AnnickPress

Stéphane Jorisch is a full-time illustrator who has been published in Le baiser maléfique, Le monde salon, Jean d e... and Le Casse Noisette. He has received several prestigious honors for previous books, including a 1993 Governor General’s Award, nominations for Governor General’s Awards in 1995, 1997 and 1998, and nominations for the 1997 and 1999 Mr. Christie Book Awards. Stéphane works in a huge Montreal loft with half a dozen other designers and illustrators. He also curates two art collections.

Stéphane often chooses to work in watercolor, gouache, and pen-and-ink. His inspiration comes from everyday things, daydreams, and time spent delayed in traffic. In Anancy and the Haunted House (2002), Stéphane teams up again with Richardo Keens-Douglas. Stéphane illustrates Richardo’s tale of the famous spider of folklore using humorous, extravagant artwork reminiscent of the gangster days of the 1920s. . Stéphane also did the illustrations for Emily’s Piano (2005), a beautifully written, honest portrayal of a young girl’s emotional journey amid a series of family upheavals.

Stéphane’s father, who was an illustrator of comic strips for European daily newspapers, was a great influence on him. Only now does Stéphane draw faster than his dad. He believes that curiosity and a keen sense of observation are most important for an aspiring writer or artist.

Born in Brussels, Stéphane grew up in a place called Lachine, Quebec. Because his family lived on the St. Lawrence River, Stéphane spent most of his teens on the water, in anything that would float, propelled by motor, sail or oars. It was a great place to dream. He now lives in Montreal with his wife and their three children.