About the Author/Illustrator
The Early Years: Karen Dean's interest in artwork and writing began in elementary school. It was quickly apparent that God had deposited the gift of creativity in her as reflected in winning first place in a national book cover competition in the 4th grade. |
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Education: Her love for creativity continued to grow in various forms over the years. After earning a BA in Interior Design and Fine Arts and an MA in Clothing and Textiles from Eastern Michigan University, Karen designed and made clothing for over 20 years. During this time the painting and writing were mostly put on hold.
Artwork: All the while, the urge to paint remained strong inside. The suppressed artwork needed to be released. Finally the paintings began to surface. Impressionism to Classical Realism, portraits, landscapes, and still life emerged in watercolor, oil, pastel, and colored pencil. Studying with Master painters in oil and watercolor transformed her work, causing her to dig deeper and push harder. Visit Karen's fine art website to view her gallery:
http://karendeanartist.com
Children's Books: A few years later, to Karen's delight, an excitement for writing and illustrating children's books finally surfaced in her creative world. Time spent at SCBWI conferences gave foundational training for developing characters and stories. After having 6 of the books she and wrote and illustrated published, Karen embarked on a journey of advanced training with Mira Reisberg's Children's Book Academy. New ideas just keep coming.
Artwork: All the while, the urge to paint remained strong inside. The suppressed artwork needed to be released. Finally the paintings began to surface. Impressionism to Classical Realism, portraits, landscapes, and still life emerged in watercolor, oil, pastel, and colored pencil. Studying with Master painters in oil and watercolor transformed her work, causing her to dig deeper and push harder. Visit Karen's fine art website to view her gallery:
http://karendeanartist.com
Children's Books: A few years later, to Karen's delight, an excitement for writing and illustrating children's books finally surfaced in her creative world. Time spent at SCBWI conferences gave foundational training for developing characters and stories. After having 6 of the books she and wrote and illustrated published, Karen embarked on a journey of advanced training with Mira Reisberg's Children's Book Academy. New ideas just keep coming.
Karen considers it a privilege to experience fanciful stories pouring from her pen and illustrations flowing from her brush. As each new book she writes and illustrates gets published and purchased, Karen is grateful to know she is touching hearts and minds of children and adults. Great responses from readers encourage her to keep on creating.