SIX MINUTES WITH KITTY HARVILL:

Today, Kitty Harvill joins LitPick for Six Minutes with an Illustrator, all the way from Brazil! Kitty has illustrated children’s books, book covers, and has had her work appear in magazines. She has donated her artwork to countless organizations and is an Artist Warrior for Wildlife, actively involved with the conservation efforts in her home in southern Brazil. Kitty has illustrated two books by Darcy Pattison: Wisdom, The Midway Albatross: Surviving the Japanese Tsunami and Other Disasters for over Sixty Years and Abayomi, the Brazilian Puma: The True Story of an Orphaned Cub.

Kitty’s biography is quite impressive, as you can read here:

http://www.natureartists.com/artists/artist_biography.asp?ArtistID=1470

How did you get started as an illustrator?

I have always drawn and painted, as long as I can remember. When I was 5 years old, at my grandmother’s house, I drew Sam-I-Am in my Dr. Seuss book, Green Eggs and Ham, and my grandmother announced I was an artist! I took art classes in Jr. High and High School, but started college as a theater major at SMU (Southern Methodist University). I soon fell in love with art again in a night drawing class and changed my major. My professors were not in favor of illustration as a career choice, so I went on to earn a Masters in Art Therapy from the University of Illinois. After only a few years in the field of art therapy, I was restless to get back to my art, and enrolled in Ray College in Chicago where I received my degree in illustration.

Who influenced you?

So many artists, it’s hard to say. As a Fine Art major, some favorites were Georgia O’Keefe, Edward Hopper, Paul Gaugin, Paul Cezanne and John Singer Sargent. My mother, who had always encouraged my art, attended art school at the same time I did, so we had many years of sharing our art careers. Some of my favorite children’s book illustrators are Jerry Pinkney, Eric Carle, Ed Young and Mercer Mayer.

Do you have a favorite artist/subject/medium?

If I had to select one favorite artist, it would have to be John Singer Sargent, for the loose and vibrant quality of his watercolors and the juicy, painterly quality of his oils. I’ve worked in watercolor for more than 30 years, but after moving to Brazil, I’ve returned to painting in oil and acrylic again, largely due to the tropical climate which can be brutal to works on paper. And speaking of tropical, almost all my work now is in support of the conservation of nature and wildlife, mostly here in Brazil but also other threatened habitats and species in the world.

What advice do you have for someone who wants to be an illustrator?

Draw, draw, draw….my drawing skills improved after I challenged myself in 2009 to draw or paint for at least 30 minutes each day of that year, a pledge inspired by the artist Harley Brown. Your drawing skills are the bones of your illustration work - if the drawing doesn’t work, neither will your painting. I also cannot emphasize enough the importance of being passionate about your work. A turning point came for me when I was able to combine my passion for art and the artistic process with my passion for nature and the natural world.

Where is your favorite place to work?

I have a studio in my home in Curitiba, Brazil, and also a smaller studio space in my U .S. home of Little Rock, AR. But, I also enjoy working “en plein air” and I’ve spent a lot of time in the field observing and photographing my subject matter.

What else would you like to tell us?

We are at a critical point in history at the moment, and our artists are our messengers. My particular path has been to work to raise awareness for endangered species and their habitats. But there are many needs and many ways to be of service. Find your passion and use it for the Greater Good.

Kitty, thank you for joining LitPick for six minutes! Your interview has been so interesting, and contains excellent advice whether or not someone is an artist. For example, your advice to find your passion and use it for the greater good can be adapted by everyone.