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Zena Bernstein is an acclaimed artist/painter and illustrator. She is most famous for illustrating the children's book Mrs. Frisby and the Rats of Nimh by Robert C. O'Brien. The book won the Newbury Medal in 1972 which is considered to be the most prestigious award for children's literature in the United States.
"My work is mainly inspired by nature. I use a combination of watercolor and acrylics carefully placing several layers of dots of pure color to suggest subtle tones and shades. This is a painstaking and meticulous process that is a labor of love." "Over the years I've had spinal problems and several surgeries. I've lost complete use of my left arm and currently have limited movement in my right hand. Being left handed, this has posed difficulty in with my continued work. Overtime with declining movement I changed my technique. My pictures used to be a little more sparse but they became quite detailed."
Zena grew up in upstate New York and received her BA from Syracuse University. She currently resides on one of the 1000 Islands of Ontario Canada with her husband, Ian McKahn, and their dog, Madame Curie. Zena is currently completing her masterpiece, an illustrated book about fairies, gnomes, and other hidden creatures of the earth. Her artwork has always been popular and desirable among collectors. With her limited movement she will be barely able to complete this book. Her catalog of existing artwork has become more desirable as there will be no further output. She currently has for sale here: Contact Zena Bernstein - The Studio On Horse Thief Bay 3 Horse Thief Bay Road RR#2 Mallorytown Ontario, K0E 1R0 Phone: 613.659.2092 |
