Brianne Farley
Brianne Farley is an author and illustrator of picture books. Her debut, Ike's Incredible Ink, was awarded the Marion Vannett Ridgway Book Award Honor for debut authors and was selected for the Society of Illustrators Original Art Show. She also illustrates the picture book series Charlotte the Scientist is Squished by Camille Andros, which was a Portland Best Book, a Pennsylvania Young Reader's Choice Award, and was on the LITA Notable List. Brianne is an occasional muralist and very occasional editorial illustrator. She received her MFA in Illustration from the Savannah College of Art and Design before working as a designer for Random House Books for Young Readers and Schwartz & Wade Books in New York. She lives in Traverse City, Michigan with her husband and dog.
Art from No Buddy Like a Book, written by Allan Wolf, published by Candlewick Press 2021
Artist Statement
It would be so much easier if imagination and creativity were something sprinkled on a lucky few, rather than a skill that must be practiced regularly. And what a skill! To be able to imagine the world as it might be, but is not. Or, to imagine the possibility of things not-yet-discovered in the world around us. I write picture books about imagination, and books that use imagination to explore the natural world. My books are playful, authentic, and sometimes funny. The stories reflect the curiosity I have for how the world works, and how the people in it feel and relate to each other. My illustrations are joyful, relaxed, and layered with tiny details to be discovered upon multiple readings. I like color and texture to help tell the story, and invite mistakes and imperfection into the process by using any and all materials at hand (including x-acto blades and glue). Books can be an escape into another place, or into another person’s story. But they also tell you something about your own place and your own story. They are a promise that there is a corner unexplored, and worth exploring, in your own life. With my picture books I want to say: Mistakes are ok, you don’t have to be perfect. And, everything that makes you curious or brings you joy is worth delving into.
At Tusen Takk
Brianne focused on completing her next picture book proposal for publication and pursuing new methods of illustration. She began a sketch dummy and explored methods of creating final art for this project. The natural setting and limited distractions at Tusen Takk were an opportunity to set a schedule attuned to exploring and creating. She revisited printmaking (radish print seen here), researched artists and techniques in the Tusen Takk library, and experimented with new materials. Brianne’s goal was to “make more mistakes and make more ugly/imperfect/unexpected things.”
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