Award-winning printmaker, illustrator, and painter Kate Samworth (BFA '10) was influenced by the narratives of Balthus, Bosch, and Tooker.

“I am trained in the techniques (such as rendering form, perspective, and light) of the Old Masters and influenced by the darker aspects of Goya, Daumier, and Balthus,” says Samworth. “I studied traditional painting and drawing at an atelier in New Orleans and then came to PAFA to earn my bachelor’s degree. Access to the excellent printmaking and sculpture facilities gave me the chance to experiment in new media and expand my narrative paintings into books and dioramas. The art history and writing classes helped me to understand my place in the art-making continuum and to explain my work. I was fortunate to take a class from David Wiesner.”

Samworth's universally acclaimed illustrated book, Aviary Wonders Inc., won the 2014 Kirkus Prize for Young Readers' Literature. The judges praised the book for “confronting environmental issues in a clever and whimsical way.” It has earned universal critical praise, including the New York Times, Washington Post, Booklist, and Publisher's Weekly.