Timothy Basil Ering
Artist · Illustrator · Author
Timothy Basil Ering is a multi-talented artist, known for his roles as an illustrator, fine artist, concept artist, and children’s book author. His diverse creative pursuits encompass book illustrations, gallery installations, video game visuals; each work inspired by a love for the sea and embracing life’s adventures. Ering’s high-energy, captivating author/illustrator presentations have been enjoyed in communities across the United States and Canada and even as far South East Asia.
Author & Illustrator of Children's Books
Ering’s career includes the illustration of numerous children’s books. Notable among them is The Tale of Despereaux, authored by Kate DiCamillo, a New York Times bestseller and Newbery Medal winner that was adapted into an animated movie and remains a cherished publication around the world. His own creations, including The Story of Frog Belly Rat Bone, have celebrated over a decade in print and were even adapted for the stage in Los Angeles.
Additional popular titles such as Necks Out For Adventure!, The Almost Fearless Hamilton Squidlegger, Finn Throws a Fit!, Snook Alone, and Wild Boy: The True Story of the Savage of Aveyron have received accolades from esteemed publications like Kirkus Reviews, Publishers Weekly, School Library Journal, and more.
Ering is as unique as the characters he portrays in his art. Reviews of his work often use words like textural, atmospheric, ethereal, delicate, powerful, whimsical, lighthearted, surreal, humorous, dark, beautiful, emotional, imaginative, random, and controlled.
Fine Art
Ering employs various mediums, including paint, wood, canvas, paper, inks, charcoals, and occasionally found objects. His work spans from delicate drawings to three-dimensional wood constructions.
Ering is an artist unafraid of making mistakes. He sees errors as opportunities for creativity, an approach that has led to the development of his distinctive style. Mistakes, to him, mean the addition of another layer of paint, drawing, or even some stitching, creating visual freshness and intrigue.
Inspiration
Ering’s art is rooted in his childhood experiences, where he, along with his siblings, maintained cottage rentals on Cape Cod. The chores of scraping layers of old chipping paint from windows and trim, eroded by the salt air, storms, and hot sun, left an indelible mark on his artistic style. He now embraces the beauty of layers in his drawings and paintings, finding them inherently intriguing.
The Cape Cod environment, with its weather, storms, salt, ocean, humidity, and hot sun, is the wellspring of Ering’s creative energy. His deep connection with nature and the ocean fuels his work. Tim’s art embodies texture, and he humorously attributes this to his childhood paint scraping experiences.
Before his artistic journey led him to the Art Center College of Design in Pasadena, California, Tim satisfied his love for the sea by serving as a helmsman on the USS KITTY HAWK, a United States Navy aircraft carrier. He sailed across the Pacific, Indian Ocean, Persian Gulf, Sea of Japan, and even crossed the equator as an honorary shellback. His travels also included port visits to various countries, making for a rich life experience.
During his time at the Art Center, Tim studied illustration with renowned veterans such as Phillip Hayes and delved into fine art, learning from a diverse range of master draftsmen, painters, and printmakers, including Harry Carmean and Burne Hogarth. He drew inspiration from influences as diverse as Michelangelo and Dr. Seuss, approaching his work with a sense of adventure and originality reflective of his unique approach to life.
Ering’s work soon found its way into magazines, newspapers, music video sets, and gallery walls in Provincetown and Wellfleet. In 1996, Tim’s first book illustration opportunity was initially complicated by his plans for an overseas sailing adventure. However, his enthusiasm led him to convince the publisher that he could create the illustrations while sailing. After a five-month, 3,000-mile journey from Florida to Guatemala on the DULCINEA, Ering returned with a salty boat laden with souvenirs, treasures, and a trove of unforgettable stories.
Despite the adventurous voyage, he managed to complete all the illustrations, and in 1997, his first illustrated book, The Diary of Victor Frankenstein, was published.
Since 2003, Timothy Basil Ering has been published by Candlewick Press in Somerville, MA, and Walker Books in London. He has also lent his creative talents to concept art for EA Games in Vancouver and Microsoft in Seattle. His art is exhibited at Cortile Gallery in Provincetown, MA.
Tim’s passion for creating images, fishing, the ocean, outdoor exploration, and the simple joy of connecting with people, places, and things drives him. He believes that sharing these experiences with others enhances the beauty of life. In addition to his artistic pursuits, Tim coaches his sons’ soccer teams and resides with his wife and children in Kingston, MA, a stone’s throw from the ocean and his beloved Cape Cod stomping grounds.
