Patricia Ward – illustratör

Monet Chases the Light is a creative non-fiction picture book for children aged 4-6 years. Claude Monet, a French artist, produced paintings that glowed with light and colour. Monet was fascinated by light and painted at all times of the day, in all seasons, and in all kinds of weather in his endeavour to capture the light in his work.This book introduces children to Monet’s fascination with light in a playful manner. He chases the light as it frolics through the corn fields, dances in the treetops, and skips across the shimmering water.Monet paints quickly, as the light never stays still for long. When the light is soft and silky, he uses gentle flowing strokes. When the light is harsh and bright, he uses rough, choppy strokes.Monet sometimes paints the same thing over and over, from dawn until dusk, watching the colours and light change as the sun drifts across the sky.At his home in Giverny Monet creates a splendid waterlily pond. He paints magical pictures of his pond as the light prances through the waterlilies.Then, as an old man, Monet grows tired of chasing the light. He sits quietly beside his pond.Monet has spent his life chasing the light, but now at last the light finds him.

Gustav Glowswith Gold is a creativenon-fiction book for children aged 4 – 8 years. Gustav Klimt, a famous Austrianartist, is fascinated by the power of glittering gold leaf to enhance thecolours, patterns, and form of his artwork. Inspired by the beauty of Byzantineart and by his own father’s intricate work as a goldsmith, Gustav loved to usegold leaf in his paintings. Delicately thin sheets of gold leaf are always difficultto work with, any whisper of air and they take flight. Gustav’s studio is filled with glittering, glowing fragments of gold leaf,caught by the air, or by his breath, they settle on his clothes, hair, beard,and even on the fur of his many beloved studio cats. A shy man, Gustav wanted nothingother than people to love his glowing golden creations, and to be inspired bythem, and they certainly did.

It's there every day if you look for it. The glint of gold. It’s in the white blossom of our plum tree against a blue sky. Or the sparkles Jack Frost leaves on the drive to school... A heart-warming story to inspire awareness, gratitude and positive thinking.