Biography:
Born in Westport Connecticut in 1958, I was the youngest of six children in a family of artists.
My mom was a portrait and landscape artist, and my dad was a business man who always had an artsy hobby going on, like leathersmithing, photography, knot tying and jewelry making. There were always tons of art supplies lying around and I remember drawing constantly.
My favorite things to draw were horses. I drew them in every pose, and doing all kinds of things, including going to camp, to school, and even in the army. They wore clothes and hats and sat at desks and slept in beds!
Early Influences
My mom took me to her painting classes, my sisters took me to their drawing classes, and I went to sculpture lessons. Art was the most interesting thing to me, and I remember really loving art books. I never wanted to read about the artists, I just wanted to study their pictures. I loved to draw from their pictures too. I remember my first oil painting was from a Raphael Madonna and child. I painted it in just blues and white when I was eleven years old.
Résumé:
By the time I was in high school, it was very clear to me that I was going to have a career in art. I went to Rhode Island School of Design to study painting. I loved the school, but I was unhappy in the painting department, so I switched to illustration halfway through my sophomore year. I loved illustration! I had great teachers like David Macaulay and Chris Van Allsburg. I didn't decide on children's books until well after I finished college. I had tried lots of different types of illustration, including magazine, newspaper, advertising, store windows and even scrimshaw. I chose children's books because it seemed to be the most fun and offered lots of room for creativity.
Professional Achievements
I have loved illustrating children's books for twenty years. If you look at my books closely you might be able to find my two daughters, my big, hairy dog, and a neighbor or two. I am writing more of my own stories now. I belong to a great writing group of five children's book writers. We read each other's stories and help improve each other's rough spots. We cheer each other on and show up at each other's book signings.