About the illustrator

The illustrator William Baxter Bledsoe is a native of Northeast Tennessee, residing in his hometown of Jonesborough (the oldest town in the state and home to the National Storytelling Festival). Bledsoe is known for his whimsical compositions that have been used for numerous children's book covers, novels, periodicals and advertisements throughout the country and abroad. Best known for the artwork he creates each year for the National Storytelling Festival, Bledsoe is celebrating his 20th year as the official artist for the festival. Among Bledsoe's artistic credits is serving as an artist for the United States Air Force in Europe, assitant to the art director for the Disney film "Goodbye Miss Fourth of July", architect of creating a "Tennessee NFL Team" in conjunction with the then Houston Oilers (who resettled in Nashville Tenn.), raising funds for the United Way and CASA through the creation of artwork to generate such funds (10 years running), and most recently working with a delegation to create an international school for high school students in the former soviet block city of Magdeburg, Germany. Bledsoe teaches both private high school art and college level art in East Tennessee. His most recent project (following "Hey Dad!") is a comprehensive art exhibition focusing on the "Lost Beatle Album" (circa 1969-70) to be unveiled in December of 2007. Bledsoe has been a working artist for 30 years and has a rotating exhibit of his works at the ARTHOUSE No. 63 Gallery on mainstreet in Jonesborough TN. year-round.