#tillenius

Clarence Tillenius 

Clarence Tillenius was born on August 31, 1913 and died in January 22, 2012. He was a Canadian artist, environmentalist, and advocate for the protection of wildlife and wilderness. Tillenius sold his first cover to the Country Guide in 1934.

He barely escaped death in a railway line reconstruction accident at Hudson, Ontario in 1936, although he lost his right arm in an accident. During recovery at the hospital,  a nurse and doctor encouraged him to learn to paint using his left hand. This encouraged Tillenius to persevere and to redevelop his painting skills using his left hand. 

The Country Guide published the first magazine cover done with Tillenius's left hand in 1940 and he continued to work as an illustrator and cover designer for the magazine for 30 years. Tillenius also provided illustrations for other magazines and newspapers.