Kinoko Yamabe Craft was born in Japan in 1940. She graduated with a degree in fine arts from the Kanazawa College of Art in 1964, then moved to the States and continued her studies in design and illustration at the Art Institute of Chicago.
After her studies, she worked primarily in the editorial and advertising markets. She is passionate about European fine art and draws inspiration from European art history in creating her work. Leonardo da Vinci, the Pre-Raphaelites, and Symbolist painters are amongst her favourite sources of inspiration. She works in a combination of artist oils and watercolour on clayboard gesso panels.
Craft has illustrated eight children’s picture books in the fantasy and fairy tale genre. Starting in the 1990s, she specialized in creating art for fantasy book jackets. She’s painted book covers for many well-known fantasy authors such as Patricia A. McKillip, Juliet Marillier, and Tanith Lee. Craft has also dabbled in designing opera posters, fairy tale books and cover art for national magazines.
In addition to collaborating with a variety of authors, Crafts has also worked with her husband Mahlon F. Craft and her daughter Marie Charlotte Craft.
Much of her art can be seen on calendars, posters, greeting cards, etc. Craft is a multiple award-winner, including several gold and silver medals from the Society of Illustrators. She has also won the World Fantasy Award for Best Artist in 2011, after being nominated five times.
Borsini-Burr Gallery, Kinuko Y. Craft: https://www.borsini-burr.com/artists/kinuko-y.-craft
Wikipedia, Kinuko Y. Craft: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kinuko_Y._Craft
Behance: Kinuko Y. Craft: https://www.behance.net/kinukoycraft