Illustrator returns home for book signing

September 17, 2014 · 0 Comments

There are many ways to teach someone how to count to 10, but none more beautiful than the new book, ‘Over by the Harbour’ illustrated by New Tecumseth native, Thérèse Cilia.
Set along the beautiful shores of Newfoundland, Over by the Harbour is a counting book that features watercolour and ink illustrations by Thérèse, with each page depicting a different indigenous mother animal, and her offspring, under, over and above the water’s edge.
Thérèse’s drawings fit perfectly into the book, written by Dwayne LaFitte, and provide both reader and listener a cause for pause – a chance to look for the finer details in her work.
In addition to her new book, Thérèse also celebrated a homecoming last Sunday, returning to New Tecumseth for a book signing, hosted by the South Simcoe Arts Council. The event took place at the Gibson Centre for Culture in Alliston, where Thérèse signed copies of her book and answered questions about her illustrations. She also announced she had been retained by the publisher to illustrate a second children’s book.
Thérèse has been creating art since she was a child, even studying under famed local artist, Alice Forestall and has a degree in Fine Arts from the Ontario College of Art.
In Over by the Harbour, Thérèse’s collaboration with author LaFitte was an easy fit, “We were on the same page, pardon the pun, with the look we were going for, so it came together quite easily,” she told the Times.
Copies of Thérèse’s book are $20 each and available signed by the illustrator and author through the SSAC office.
For more information about the artist visit www.strawberrysnail.com

By Wendy Gabrek