phone: (513) 474-1997
inkandpaint@att.net

I have been an illustrator since 1976. During this time my work has been included in a wide variety of trade, text and mass-market books as well as magazines, newspapers, advertising and other publications.

In 1989, my illustrations first appeared in a children's trade book. I was destined to find my way into this aspect of my profession. With a love for children's literature and a highly detailed, but whimsical illustration style, it was a calling that I could not ignore.

For as long as I can remember I wanted to be an artist. In fact, legend has it that my career actually started when I was about two years old. It was then, as my mother tells me, that I drew a picture of Mickey Mouse and to her astonishment it really looked like the little rodent! From then on, my mother encouraged me to draw and even enrolled me in art classes at a young age. My artistic explorations have always given me immense pleasure.

When I was nine, I won an art contest in my hometown of Kansas City, Missouri, for a painting of my favorite place — deep in the woods, sitting around a warm fire with my friends. So began in my mind the notion of making a profession out of this creative passion.

When it came time for college, my parents wanted me to go to a university. They were convinced that I could never make a living from my artistic endeavors. I prevailed and attended the Kansas City Art Institute, spending my last year at the Rhode Island School of Design as part of an illustration mobility program.

After graduation in 1976, I moved to the Washington, DC area with my husband Bob. During my first years there, I worked in several design studios before striking out on my own. Then along came two children, Zak and Allison. My family enriches my work. They are my best critics, supporters ...and models at times. In recent years I have lived in Florida, North Carolina and now Cincinnati, Ohio where I continue to illustrate children's books.

I have illustrated 30 books and I find the challenges and excitement still growing with each new assignment. I especially enjoy combining my love of nature and animals in the books I illustrate. Appropriate research has become the critical element, especially since my work is very detailed and often requires a high degree of technical accuracy. However, the personal learning that comes along with it makes the extra effort satisfying.

I have been fortunate to be rewarded by my hard work with numerous honors from the Children's Book Council, the Illustrators Club of Washington, the EdPress Association of America, and the Original Art Exhibition. In addition, the Society of Illustrators has included my work in their permanent collection for outstanding female illustrators of the past hundred years. Books were so entertaining and magical for me as child. It is my hope that in some small way I can bring that same joy to children in the books I illustrate.

Over in the Rain Forest
Written by Connie and Peter Roop
2003 * Paperback * Scholastic * ISBN:0-439-40980-2

Come and count with peccaries, piranhas, kinkajous and many other Rain Forest animals with the rhythms and rhymes of the folk song "Over in the Meadow."

Over in the Arctic
Written by Connie and Peter Roop
2003 * Paperback * Scholastic * ISBN:0-439-40979-9

Come and count with belugas, caribou, bears and many other Arctic animals with the rhythms and rhymes of the folk song "Over in the Meadow."

Simple rhyming text describes the characteristics and behaviors of starfish.

Flying Bats! (Hello Science Reader Level 1)
Written by Fay Robinson
2001 ; Paperback ; Scholastic ; ISBN:0-439-33013-0 ; $3.99

This Hello Reader focuses on a variety of bats and their daily life.

Octopus Under the Sea
Written by Connie and Peter Roop
Hello Science Reader Level 1
2001 ; Paperback ; Scholastic ; ISBN:0-439-20635-9 ; $3.99

This book introduces children to how these fascinating creatures move, eat, hide and defend themselves

This Hello Reader shows a wide variety of whales and dolphins. It focuses on the fact that they are mammals and share some similar traits with humans.

Sea Sums
Written by Joy Hulme
1997; Hardcover ; Hyperion ; ISBN:0-7868-0170-0 ; $13.95

"Lionfish, polyps, and other coral reef inhabitants are added and subtracted in a series of rhyming word problems...Gouache illustrations are meticulously rendered in muted tones. Detailed descriptions of common coral reef animals are included at the back."
~The Horn book Guide

Little ones will enjoy Schwartz's delightful gouache-and-airbrush artwork, which has a slightly old fashioned feeling.

What the Dinosaurs Saw: Animals Living Then and Now (Hello Science Reader, Level 1)
Written by Miriam Schlein
1998; Paperback ; Scholastic ; ISBN: 0-590-37128-2 ; $3.50

"Well-composed, precise line drawings brightened with watercolors make this an excellent choice for dinosaur buffs. Kids drawn by the cover will find the books central idea an original one: many of the animals and plants from dinosaur days are still around today."

Winter Visitors
Written by Elizabeth Lee O'Donnell
1997 ; Hardcover ;Morrow Junior Books ; ISBN: 0-688-13063-1; $16.00
"A girl and her cat take a walk and return home to find their house being invaded by ten turkeys, nine chickadees, eight snow hares, and so on, including one skunk. Only when the skunk sprays, having been spooked by the cat, do the animals leave."

"Brenner invites readers to get down-way down-and take a close look at ants: their colors, bodies, diet, natural enemies, colonies, and reproductive cycle. Schwartz makes the mental foray easy with a set of crisply drafted close-up paintings that somehow avoid being frightening-even when depicting a full-page view of an insect head or soldier ants riping interlopers into fragments."
~Parade

"A retelling from the Finnish myth cycle, the Kalevala, in which the aging hero Vainamoinen and the great smith Ilmarinen compete for the hand of Aila, the maiden of Northland...Schwartz's gouache illustrations are vivid and appealing, with jewel-like colors and crisp lines…An unusual and appealing addition."
~School Library Journal

Endangered Animals
Written by Faith McNulty
1996; Paperback ; Scholastic ; ISBN:0-590-22859-5 ; $3.50

This is part of the Hello Reader series about how and why animals become endangered.

Animals in the Snow
Written by Margaret Wise Brown
1995 ; Hardcover ; Hyperion ; ISBN:0-7868-0039-9; $14.95

"A simple, repetitive, narrative follows five animals through a snowy day during which they are joined by a boy and girl at play." ~School Library Journal

Where's That Spider?
Written by Barbara Brenner and Bernice Chardiet
1999; Paperback ; Scholastic ; ISBN: 0-590-12818-3 ; $4.99

This is the sixth book in the Scholastic Hide & Seek Science series, and presents many different types of spiders for children to discover.

Where's That Bat?
Written by Barbara Brenner and Bernice Chardiet
1999 ; Paperback; Scholastic ; ISBN: 0-590-12819-1 ; $4.99

As part of the Scholastic Hide & Seek Science series, this bat book is full of strange looking creatures for the reader to find.

Where's That Cat?
Written by Barbara Brenner & Bernice Chardiet
1995 ; Hardcover ;Scholastic ISBN:0-590-45216-9; $10.95
Paperback; Scholastic ; ISBN:0-590-45217-7 ; $4.95

"This title combines basic information on cats of all kinds--from tabbies to tigers-with attractive, full color paintings that readers must study closely in order to answer guessing-game questions posed by the text."
~School Library Journal

Where's That Fish?
Written by Barbara Brenner & Bernice Chardiet 1994 ; Hardcover; Scholastic ;ISBN:0-590-45214-2 $10.95
Paperback; Scholastic ; ISBN:0-590-45215-0 ; $4.95

This hide and seek science book has lots of information on many different types of fish.

Where's That Reptile?
Written by Barbara Brenner & Bernice Chardiet
1993 ; Hardcover ; Scholastic ; ISBN:0-590-45212-6 ;$10.95
Paperback ; Scholastic ; ISBN:0-590-45213-4 ; $4.95

"In an addition to Scholastic's Hide and Seek Science series, budding naturalists will have fun finding the camouflaged reptiles hidden on the pages of this vividly illustrated beginning science book...a sure-fire way to inspire young scientists to notice the details of their environment."
~American Booksellers

Where's That Insect?
Written by Barbara Brenner & Bernice Chardiet
1993 ; Hardcover; Scholastic ; ISBN:0-590-45210-X ; $10.95
Paperback ; Scholastic ; ISBN:0-590-45211-8 ; $4.95

"Each double-page spread of this trivia book invites readers to search for an insect in the full-page watercolor illustration…Schwartz captures the minute detail of the insect world in bright bold colors that are a definite invitation for browsing."
~School Library Journal

Goodnight to Annie
Written by Eve Merriam
1992 ; Hardcover ; Hyperion ; ISBN:1-56282-205-5 ; $14.95
Paperback Hyperion ; ISBN:0-7868-1005-X ; $4.95

"In an ABC book just right for bedtime reading, a cheerful painting of pajama-clad Annie...sets the stage for the pictures to follow, each of which introduces a large, clear letter set against a background of calm, dozy (sometime unusual) activity."
~Booklist

Sea Squares
Written by Joy Hulme
1991 ; Hardcover Hyperion ;ISBN:1-56282-079-6; $13.95
Paperback ; Hyperion ;ISBN:1-56282-520-8 ; $4.95
Selected as an Outstanding Science Trade Book for Children 1991
by National Science Teachers Association, Children's Book Council joint committee.
Named as a "Children's Choice for 1992" and "Favorite Paperback for 1994"
by International Reading Association & Children's Book Council, joint committee.
Selected for Original Art show at Society of Illustrators 1992

"Children will take a step from basic counting into multiplication with these delightful sea creatures as guides"
~Book Links

Prices and availability are subject to change without notice.