The cover for the biography of John Steinbeck by Catherine Reef was created for a young adult (teenage) edition. I chose to depict the image of Steinbeck at the time of the publication of “the Grapes of Wrath,” perhaps his most famous novel. The author who expressed so eloquently a sense of time and place was painted as part of his native California landscape: a portrait of the man and the land shaped his creative spirit.

I believe a successful book cover captures the essence of the contents of the book with utmost simplicity and will stand the test of time. I think the Steinbeck cover will do just that.
The painting is acrylic on a gessoed masonite panel.