Mary GrandPré
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Mary GrandPré (born February 13, 1954) is an American
illustrator An illustrator is an artist who specializes in enhancing writing or elucidating concepts by providing a visual representation that corresponds to the content of the associated text or idea. The illustration may be intended to clarify complicat ...
best known for her cover and chapter illustrations of the ''
Harry Potter ''Harry Potter'' is a series of seven fantasy literature, fantasy novels written by British author J. K. Rowling. The novels chronicle the lives of a young Magician (fantasy), wizard, Harry Potter (character), Harry Potter, and his friends ...
'' books in their U.S. editions published by Scholastic. She received a Caldecott Honor in 2015 for illustrating Barb Rosenstock's ''The Noisy Paint Box: The Colors and Sounds of Kandinsky's Abstract Art''. GrandPré, who creates her artwork with paint and pastels, has illustrated more than twenty books and has appeared in gallery exhibitions and periodicals such as ''
The New Yorker ''The New Yorker'' is an American weekly magazine featuring journalism, commentary, criticism, essays, fiction, satire, cartoons, and poetry. Founded as a weekly in 1925, the magazine is published 47 times annually, with five of these issues ...
'', ''
Atlantic Monthly ''The Atlantic'' is an American magazine and multi-platform publisher. It features articles in the fields of politics, foreign affairs, business and the economy, culture and the arts, technology, and science. It was founded in 1857 in Boston, ...
,'' and ''
The Wall Street Journal ''The Wall Street Journal'' is an American business-focused, international daily newspaper based in New York City, with international editions also available in Chinese and Japanese. The ''Journal'', along with its Asian editions, is published ...
''.


Early life

Mary GrandPré was born February 13, 1954 in
South Dakota South Dakota (; Sioux language, Sioux: , ) is a U.S. state in the West North Central states, North Central region of the United States. It is also part of the Great Plains. South Dakota is named after the Lakota people, Lakota and Dakota peo ...
."GrandPré, Mary 1954-"
Encyclopedia.com. Retrieved June 18, 2018.
She began drawing when she was five years old, beginning with a reproduction of Walt Disney's cartoon character "
Mickey Mouse Mickey Mouse is an animated cartoon Character (arts), character co-created in 1928 by Walt Disney and Ub Iwerks. The longtime mascot of The Walt Disney Company, Mickey is an Anthropomorphism, anthropomorphic mouse who typically wears red sho ...
". By age ten, she was imitating
Salvador Dalí Salvador Domingo Felipe Jacinto Dalí i Domènech, Marquess of Dalí of Púbol (; ; ; 11 May 190423 January 1989) was a Spanish Surrealism, surrealist artist renowned for his technical skill, precise draftsmanship, and the striking and bizarr ...
, experimenting with stretched objects painted with oils, before graduating to copying black-and-white photos from the encyclopedia. She was influenced by the stained glass windows of the church where she attended Mass daily, saying, "There was a kind of luminous quality about them, a glow, that sometimes comes out in my artwork, whether I mean it to or not." She was a Fine Arts major at Pomona College and was in her mid-twenties before she considered art school, having supposed illustration to be "a boring, commercial thing"."Mary’s Magic"
'' Sarasota''. November 1, 2003.
She graduated from the Minneapolis College of Art and Design in 1981.


Career

GrandPré married designer Kevin Whaley when she was young. After they divorced, she attended the Minneapolis College of Art and Design. After her graduation, GrandPré spent several years as a waitress while working to be noticed by ad agencies and attempting to find her own style. Her drawing evolved into what she calls "soft geometry", featuring
pastel A pastel () is an art medium in a variety of forms including a stick, a square a pebble or a pan of color; though other forms are possible; they consist of powdered pigment and a binder. The pigments used in pastels are similar to those use ...
s. Her work is created completely by hand, without using a computer. Mary GrandPré has created images for advertising and magazines, including ''
The New Yorker ''The New Yorker'' is an American weekly magazine featuring journalism, commentary, criticism, essays, fiction, satire, cartoons, and poetry. Founded as a weekly in 1925, the magazine is published 47 times annually, with five of these issues ...
'', ''
The Atlantic ''The Atlantic'' is an American magazine and multi-platform publisher. It features articles in the fields of politics, foreign affairs, business and the economy, culture and the arts, technology, and science. It was founded in 1857 in Boston, ...
'', and the ''
Wall Street Journal ''The Wall Street Journal'' is an American business-focused, international daily newspaper based in New York City, with international editions also available in Chinese and Japanese. The ''Journal'', along with its Asian editions, is published ...
''. Among her other famous works, she was commissioned to illustrate the official poster for the 2005 Minnesota State Fair. A
DreamWorks DreamWorks may refer to: * DreamWorks Pictures, an American film production company of Amblin ** DreamWorks Television, an American television production company and division of the film studio ** DreamWorks Records, an American record label and f ...
executive who enjoyed her work called to invite her to participate as an illustrator for their movie '' Antz'', for which GrandPré was involved with creating some of the landscapes. She has also participated in character development for another animated film. She has taught at The Ringling School of Art and Design.


''Harry Potter'' series

GrandPré's work on the ''
Harry Potter ''Harry Potter'' is a series of seven fantasy literature, fantasy novels written by British author J. K. Rowling. The novels chronicle the lives of a young Magician (fantasy), wizard, Harry Potter (character), Harry Potter, and his friends ...
'' novel series came when David Saylor of Scholastic contacted her. Though GrandPré initially declined the assignment due to her schedule, he eventually convinced her to take it. GrandPré says, "By the time I was working on Book 3, we knew we were dealing with something very special." GrandPré illustrated all of the American editions of the Harry Potter novels. She was one of the few people who were able to read the ''Harry Potter'' books before they were released to the general public. When she received each new book, she read the story through once, highlighting descriptions that she felt would do well as an illustration. She then created various sketches as ideas for the cover and chapter art before sending her favorites to the editors to decide which should appear in the final publication. GrandPré devises her images after reading the scripts for the books, and does not collaborate with or receive input from J.K. Rowling, although the two have met. Her artwork for the final novel in the series, ''
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows ''Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows'' is a fantasy novel written by British author J. K. Rowling and the seventh and final novel of the main ''Harry Potter'' series. It was released on 21 July 2007 in the United Kingdom by Bloomsbury Publi ...
'', was created using pastels on toned printmaking paper.


Other work

In addition to the ''Harry Potter'' series, she has illustrated picture books including ''Pockets'', ''The Noisy Paint Box'', ''Chin Yu Min and the Ginger Cat'', ''Vegetables Go to Bed'', ''The Thread of Life'', ''Swing Around the Sun'', ''The Sea Chest'', and ''Sweep Dreams''. She also illustrated ''Plum'', and ''Henry and Pawl and the Round Yellow Ball'', which was co-written by her husband, Tom Casmer.


Recognition

GrandPré's illustrations for ''The Noisy Paint Box'' were recognized by the 2015 Caldecott Medal committee. She was given a Caldecott Honor for her work in this picture book biography of Wassily Kandinsky, evoking his
synesthesia Synesthesia (American English) or synaesthesia (British English) is a perceptual phenomenon in which stimulation of one sensory or cognitive pathway leads to involuntary experiences in a second sensory or cognitive pathway. People who re ...
. GrandPré's work with the ''
Harry Potter ''Harry Potter'' is a series of seven fantasy literature, fantasy novels written by British author J. K. Rowling. The novels chronicle the lives of a young Magician (fantasy), wizard, Harry Potter (character), Harry Potter, and his friends ...
'' books has been featured on the cover of ''
Time Time is the continued sequence of existence and events that occurs in an apparently irreversible succession from the past, through the present, into the future. It is a component quantity of various measurements used to sequence events, to ...
'' magazine. Her work, chosen from thousands of illustrators, has also been featured on the cover of ''Showcase 16''. She has received awards from The Society of Illustrators, ''Communication Arts'', ''Graphis'', ''Print'', and ''Art Direction'', and has been profiled in ''Step-by-Step Graphics'' and ''Communications Arts Magazine''. GrandPré has also been featured in the book ''How Jane Won'', which examines fifty women who have been successful in their chosen career and in their personal lives.


Charity work

In 2006, GrandPré began creating art for herself instead of for an assignment. She has donated several pieces to The Wellness Community of Southwest Florida, a non-profit organization providing support for people with cancer. She has also contributed to her local
Habitat for Humanity Habitat for Humanity International (HFHI), generally referred to as Habitat for Humanity or Habitat, is a US non-governmental, and nonprofit organization which was founded in 1976 by couple Millard and Linda Fuller. Habitat for Humanity is a Ch ...
charity by donating pieces and books, as well.


Personal life

According to a November 2003 article in ''Sarasota'' magazine, Grandpré had recently moved to
Sarasota, Florida Sarasota () is a city in Sarasota County on the Gulf Coast of the U.S. state of Florida. The area is renowned for its cultural and environmental amenities, beaches, resorts, and the Sarasota School of Architecture. The city is located in the sout ...
with her husband, Tom Casmer, who had recently taken a position as head of the illustration department at the Ringling School of Art and Design. In a June 2007 ''
St. Paul Pioneer Press The ''St. Paul Pioneer Press'' is a newspaper based in Saint Paul, Minnesota, Saint Paul, Minnesota, United States. It serves the Minneapolis–Saint Paul metropolitan area. Circulation is heaviest in the east metro, including Ramsey County, Minn ...
'' article, GrandPré revealed that six months prior, she and her husband went to China, where they adopted a little girl.Guthrey, Molly (June 9, 2007)
"Harry Potter illustrator says goodbye"
''
St. Paul Pioneer Press The ''St. Paul Pioneer Press'' is a newspaper based in Saint Paul, Minnesota, Saint Paul, Minnesota, United States. It serves the Minneapolis–Saint Paul metropolitan area. Circulation is heaviest in the east metro, including Ramsey County, Minn ...
''.


Selected works


Poetry collections

* ''Swing Around the Sun'', poems by Barbara Juster Esbensen (the Fall season; Lerner Publishing Group, 2002) * ''Plum'', poetry by Tony Mitton (Scholastic, 2003)


''Harry Potter'' series

* '' Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone'', by J.K. Rowling (Scholastic, 1998); Anniversary Edition (Scholastic, 2008) * '' Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets'', by J.K. Rowling (Scholastic, 1999) * ''
Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban ''Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban'' is a fantasy novel written by British author J. K. Rowling and is the third in the ''Harry Potter'' series. The book follows Harry Potter, a young wizard, in his third year at Hogwarts School of W ...
'', by J.K. Rowling (Scholastic, 1999) * ''
Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire ''Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire'' is a fantasy novel written by British author J. K. Rowling and the fourth novel in the ''Harry Potter'' series. It follows Harry Potter, a wizard in his fourth year at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and W ...
'', by J.K. Rowling (Scholastic, 2000) * ''
Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix ''Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix'' is a fantasy novel written by British author J. K. Rowling and the fifth novel in the ''Harry Potter'' series. It follows Harry Potter's struggles through his fifth year at Hogwarts School of Witc ...
'', by J.K. Rowling, (Scholastic, 2003) * '' Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince'', by J.K. Rowling (Scholastic, 2005) * ''
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows ''Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows'' is a fantasy novel written by British author J. K. Rowling and the seventh and final novel of the main ''Harry Potter'' series. It was released on 21 July 2007 in the United Kingdom by Bloomsbury Publi ...
'', by J.K. Rowling (Scholastic, 2007) * The cover of ''
The Tales of Beedle the Bard ''The Tales of Beedle the Bard'' is a book of children's stories by the author J. K. Rowling. There is a storybook of the same name mentioned in ''Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows'', the last book of the ''Harry Potter'' series. The book ...
'', by J.K. Rowling (Scholastic, 2008) * The box of the special edition of '' Quidditch Through the Ages'' and ''
Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them ''Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them'' (often referred to as simply ''Fantastic Beasts'') is a 2001 guide book written by British author J. K. Rowling (under the pen name of the fictitious author Newt Scamander) about the magical creat ...
'' (Scholastic, 2005)


Storybooks

* ''Chin Yu Min and the Ginger Cat'', by
Jennifer Armstrong Jennifer Mary Armstrong (born May 19, 1961) is an American children's writer known for both fiction and non-fiction. She was born in Waltham, Massachusetts, grew up outside of New York City, and now lives in Saratoga Springs, New York. She was ...
(Crown Publishers, 1993), * ''The Vegetables Go to Bed'', by Christopher L. King (Crown, 1994) * ''The Thread of Life: Twelve Old Italian Tales'', retold by
Domenico Vittorini Domenico Vittorini (1892–1958) was an Italian-born writer and American academic. Biography Domenico Vittorini was born in Preturo, L'Aquila, Abruzzo, Italy on October 28, 1892 and died 66 years later in Havertown, Pennsylvania, on March 9, 1 ...
(Crown, 1995), ; Running Press Kids; New Ed edition, 2003 * ''Pockets'', by Jennifer Armstrong (Knopf Books for Young Readers, 1998) * ''The House of Wisdom'', by
Florence Parry Heide Florence Parry Heide (February 27, 1919 – October 23, 2011) was a bestselling American children's writer. Early life Born in Pittsburgh, Heide spent most of her childhood in Punxsutawney, Pennsylvania. Her father, who was a banker, died w ...
and J. Heide Gilliland (DK Children, 1999) * ''The Sea Chest'', by Toni Buzzeo (Dial, 2002) * ''Henry and Pawl and the Round Yellow Ball'', co-written with her husband, Tom Casmer (Dial, 2005), * ''Sweep Dreams'', by
Nancy Willard Nancy Willard (June 26, 1936 – February 19, 2017) was an American people, American writer: novelist, poet, author and occasional illustrator of children's books. She won the 1982 Newbery Medal for ''A Visit to William Blake's Inn''. Biography Wi ...
(Little, Brown Young Readers, 2005) * ''Lucia and the Light'', by Phyllis Root (Candlewick Press, 2006) * ''Aunt Claire's Yellow Beehive Hair'', by Deborah Blumenthal (Pelican, 2007) * ''Goodnight Little Me'', by Jennifer Dewing (2013) * ''The Noisy Paint Box: The Colors and Sounds of Kandinsky's Abstract Art'', by Barb Rosenstock (Knopf, 2014) – about Wassily Kandinsky


References


External links

*
''Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix'' (Book 5)
at Amazon.com – with interview of GrandPré * {{DEFAULTSORT:Grandpre, Mary 1954 births Living people American women illustrators American illustrators Pomona College alumni Place of birth missing (living people) Artists from South Dakota Minneapolis College of Art and Design alumni