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Kate Garchinsky: Newtown Square’s Award-Winning Illustrator
People In Places feature by Sheila Turner-Hilliard
When Kate Garchinsky was a little girl, she would climb the Japanese maple tree in her front yard and sit as still as possible. She imagined that no one could see her. She would stay there for hours, hoping that just one little bird would perch on her shoulder and become her friend. That never happened, but it was fun to pretend.
As the oldest of six, finding time for herself wasn’t easy. But Kate discovered a space in nature and art which she says was a wonderful way to get lost in her own little world. Kate combined her passions, and received a BFA in Illustration from the University of the Arts in Philadelphia, with a focus in nature and children's literature.
Newtown Square resident and award-winning Illustrator, Kate Garchinsky
Photo courtesy of Kate Garchinsky
Kate’s love for animals, nature, art and playfulness is as strong today as it was back then.
In fact, today, you’ll find Kate, her husband Brian, their rescue pup and two indoor kitties living in a home surrounded by 40 acres of open space in Newtown Square. “We chose to settle down here to be immersed in nature,” Kate explained.
Kate and her husband are avid birders who feel fortunate to live in the Upper Ridley/Crum IBA (Important Bird Area) as designated by the National Audubon Society. Much of the open space in Upper Ridley/Crum is managed by Willistown Conservation Trust, headquartered just up the road from Kate’s home studio. She attends bird banding sessions at the Trust’s Rushton Woods bird banding station, which she says is “a rare opportunity to observe and sketch wild birds up close and sitting still.”
Art workshop for Rushton Nature Keepers program
Photo courtesy of Blake Goll
Kate has been an invited guest of the Trust’s Rushton Nature Keepers program for children ages 7- 11, where she does book readings and signings, leads art workshops, and answers questions about what it’s like to illustrate books about wildlife. “I think the best part of my job is interacting with my readers. There’s nothing like hearing a collective ‘Wow!’ whispered from a group of kids who may have thought bats were creepy or that skunks were gross," she says. “That little spark gives me hope.”
Being surrounded by trails, streams and wildlife serves as the perfect backdrop for Kate’s work as an illustrator in a series of children’s books written by Laurence Pringle. She first met Laurence in 2016, at a Highlights Foundation retreat where he was working as a writing mentor. “I wanted to write about birds,” Kate said, “and Laurence really helped me develop strong skills.”
Photo courtesy of Kate Garchinsky
While working together, she learned that Laurence was writing The Secret Life of the Red Fox, the second book in his series, and he happened to be looking for an illustrator. Kate told him, “I can draw a fox!” and she showed him a few sketches. The two have been collaborating ever since. Kate has illustrated several more of Laurence’s books, including The Secret Life of the Skunk and The Secret Life of the Little Brown Bat.
Kate is especially proud of her next book in the series, The Secret Life of the Sloth, which will be released in April. Kate says this was her most difficult book to illustrate to date. “The first challenge I faced was simply how to draw three-toed sloths. I thought bats were tricky,” she said. As she finalized her drawings and decided to dedicate her work in this book to her youngest nephew, Logan, he sadly passed away in his sleep just before his first birthday. Kate struggled through the shock and sadness to rewrite her dedication, but is grateful to honor Logan’s memory that way.
Photo courtesy of Kate Garchinsky
Kate’s illustrations have been described as stunning, gorgeous and realistic. For her natural history illustrations of extinct birds, she was awarded the Don Eckelberry Fellowship at the Academy of Natural Sciences. Most recently, Kate received an award from the Delaware Valley Ornithological Club for her illustrations in Belle’s Journey: An Osprey Takes Flight. Her work has also received awards and recognition from the Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators, University of the Arts, and the Valley Forge Audubon Society. But, beyond all the awards and accolades, Kate says the greatest gift has been the connection she makes with curious and imaginative children just like that little girl who sat in a tree.
