I attended an event last week that was significant to me. I was very inspired by seeing and hearing about this illustrator's life work. Marla Frazee (pictured here) made an appearance at Anderson's Bookstore in Naperville, Illinois. She lives in Pasadena, California, and meeting her was a great opportunity for me, as I have long been a fan of her work. She attended The Art Center College of Design as did I, and teaches a children's illustration class there now. When I went to Art Center, as an illustration major, there was no encouragement in the children's book field. Maybe I just didn't have instructors with experience in that area, but that is what I really wanted to do with my illustration training.
While it was a great boost to me personally to talk to Ms. Frazee, I was also introduced to two gentlemen sitting in the back row who modestly said they were illustrators also. They were Eric Rohmann and Stephen Gammell in town to hang out with Marla Frazee I assumed? How cool is that? I was sitting with three Caldecott Honor Book and Caldecott Medal winners all in one evening.
Stephen Gammell here, left. and Eric Rohmann to the right.I feel like such a backstage fan but I do have copies of the books of all three artists on my bookshelves.
