Paige Billin-Frye

Living in a neighborhood of tree-lined streets in Washington, DC, Paige Billin-Frye gathers inspiration from the people around her, their gardens, pets and children. Sometimes the research can be just as fun as creating the artwork. When the internet and the city have not yielded answers she has called NASA in Houston and brought sketches to the Japanese Embassy for review. Before she began illustrating for children she designed department store ads, illustrated magazine covers and created greeting cards for Hallmark Cards. As a member of the Children's Book Guild of Washington, DC, she regularly gets together with local authors, illustrators and librarians, broadening her view of the children's publishing world beyond the cozy walls of her studio. She has served as president and treasurer of the Children's Book Guild and was honored with her illustrations for The House in the Meadow being included in The Original Art Show at the Society of Illustrators in New York. Always anxious to learn more she is constantly experimenting with different materials. In recent years she has studied printmaking, metal-smithing, paper-making and hand-bookbinding, as well as Western and Chinese calligraphy. New techniques, fun research; it all adds up to a rewarding job.