Ed Emberley & Friends at Scion Installation

Of course, some of the kids who surrounded themselves with Emberley’s books grew up to be professional artists. Opening July 17 at Scion’s Installation L.A. Gallery, "Ed Emberley & Friends" will demonstrate the breadth of influence that Emberley’s encouraging books have had on a generation of artists.

Curated by Caleb Neelon, the exhibition features Ed Emberley as well as five artists who were inspired by him. The artists include Raul Gonzalez, Seonna Hong, Matt Leines, Christopher Kline and Saelee Oh.

For "Ed Emberley & Friends," each artist will create a six-foot-by-six-foot wood panel that is a mash-up of their own style and that of Ed Emberley’s instructional drawing books. The tribute paintings will be exhibited alongside examples of each artist’s individual work. After the show, each of the large painted panels will be donated for long-term display in children’s hospitals around the United States. Emberley will have the largest presence in the show, contributing work from his archives including dozens of pages from the 1970s original mockups of his books. He will have recent drawings of his classic characters for sale, as well as a limited-edition print made especially for the show.