About Me I Am an Artist Celebrating Over 24 Years in the Business of Making Books for Children
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About Me I am an artist celebrating over 24 years in the business of making books for children. I have illustrated over 45 books, some of which I have also written. My work has received numerous honors including two Oppenheim Toy Newsletter Gold Awards and a gold award from NAPPA (National Parenting Publication Awards). The New Yorker magazine praised my dimensional work as “tromp l’oile marvels”!! Two of my books have been recently released. Cousins of Clouds, illustrated with Sean Addy, is a book of elephant poems written by Tracie Vaughn Zimmer. In 2011, Cousins of Cloud also made the 100 Books for Reading and Sharing from The New York Public Library. 3 Pandas Planting, which I wrote and illustrated, is about recycling and taking care of the environment. (www.3pandasplanting.com) My editorial illustrations have appeared in many international and national magazines. My love of patterned endpapers in my children’s books led me to create decorative art for licensed products and giftware. My products include mugs, magnets, frames, bookmarks and plaques. One of my recent collaborations is the Farm Fresh product line with Demdaco, a design-driven company based in Leawood, KS, specializing in gifts and home accents. A former Pratt Institute professor, I am currently a professor at Moore College of Art & Design, in Philadelphia, and on the faculty of Marywood University’s MFA Program for Working Professionals. I earned my Masters Degree, in illustration, from this wonderful program. (www.moore.edu www.marywoodmfa.com) I live in the cute, small, town of Lansdowne, PA, where I serve on the borough appointed Arts Board and am co-chair of our annual three-day celebration of music and art- The Lansdowne Arts Festival. (www.lansdowneartsfestival.com) I have always loved drawing and making things. My parents were creative and supported my talents. My father was an artist and teacher and took me to art museums on my birthdays. As a child, I took piano lessons but rather than practice, I colored in the sheet music! To this day, I love music, and I love to color, but cannot play the piano. About Me (continued) My love of books was nurtured by my schoolteacher-Grandmother, who gave me books as presents. As a child, I was frequently caught late at night, under my covers, with a book and flashlight! I began studying art in eighth grade, continued through high school, and became a printmaking and illustration major in college. After graduation, I studied art in New York City at the School of Visual Arts and Parsons School of Design. When I took a children’s book illustration class I knew, right away, I wanted to be a children’s book illustrator. I went on to study at Marywood University where I earned a Masters degree in studio art and illustration. As a professional artist, I combine my love of art and making things with my love of books. While teaching at Pratt Institute in Brooklyn, New York, I met Sean Addy. We admired each other’s work, soon became friends, and started talking about collaborating. Today, Sean and I are an award-winning duo designing and creating children’s books together. After years of creating images for children, I discovered I had deeper thoughts to express. Images geared toward grown-ups emerged through my personal art. This body of work became my editorial art that is now published in magazines and on book jackets. In 2007, I showed my decorative art for licensing at the big Surtex Show at the Javits Center in New York City. My first giftware line was created that year from a collaborative effort between myself and Demdaco, a highly respected quality giftware company. I continue to show at Surtex and love developing new art for a variety of different products. At the 2010 show, I met Jo Packham, creator of the popular Where Women Create magazine. I am privileged to have been a part of Jo’s inaugural year of Where Women Cook. (www.wherewomencook.com) Resume Education: M.A., Illustration, Marywood University, Scranton, Pennsylvania, 1991 B.A., Illustration, Montcalir State University, Montclair, New Jersey, 1984 Printmaking, THe Pennsylvania State University, State College, Pennsylvania, 1980 - 1983 Teaching Experience: 2007 to Present Adjunct Professor, Illustration Department Moore College of Art & Design, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania . Responsibilities include course syllabi, lectures, critiques, grading for junior and senior illustration majors and some fine art majors. Organized class trips to Running Press- a major, Philadelphia-based book publisher and bookstores. Courses: Illustration for Children (Spring 2007 - Present, Elective) Junior Illustration Studio (Autumn 2007, Required) Business for Illustrators (Autumn 2008 - Present, Required) 2000 to Present Instructor, MFA Program for Working Professionals - Idependent Study for Designers and Illustrators Marywood University, Scranton, Pennsylvania . Responsibilities include course syllabus, lectures, critiques, and grading for 1st and 2nd year illustration and graphic design graduate students. Organized class trips to The Children’s Book Council-NYC, Society of Illustrators Museum of American Illustrators-NYC. Courses: Children’s Book Design and Illustration (2000 - Present, Required) Critique Class (2009 - Present) Advanced Design and Illustration Workshop (2005 - Present, Continuin Ed.) 1995 to 2003 Visiting Assistant Professor, Communication Design Department, School of Art and Design Pratt Institute, Brooklyn, New York . Responsibilities include course syllabi, lectures, critiques, grading for juniors and seniors. Participation in semester’s end “Student Survey” individual student art review. Organized class trips to The Illustration House-NYC, Books of Wonder-NYC, Society of Illustrators Museum of American Illustrators-NYC, TriBeca Studio Tours-NYC. Courses: New Directions in Illustration/Children’s Book Illustration (18 semesters, Elective) Independent Study (6 semesters, Elective) Senior Project (2 semesters, Required) Work Study Internship (1 semester, Elective) Resume Art for Licensing Experience: 2007 to Present Megan Halsey Art & Design, Lansdowne, Pennsylvania . Clients include: • Indigo, stationery collection, February 2012 • Demdaco, Farm Fresh Style giftware line, Summer 2011 • Sellers RSVP, greeting cards, 2010 to Present • Pine Ridge Art Boutique, mugs, magnets, list-pads, 2010 to Present • Demdaco, Simple Notions giftware line, January 2009 • Andrews + Blaine, bookmarks, 2010 Editorial Illustration Books, magazines, packaging and advertising. Clients include: Midwest Airlines Graphic Artist’s Guild - New York Chapter St. Martin’s Press University of Denver Law School Abelson-Taylor Agency The Pennsylvania General Store The Collective Design Firm (Australia) Pulse Nursing Magazine (Canada) The Penn Gazzette University of Pennsylvania Alumni Magazine Guideposts - Angels Among Us Magazine Indianapolis Monthly New Jersey Life Men’s Health Family Circle Yankee Magazine Harvard Alumni Magazine Where Women Cook Illustrations for Children Forty-five children’s books and children’s products including, magazines, posters, videos and education materials. Clients include: American Library Association Houghton Mifflin Harper Collins Charlesbridge Publishing Reader’s digest Dial Books for Young Readers Scholastic Inc. Aladdin Paperbacks Simon & Schuster Little Simon Klutz Press MacMillan Marshall Cavendish Bradbury Press Walker & Company Books for Young Readers Creative Teaching Press Clarion Books Puffin Books Picture Books: Written & Illustrated by Megan Halsey Title: 3 Pandas PLanting Published by: Marshall Cavendish Year: 2011 Published by: Aladdin-Simon & Schuster Year: 1999 Title: Circus 123 Published by: Harper Collins Year: 2000 Title: Hounds Around Town Published by: Little Simon Year: 1997 Title: Jump For Joy Published by: Bradbury PRess Year: 1994 Title: Something To Crow About Published by: Dial Books for Young Readers Year: 1990 Picture Books: Illustrated by Megan Halsey Title: Cousins Of Clouds (Illustrated with Sean Addy) Written By: Tracie Vaughn Zimmer Published by: Clarion Books Year: 2011 Title: Steady Hands (Illustrated with Sean Addy) Written By: Tracie Vaughn Zimmer Published by: Clarion Books Year: 2009 Title: Boats-Speeding! Sailing! Cruising! (Illustrated with Sean Addy) Written By: Patricia Hubbell Published by: Marshall Cavendish Year: 2006 Title: Cars-Rush! Honk! Vroom! (Illustrated with Sean Addy) Written By: Tracie Vaughn Zimmer Published by: Clarion Books Year: 2006 Title: Akira to Zoltan (Illustrated with Sean Addy) Written By: Cynthia Chin-Lee Published by: Charlesbridge Year: 2006 Title: Backyard Bear Written By: Anne Rockwell Published by: Walker & Co. Year: 2006 Picture Books: Illustrated by Megan Halsey Title: Trains-Steaming! Pulling! Huffing! (Illustrated with Sean Addy) Written By: Patricia Hubbell Published by: Marshall Cavendish Year: 2005 Title: Amelia To Zora - An Alaphabet of Amazing Women (Illustrated with Sean Addy) Written By: Cynthia Chin-Lee Published by: Charlesbridge Year: 2005 Title: Little Shark Written By: Anne Rockwell Published by: Walker & Co. Year: 2005 Title: Four Seasons Make a Year Written By: Anne Rockwell Published by: Walker & Co. Year: 2004 Title: Trucks-Whizz! Zoom! Rumble! (Illustrated with Sean Addy) Written By: Patricia Hubbell Published by: Marshall Cavendish Year: 2003 Title: Two Blue Jays Written By: Anne Rockwell Published by: Walker & Co. Year: 2003 Picture Books: Illustrated by Megan Halsey Title: Where, Where is Swamp Bear? Written By: Kathi Appelt Published by: Harper Collins