Home Design with Kevin Sharkey

An unusually beautiful book landed on my desk recently and I couldn't wait to share it with you. After rediscovering Ohio-based illustrator Harper's work in 2001, American designer Todd Oldham dove deep into previously unseen work left behind by the late artist. This new book, Charley Harper's Animal Kingdom, is a companion to the monograph Charley Harper: An Illustrated Life.

The never-before-published animal illustrations are so graphic, they're perfectly suited to this large format book.What I really love about Harper's work is that the animals retain their integrity: They don't all look like cartoon animals and don't have an ounce of Disney-esque cuteness. It's an exuberant tribute to an exuberant artist, and a lovely antidote to a gray winter day.