Peter Catalanotto was born on March 21st and grew up as one of five children in Long Island, New York. He received a B.F.A. in 1981 from Pratt Institute. He did magazine illustration and book jackets before his first picture book, All I See by Cynthia Rylant, was published in 1988. Publisher's Weekly designated him "most promising new artist" in 1989. Although known for his luminous watercolor approach to illustration, he used pencil to develop the same depth and layering for Susan Marie Swanson's Getting Used to the Dark; 26 Night Poems. Read more about his work style in Talking With Artists Volume 3.
"I believe a good book doesn't explain everything. It is a springboard, an open door. It gives readers some space to make their own choices and connections. To laugh. To cry. To be affected."
