "P.J. Lynch". Arts Council of Ireland. n.d. Retrieved 18 October 2021.
  42. ^ Lynch, PJ (11 October 2017). "The Laureate na nÓg writes - from the Aras to the ploughing!". RTE. Retrieved 18 October 2021.
  43. ^ "IRISH FILM INSTITUTE ANNOUNCES ITS 2017 IFI FAMILY FESTIVAL". Irish Film Institute. 19 July 2017. Retrieved 18 October 2021.
  44. ^ Colfer, Eoin (26 May 2016). "A Drop in the Ocean – The Little Island Blog". Little Island. Retrieved 18 October 2021.
  45. ^ Shortall, Eithne (21 March 2021). "Loose change: why Irish artist PJ Lynch drew a black Britannia for Royal Mint". The Times. Retrieved 18 October 2021.
  46. ^ "This Irish author's new children's book is perfect for lovers of Irish folklore". Irish Central. 20 October 2020. Retrieved 18 October 2021.
  47. ^ a b Schutte, Sarah (19 June 2020). "Rich in Detail, Deep in Meaning". National Review. Retrieved 18 October 2021.
  48. ^ a b c McGann, Oisin (12 March 2017). "Paint Me a Picture: PJ Lynch: Mastering the Classic Style". Dublin 2019: An Irish Worldcon. Retrieved 18 October 2021.
  49. ^ "Artist interview: PJ Lynch". Scribblers Festival. n.d. Retrieved 18 October 2021.
  50. ^ "The Haunted Lake". Candlewick Press. 2020. Retrieved 18 October 2021.
  51. ^ Garner, Alan. A Bag of Moonshine.
  52. ^ Hersom, Kathleen. Johnny Reed's Cat and Other Northern Tales.
  53. ^ Cresswell, Helen. Moondial.
  54. ^ Wainwright, Penny (2017). "Belton House and 'Moondial'". Lincolnshire Life. Retrieved 18 October 2021.
  55. ^ Dunbar, Joyce. The Raggy Taggy Toys.
  56. ^ Nesbit, E. Melisande.
  57. ^ "Biography of E. Nesbit 1858—1924". The Edith Nesbit Society. n.d. Retrieved 18 October 2021.
  58. ^ "History: Oscar Wilde (1854—1900)". BBC. n.d. Retrieved 18 October 2021.
  59. ^ Wilde, Oscar. Stories for Children.
  60. ^ O'Mahoney, Olivia (7 June 2019). "Folklore Friday: How W.B. Yeats Changed the Face of Irish Folklore". Shamrock Craic. Retrieved 18 October 2021.
  61. ^ Yeats, William Butler. Fairy Tales of Ireland.
  62. ^ "Asbjørnsen and Moe Biography". Pook Press. n.d. Retrieved 18 October 2021.
  63. ^ Asbjørnsen & Moe. East O' the Sun and West O' the Moon.
  64. ^ a b "Hans Christian Andersen". Biography. n.d. Retrieved 18 October 2021.
  65. ^ Andersen, Hans Christian. The Steadfast Tin Soldier.
  66. ^ "P.J. Lynch's illustrations for "Forbidden Doors" by Susan Price (3008 (TX))". National Library of Ireland. n.d. Retrieved 18 October 2021.
  67. ^ Hayes, Sarah. The Candlewick Book of Fairy Tales.
  68. ^ "The Candlewick Book of Fairy Tales". Publishers Weekly. n.d. Retrieved 18 October 2021.
  69. ^ Andersen, Hans Christian. The Snow Queen.
  70. ^ "Antonia Barber". Walker Press. n.d. Retrieved 18 October 2021.
  71. ^ Barber, Antonia. Catkin.
  72. ^ Wojciechowski, Susan. The Christmas Miracle of Jonathan Toomey.
  73. ^ "who was mervyn peake?". PBS. n.d. Retrieved 18 October 2021.
  74. ^ Peake, Mervyn. Boy in Darkness.
  75. ^ McEvoy, Dermot (20 March 2021). "Brendan Behan: Remembering Ireland's most colorful writer". Irish Central. Retrieved 18 October 2021.
  76. ^ Behan, Brendan. The King of Ireland's Son.
  77. ^ Hayes, Sarah. Favourite Fairy Tales.
  78. ^ Hest, Amy. When Jessie Came Across the Sea.
  79. ^ Wood, Douglas. Grandad's Prayers of the Earth.
  80. ^ "Alphabet Gallery: An ABC Of Contemporary Illustrators". LibraryCat. n.d. Retrieved 18 October 2021.
  81. ^ Heaney, Marie. The Names Upon the Harp.
  82. ^ Wilson, Gina. Ignis.
  83. ^ "A Witch in Time - Black Cats (Paperback)". Waterstones. n.d. Retrieved 18 October 2021.
  84. ^ Deary, Terry. A Witch in Time.
  85. ^ "The Bee-Man of Orn". Tara Book Company. n.d. Retrieved 18 October 2021.
  86. ^ Press Democrat Staff (22 April 1902). "Death of Frank R. Stockton". Press Democrat. California. Retrieved 18 October 2021.
  87. ^ Litvack, Leon (5 February 2020). "Even in Death, Charles Dickens Left Behind a Riveting Tale of Deceit". Smithsonian Magazine. Retrieved 18 October 2021.
  88. ^ Dickens, Charles. A Christmas Carol.
  89. ^ Sauer, Patrick (23 December 2019). "The History of O. Henry's 'The Gift of the Magi'". Smithsonian Magazine. Retrieved 18 October 2021.
  90. ^ Henry, O. The gift of the Magi.
  91. ^ "The Nutcracker (Hardback)". Waterstones. n.d. Retrieved 18 October 2021.
  92. ^ Wells, Rosemary. Lincoln and His Boys.
  93. ^ Dillon, Patrick; Dillon, Martha. The Story of Britain.
  94. ^ Wood, Douglas. No One But You.
  95. ^ Peet, Mal; Graham, Elspeth. Mysterious Traveler.
  96. ^ Conlon-McKenna, Martia. Fields of Home.
  97. ^ Conlon-McKenna, Martia. The Snow Globe: Beyond the Stars.
  98. ^ Colfer, Eoin. Once Upon a Place.
  99. ^ Tubridy, Ryan. Patrick and the President.
  100. ^ Colfer, Eoin. The Dog Who Lost His Bark.
  101. ^ "Clement Moore, Hebrew Scholar and Reluctant Author of 'A Visit from St. Nicholas'". New England Historical Society. n.d. Retrieved 18 October 2021.
  102. ^ "'Twas the Night Before Christmas". Candlewick Press. n.d. Retrieved 18 October 2021.
Cultural offices
Preceded by Laureate na nÓg
2016–2018 		Succeeded by
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