Educated at the Minneapolis College of Art and Design, Mary GrandPré began her career as a conceptual illustrator for local editorial clients. Continually experimenting with media, Mary underwent many artistic changes in her expressive visual form. Her concerns for light, color, drawing, and design came together in evocative, ethereal pastel paintings evolving toward a style she now calls “soft geometry”.

Mary’s new work attracted corporate advertising and editorial clients. Some of them include Ogilvy & Mather, BBD&O, Whittle Communications, The Richards Group, Neenah Paper, Atlantic Monthly Magazine, Random House, Berkley, Penguin, Dell and McGraw Hill publishers. Recently, she was featured on the cover of Time Magazine for her work with the Harry Potter Series and also worked as a visionary in the environment/scenery development in Dreamworks animated film Antz.

Mary’s work has received national recognition through awards received from The Society of Illustrators, Communication Arts, Graphics, Print and Art Direction. Her work was chosen among thousands of illustrators to be on the cover of Showcase 16, and an article was written about her “conceptual editorial assignments” in Step-by-Step Graphics. Communications Arts Magazine has also done a “career retrospective” article in their January/February 200 edition.

Additionally, Mary has now illustrated six beautiful children’s books and is at work on the seventh. Her book illustration possesses highly personalized lyrical story interpretations and has received very favorable reviews in the national press for her delightfully stunning illustrations.