2 minute read
Amber Moonen
MAUD IN SEARCH OF…
Amber Moonen
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The three illustrations are part of the manuscript Maud in search of…, written by Nienke Groenewege. Maud is a girl who, instead of waiting around for something to go her way, goes out to get what she wants. Maud can’t seem to fall asleep no matter how hard she tries. So instead of waiting for Sleep to come and find her, she sets sail to go and find Sleep! She prepares her boat for the journey, and off she goes. During her travels she meets all sorts of beautiful, strange and sometimes grumpy creatures of the sea. Most of them do encounter Sleep once in a while, or Sleep just happens to them. But none of them can tell her with absolute certainty where Sleep is now. It turns out that finding Sleep is an even bigger adventure than she had imagined at first…
The illustrations were created using watercolour and pencil on paper.
For as long as AMBER MOONEN can remember, she has loved painting and drawing. As a child she would create entire worlds on paper and would go on adventures using her imagination. Stories were one of her first loves, especially when they were well told and beautifully illustrated. Because of her dyslexia, reading was never easy for her. But because of her wonderful mother who read to her endlessly, she got to enjoy all the stories that inspire her to this day.
With the making of illustrations, Amber gets to combine her love for stories with creating images. Her dream is to make quality picture books for children, like the ones that she grew up hearing and still enjoys today.
Amber Moonen graduated as a teacher of visual arts and design in Amsterdam in 2015. After her studies she specialised in the technique of oil painting, figure drawing and illustrating. www.ambermoonen.com
JURY REPORT The jury is unanimous in its praise for Amber Moonen’s work. Maud in search of… narrates a girl’s encounters with various creatures of the sea. Strong images, refined compositions and an intriguing story. Each picture is spot-on; the whale, jelly-fish and an sea-elephant are beautifully depicted and interesting down to the smallest detail. The whale’s eye alone reveals so much. ‘Enchanting’ and ‘very special’ were descriptions heard often in the jury’s deliberations. Amber Moonen’s artistry is indisputable.
