Lynne Russillo
Lynne spent her childhood traveling around the world with her family. From Yugoslavia to Mexico and on to Iran, Nigeria, Spain, and Laos, she was always fascinated by the art, culture, and landscapes of the places she lived. She is eternally grateful for having had classmates and friends from all around the world, which instilled in her a sense of global neighborhood.
Lynne has been drawing since she picked up that first crayon. She has been an avid reader since the age of seven, when, after reading The Cat in the Hat, she went directly to her older sister’s bookshelf and started burning her way through the collection of middle grade books.
Lynne went on to earn an AAS in silversmithing from Rochester Institute of Technology and a BA in Fine Arts from Antioch College. After college, she moved to Washington, DC, became a bicycle mechanic and rode the streets of DC as a bicycle messenger. With all those used bike parts lying around, what else to do but make art out of them?
Lynne began writing picture books when a character in an illustration she was working on started spinning a tale—well, galloped away on his horse with it. She is a member of SCBWI and Charles Houston Community Writers in Alexandria, Virginia. She is a Children’s Book Academy graduate.
Lynne is an exhibiting member of the Art League Gallery in Alexandria, Virginia, and works in a variety of media, including watercolor, Chinese ink, printmaking, and digital illustration. She particularly enjoys watercolor sketching outdoors. She lives in Alexandria with two cats, who she faithfully serves, and grows heirloom tomatoes.
