Additional information
by Cj Cook (Author), Paige Herbert (Author)
A prolific artist illuminates the beauty of our planet
As introduced in Tyree: Artist of the South Pacific, Ralph Burke Tyree helped popularize Polynesian art in the twentieth century. He enjoyed a professional career in California and the Pacific Rim, painting idyllic portraits and scenes in oils on board and, later, on fine black velvet.
In 1970, when the first Earth Day sparked the environmental movement of the 1970s, and DDT threatened the bald eagle and other birds of prey with extinction, endangered animals entered his repertoire. For the next decade, he chose these majestic creatures to be his muses, bringing awareness to their declining numbers.
Published to mark the 50th Anniversary of the Endangered Species Act of 1973, Beauty in the Beast explores the works of the last ten years of Tyree's life, when animals became his focus. Endangered species like the pangolin, cotton-top tamarin, ornate Hawk-eagle, dwarf lemur, red panda, slow loris, and leopard are brought to live by Tyree's skilled hand.
In full color, Beauty in the Beast is a tribute to Ralph Burke Tyree's artistic brilliance and to the beauty and importance of our planet's plants and animals.
Author Biography
C.J. Cook is an author, historian, and biographer of artists of the South Pacific, primarily Hawaii and Tahiti. His first biography about Ralph Burke Tyree, Tyree: Artist of the South Pacific (2017), was an incredible success, winning two Gold Awards for Best Cover and Best Biography from the Independent Book Publishers Association (IBPA) in April 2018. His second book about Edgar Leeteg, the Rascal in Paradise, entitled Leeteg: Babes, Bars, Beaches, and Black Velvet Art, was equally successful, winning a Gold Medal for Best Biography from the IBPA in April 2022.
Paige Herbert is an author, editor, art historian, graphic designer, and the granddaughter of Ralph Burke Tyree. She majored in art history at Loyola Marymount University in Los Angeles, graduating magna cum laude in 2016 as a Scholar of Distinction. Since she had loved C.J. Cook's first book about her grandfather, Tyree, Artist of the South Pacific, she jumped at the opportunity to work on a sequel that focused on his animal paintings. This process has been gratifying, allowing her to get to know her incredible grandfather. She lives in Los Angeles as a writer, editor, and graphic designer.
