Kate (Catherine) Samworth is an artist and award winning illustrator. She studied and taught painting at the New Orleans Academy of Fine Art, then earned a BFA from the Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Art in the printmaking department.Her work is in multiple public and private collections. She has been exhibiting across the U.S. and abroad since 1992. Her first illustrated book, Aviary Wonders Inc., won the Kirkus Prize for Young Readers. She has since illustrated a number of books for children and adults. Samworth's images combine observations of nature with imagination. Animals inhabit places abandoned by humans, using the tools and materials left behind. At times, humans and animals exist together, communicating through music. Her detailed renderings evoke natural history illustration while her narratives remind us of fairy tales. She currently lives in Maryland and teaches online art courses from her home studio. Her wordless picture book, Grand Isle, will be released in the fall of 2021 by Akahsic Books.