Meet the artist #24

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.

Kjersten Anna Hayes

Why did you choose to submit this art?
I like yellow. It’s yellow. Owls are hip right now. I thought it was a strong piece from my recent work. (The truth is I have no idea how to answer this.)

What does being part of SCBWI mean to you?
Being a part of SCBWI means getting to hang out with other people who don’t raise an eyebrow when the conversation, in all seriousness, turns to discussing a main character who is a chicken.

What is your favorite picture book from childhood?
My favorite picture book from childhood is either The Snowy Day by Ezra Jack Keats or Charlie Needs a Cloak by Tommie dePaola. Every time I looked through The Snowy Day as a kid, I felt (and still feel) transported to the best of my Minnesota childhood: adrift in a magically simple, lovely, snowy day. And being a crafty kid, I loved the simple story of Charlie making a new cloak from scratch. The book made me daydream about heavenly activities like weaving with pretty yarn on a real loom.

Fun fact: Kjersten, who often goes by KJ, spent two years living in Malaysia. Learn more, and see more images, on STQRY here. (But she has no As in her first name; that's a slip on our part. Sorry, KJ!)

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