my most favorite illustrators

I've been looking at a lot of illustrators lately, mostly because I have a almost-4-year-old and we go to the library a lot. I've seen nothing else out there that I like as much as these 3 illustrators. They are not new...and some are dead, but they make me happy:

Lauren Child, who is not only an amazing illustrator, she's got the most bizarre-kid-like sense of humor. I love Charlie and Lola. They are sweet and simple and terribly British.

Ezra Jack Keats is my absolute favorite. His drawings are simplistic but his use of texture and pattern are amazing. He has a way of describing temperature with his colors, so that you can almost feel the coldness of the snow as you look at the pictures.

I also love James Marshall of "George and Martha" fame. My daughter laughs and laughs when read the books. The hippos are just so rotund and Martha wears such ladylike skirts around her wide girth. He uses grey and yellow and red...and thats basically it...such a limited palate. He also illustrated "Ms. Nelson is Missing", which is my favorite book from childhood. Again...simple, deceptively simple.

I like pictures that create a mood with little complications. I'm really don't think my own work is like this at all, but its something that I strive for. Matisse called this "The genius of omission". Sometimes leaving things out is more important than adding things in.