Meet the artist #23

Okay, maybe you blew it. Maybe you missed our awesome Winter Celebration. Fear not! Whether you joined the fun or not, you can still see the art through Jan. 8, and you can still read our mini-profiles of many featured SCBWI WWA artists. Or check them ALL out online here.

Kate Rose Johnson

Why did you choose to submit this art?

I have been drawing anthropomorphic critters for my Encyclopedia of Unusual Animals and this one just really rang clear and, honestly, made people laugh––which is all I really want to do at the end of the day with my work. Coming from a traditional figurative art background, I'm still working to define my illustration style.

What does being part of SCBWI mean to you?
Being part of SCBWI means that I am stretching myself to learn from people in the field and make new connections while commiserating and celebrating the long, arduous process that is writing and illustrating a book.

What is your favorite picture book from childhood?
Without hesitation, Robert McCloskey's Time of Wonder. It is a tender, secretive experience shared between author, reader, and audience that is unmatched. I will look forward to hearing that story as much at 80 (with failing eyesight) as I did at seven with my sisters, all of us like a warm pile of baby seals laying across one another in bed, feeling the passing of time and the darkening of night and fighting to slow the turning of the pages.

Fun fact: Kate's bio says she's indescribable, but you can still learn more, and see more images, on STQRY here.

*excluding only those lazy bones or privacy freaks who don't answer our email questions, of course. We love them anyway.