Ruth Sanderson founded the summer graduate Certificate in Children’s Book Illustration at Hollins, and co-founded the MFA in Children’s Book Writing and Illustration, serving as co-director with Amanda Cockrell until 2019. Ruth graduated from the Paier School of Art in 1974 and received an Honorary Doctorate from the school in 2023. Her career as a professional illustrator spans close to fifty years and she has illustrated over ninety books for children, many of which she authored as well. Her fairy tales have received much critical acclaim and a number of awards. Her original oil paintings from The Twelve Dancing Princesses are in the permanent collection of the Norman Rockwell Museum, where they were exhibited in 2014 in a one-woman show featuring sixty-four oil paintings from her books. Ruth currently lives in Easthampton, Massachusetts. Her website is www.ruthsanderson.com
Areas of Expertise
- Children’s Book Writing
Children’s Book Illustration
Courses Taught
- Creating Picture Books
- Children’s Book Writing Tutorial
- Children’s Book Drawing
- Children’s Book Design
- Children’s Book Media
- Character Design
Accomplishments
- Eric Carle Museum 2023: Horse Tales: Galloping into Children’s Books : Three illustrations are included in the exhibition
- 2023 Rise Honoree for A Storm of Horses: The Story of Artist Rosa Bonheur
- 2022 Starred reviews from School Library Journal and Booklist for A Storm of Horses
Research Interests
- Retold fairy tales
- Illustration in children’s books
Education
- Graduate, Paier School of Art