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Erin Eitter Kono (born February 26, 1973) is a Los Angeles based artist and award winning author/illustrator. Her work has been shown by national magazines, top trade publishers, and private collections throughout the United States and Europe.

Early Life and Education

Kono was born on February 26,1973 in Oshkosh, Wisconsin. After studying art history at the University of Iowa, the University of Hull in England, and the University of California, Los Angeles, she learned egg tempera under Master Painter of the Copley Society, Koo Schadler.

Publications as an Author/Illustrator

Kono, Erin, Every Color, Dial, New York, NY, 2016

Kono, Erin, Caterina and the Best Beach Day, Dial, New York, NY, 2015

Kono, Erin, Caterina and the Lemonade Stand, Dial, New York, NY, 2014

Kono, Erin, Caterina and the Perfect Party, Dial, New York, NY, 2013

Kono, Erin, The Twelve Day’s of Christmas in Wisconsin, Sterling, New York, NY, 2007

Kono, Erin, Hula Lullaby, Little Brown, New York, NY, 2005

Vega, Denise, Grandmother Have the Angels Come?, Little Brown, New York, NY,2009

Ries, Lori, Punk Wig, Boyds Mill Press, 2008

Schotter, Roni, Passover, Little Brown, New York, NY,2006

O’Hair, Margaret, Star Baby, Clarion, New York, NY 2005

Ross, Eileen, Nellie and the Bandit, Farrar Straus Giroux, New York, NY 2005

Awards in Children’s Literature

Hula Lullaby; Excellence in a Picture Book honor, Children's Literary Council of Southern California, and Best Lullaby and Good-Night Book designation, Nickelodeon Jr. magazine, 2005

Star Baby by Margaret O'Hair; Best Books for Children designation, Association of Booksellers for Children, 2005

Major Exhibitions (2018-Present)

Ogdoad

Kono’s first larger exhibition Ogdoad was at La Luz de Jesus Gallery in Los Angeles, CA. She used egg tempera, an ancient technique popular during the Renaissance, to “ [comment] on today’s systematic rejection of the humanistic principles upon which the modern era was founded.”

Beast

Curated by Todd Wingate at the Riverside Art Museum, Beast “[explored] the symbolism we give to animals both real and imagined.”

California Mythos

Kono’s two person show California Mythos at La Luz de Jesus, presented a new series of egg tempera paintings that were inspired by the diversity of Southern California, 16th c. Portraiture, and local maritime history. A common theme of her work is the combined symbolism from East and West.

Curio

Kono’s debut solo exhibition Curioshowcased a collection of silver point and egg tempera works was at Gallery 825 in 2021. According to Kono, the small scale of her work, “invites the viewer to find connections between pieces, asking them to create narratives of their own making.”