About Anne Gavitt

Anne is a lifelong lover and admirer of animals, and a full-time artist living in Evanston, Illinois, just north of Chicago. She grew up mostly in the Chicago area, part of a family that always included at least one cat. Her love of drawing showed up early, as an occupation that kept her quiet in church, and at last turned into a more serious interest at the end of high school, when she realized she really didn't want to do anything else.  Animals have always been a favorite subject of Anne's art. She brings to it her enjoyment of the animals themselves, the light on their fur and in their eyes, their personality and character, their energy.

Anne will work from your photographs, stories, and descriptions to represent in drawing, texture, and color what you know and love about your animal friend. She works in graphite pencil and color pencil. Anne studied for three years at the American Academy of Art (Chicago),majoring in Illustration, while also taking Watercolor Painting and Lettering and Design. She then worked for a number of years for Moody Bible Institute as an illustrator and production artist, back when cut and paste was done with a knife and rubber cement rather than a mouse click. During and after this time, she took on some freelance work and began to develop her skill with animal portraits. She has illustrated over a dozen children's books and stories, as well as numerous children's magazine stories. When she is not drawing, she may be found playing guitar, singing, experimenting with her own stories and poetry, jogging, or playing softball. She is a member of Reba Place Fellowship,a Christian intentional community in Evanston.