Mary Azarian facts for kids

Mary Azarian (born in 1940) is an American artist who creates amazing pictures using a special technique called woodcut. She is also a famous illustrator for children's books. In 1999, she won a very important award called the Caldecott Medal for her illustrations in the book Snowflake Bentley. This book tells the story of Wilson Bentley, who loved snowflakes. Mary Azarian lives in Calais, Vermont, and has illustrated more than 50 books.

Mary Azarian's Early Life

Mary Azarian grew up on her grandfather's farm near Washington, DC. Her grandfather raised many chickens and geese. Her uncle grew lots of vegetables. Being surrounded by nature on the farm made her love for the outdoors grow. When she was young, she spent her time exploring the woods and fields with her pony, Pasty.

She started drawing and painting when she was very young. In fourth grade, she made her first relief print. This was a 3 in × 4 in (76 mm × 102 mm) lino block of an angel with the word NOEL at the bottom. She learned an important lesson from this project: words must be carved backward for them to print correctly! Her finished print read LEON instead of NOEL.

Her Education and Learning

Azarian continued to make lino cuts as she grew up. She later went to Smith College. There, she studied printmaking and painting. One of her teachers was Leonard Baskin, a very famous printmaker from the 20th century.

Mary Azarian's Career as an Artist

After graduating from Smith College, Mary Azarian moved to a farm in Vermont. She and her husband raised many animals, including horses, oxen, chickens, a milk cow, sheep, and a goat. Their three sons helped them on the farm.

Before becoming a full-time artist, Azarian taught in a one-room schoolhouse for three years. After teaching, she decided she wanted to make a living by selling her woodcut prints. At first, she made her prints by hand and only in black and white. Later, she started adding color to them by hand. Eventually, she found an old printing press called a Vandercook proof press. This machine helped her make her prints more easily.

In the 1970s, Mary Azarian began illustrating children's books. In 1999, she received the prestigious Caldecott Medal from the American Library Association. This award was for her beautiful illustrations in the children's book Snowflake Bentley.

Her Family

Mary Azarian has three sons with folk musician and artist Tom Azarian, also known as Tom Banjo. She also has four grandchildren.

Selected Books Illustrated by Mary Azarian

• Snowflake Bentley, written by Jacqueline Briggs Martin
• A Farmer's Alphabet
• Barn Cat
• The Four Seasons of Mary Azarian
• When the Moon is Full