Devotee’s tribute to illustrator

Charley Harper illustrated cookbooks, magazine covers and national parks posters in the ‘50s, ‘60s and ‘70s, and all of the original images were hand-painted, a regrettable rarity in the digital age. Those innocent, joyful and exquisitely rendered images haunted fashion designer Todd Oldham’s imagination for years. “Charley illustrated my favorite childhood book, ‘Giant Golden Book of Biology,’ ” says Oldham, who discovered the artist behind the ladybugs and birds in 2002 after running across Harper’s illustrations on the covers of old Ford Times magazines.

After tracking down Harper in Cincinnati, Oldham made a pilgrimage. “I had no idea how much the man produced -- over 700 images,” says Oldham, who immediately began scanning and restoring Harper’s work for the just-released “Charley Harper: An Illustrated Life” (Ammo Books, $200). “I was astonished by the precision of his work,” says Oldham. “Charley is like a mad scientist. It’s like he never saw painting before. He’s completely unattached to the tenets of someone who went through art school. His brain is very open.”

In late May, Oldham presented Harper with a proof of the finished book, which the designer will sign at the art and architecture bookstore Hennessey + Ingalls on Wednesday night. “A sweet and heartbreaking memory for me,” Oldham says of that meeting. On June 10, Harper passed away at 84.

Adorably perverse

Innocence and joy take a walk on the dark (even perverse) side in the paintings of Gary Baseman. “Hide and Seek in the Forest of ChouChou” -- the local artist’s first L.A. show in two years -- features a monkey-like character that “takes all of one’s negative energy and hate away by secreting creamy, gooey love out of its belly button.” Which might be slightly disgusting if Baseman’s characters weren’t so adorable.

The artist -- sort of the Matt Groening of Pervasive Art (his whimsical characters have appeared in a movie, TV shows, as collectible toys, even on a brand of mints) -- says “all of my themes run around desire and control and unattainable beauty.” Draw your own conclusions at Billy Shire Fine Arts, where 30 of Baseman’s paintings and a dozen drawings will be on display beginning Saturday.

Todd Oldham book signing: Hennessey + Ingalls, 214 Wilshire Blvd., Santa Monica. 7 to 9 p.m. Wednesday.

www.hennesseyingalls.com

New paintings by Gary Baseman: Billy Shire Fine Arts, 5790 Washington Blvd., Culver City. Saturday to Aug. 11.

www.billyshirefinearts.com