Happy Sheilah Beckett Easter!

Here's a real Easter treat: an absolutely gorgeous Whitman's ad by the great Sheilah Beckett.
I've been saving all the Sheilah Beckett art I come across for the day when I have a comprehensive biography to present, but for the moment I've only managed to gather together a few tidbits.


While researching the artist online this morning I came across L.A. cartoonist Will Finn's blog. Last April Finn posted a really magnificent pencil drawing by Beckett. That alone would be a wonderful discovery, but even better, Finn had heard from Beckett's son Sean, who told Finn that his mother had recently published a new book. So Sheilah Beckett was still illustrating (and doing so magnificently) as recently as 2009.

Thanks to the link in Will's post I contacted her son and am arranging a phone interview with Sheilah Beckett. So stay tuned - with any luck we may soon be enjoying a whole Whitman's Sampler of sweet Sheilah Beckett treats!

* My Sheilah Beckett Flickr set.