Former Tioga County resident and 1983 Owego Free Academy (OFA) graduate, Kimberly (Wells) Merritt, was living in New Hampshire when a stranger approached her at an art gallery, and where several of her paintings were on display. Merritt was encouraged that it may be a sale, but instead the woman nonchalantly shared that she thought Merritt\u2019s artistry appeared to be more of an illustrator than that of a fine artist.<\/p>\n
Set back by the comment, Kimberly (Kim) said she went home and started searching out information about the world of illustrating, and decided to give it a shot. Although she had sold a number of paintings, enjoying steady income from it had been a challenge. Fast-forward to today, and Merritt\u2019s work as a freelance Christian children\u2019s book illustrator has evolved over the past seven years into a happy ending. <\/p>\n
Recalling the stranger\u2019s opinion, Kim remarked, \u201cI am thankful, because it set me on a trajectory that I never thought of.\u201d<\/p>\n
She has since illustrated some 60 books that encompass themes of faith, holiday stories and wholesome children\u2019s adventures, to name a few, yet other themes more diverse, such as a recent book that discusses the sensitive topic of child abuse.<\/p>\n
In September, a children\u2019s book that she wrote and illustrated, her first, was self-published. Entitled, \u201cLittle Lamb, Little Lamb, Follow Close,\u201d and available at Amazon.com, Merritt describes it as an entertaining bedtime story that helps children see themselves through the eyes of a lamb, with lessons on trust along life\u2019s journey.<\/p>\n
She is excited about her accomplishment, and has plans for a second book, and one that, she said, \u201cWill be more of a silly book; I think kids want funny books, too.\u201d <\/p>\n
Merritt explained that her projects involve working with self-published authors, as well as securing contracts with larger publishers. Some are repeat clients, too, such as a project in the works with a large Christian organization, and where she is illustrating a third title in a book series. <\/p>\n
Kim shared that art has been a passion since her high school days, and remarked, \u201cI\u2019m delighted to get to do it, and it\u2019s a fun thing, too,\u201d and then chuckled, \u201cLike drawing a frog that meets a dog, or drawing an octopus that gets attached to a little girl\u2019s head.\u201d<\/p>\n
After OFA, Merritt attended Broome Community College where she concentrated in interior design. She is self-taught in the tools of today\u2019s art publishing world.<\/p>\n
Merritt explained, \u201cAll of my drawings are now done on Adobe Photoshop, and where I can manipulate them for revisions,\u201d adding, for example, \u201cAn author might send me a detailed description of what they envision a scene to look like, but then during the process, I may be asked to move a character in a scene.\u201d<\/p>\n
Kim and her husband, Craig, moved back to New York State in 2018 following his acceptance of a minister\u2019s position at a church in Wellsville, N.Y. Previously the family, including four children, lived and ministered in New Hampshire and Pennsylvania, as well as in the Oneonta \/ Cooperstown, N.Y. area. Today the Merritt\u2019s are happy to be settled in Jasper, N.Y., and where trips to see family in Owego, Endicott and Binghamton are that much closer.<\/p>\n
Kim shared, \u201cI just love Owego; it is still home to me.\u201d<\/p>\n