Have you ever wondered who creates the amazing artwork on KDL's magazines? Well, meet Brianne Farley, the artist behind the Winter Kaleidoscope (available now at a branch near you!). You may recognize her artwork and style from books you've seen in our collection!
What can you tell us about yourself?
I am a picture book author and illustrator living in Traverse City, Michigan with my toddler, husband and dog. I grew up in Traverse, moved around a lot after college (Minneapolis, Chicago, Savannah and New York), and then wound up back in my hometown after 13 years away. I wrote and illustrated my first picture book while I was in grad school at the Savannah College of Art and Design and sold it right after I moved to New York for a job as an admin assistant at Random House. I worked on picture books at night and learned about publishing picture books all day from the world's best coworkers. It was an amazing education! When I moved back to Michigan, illustration became my full-time job. I really love it.
Where do you gather inspiration for your art?
In the summers, I love to garden, both in my veggie garden and slowly replacing my lawn with native plants. That was the inspiration for my most recent book, Worm Makes a Sandwich, a funny book about composting. In the winter, I love cross-country skiing! The yeti and I both believe it's pretty wonderful to be outside in a snowstorm. Every night my son asks for a different story about a boat named Charlie -- I wonder if that will make it into my work in the future? Whatever your creative passion is, I think it's important to be familiar with other artists in your field, but it's best to look outside your field -- at your own passions and the world around you -- for artistic inspiration.
Describe the perfect winter day.
Lots of snow, lots of skiing! This winter I want to learn how to skijor with my dog, Hank. We think he's an Australian Shepherd mixed with some sort of high-energy weasel. He's very fast and very smart. I think he'd love it, and I'd love seeing him tired.
What does the library mean to you?
The Traverse City library is so incredible. The kindest people work there and they put on the best events for kids and adults alike. There are language-learning meetups, seed exchanges, improv classes, robotics for kids, voting, lectures, you name it. You can check out stand mixers and power drills and guitars the same way you'd check out a book. My son loves their play area, and I love meeting my friends and their kids there. It's just the best place in town.
Check out more from Brianne over here:
Website: Brianne Farley Illustration
Instagram: @briannehfarley
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