photograph by Bill Rapier

See Rebecca's Featured Artist page at

Biography

Rebecca Harrison Reed is a children's book author and illustrator based in Clifton, Virginia. She received her BFA in printmaking and minored in art history. Rebecca received her MFA in painting and printmaking from Florida State University, where she studied under the noted British abstract painter, Trevor Bell. She also studied art at the Cité Universitaire de Paris in Paris, France.

Throughout her stories and illustrations, Rebecca strives to capture a sense of adventure and magic in order to transport the reader to another place. “I attempt to create a different world in each of my stories and images that I can escape into with my characters, and I want the reader to feel compelled to escape into them along with me.” Rebecca's illustrations are a combination of acrylic and pencil used together in a lithographic style that is uniquely her own. Her close attention to detail and use of light are intended to inspire imagination by evoking a feeling of magic and mystery. As Rebecca has always been fascinated with light, she often explores the relationship of light and shadow in her illustrations. Humor is also a prevalent element in her work.

Rebecca enjoys researching the details of every story and illustration she creates. For research for The Train to Maine, Rebecca traveled to Boston, MA, where she rode the "Downeaster" train from Boston to Portland. She then spent a week sketching the Maine coast and gathering visual references throughout New England.

Rebecca has been the recipient of numerous awards throughout her fifteen year career as a freelance artist. She recently received the First Place Art Award at the Annual Society of Children's Book Writers and Illustrators Mid-Year Conference in New York. Rebecca was also the Debut Featured Artist on the SCBWI website, and has been a member since 2001.

Rebecca’s latest book, Only Cows Allowed, which was written by award winning author Lynn Plourde, will be released in 2011.

For Rebecca's studio tour, click on the brush.