Andrea Shine

My childhood was spent in Europe; my father was Latvian. We traveled often, across the
continent and overseas. I attended school in different countries and was fluent in three
languages.
I am a self-taught artist, and did not go to art school. As a child, my parents nurtured this talent
and kept me well-supplied with art materials. I was shy; reading and drawing were my favorite
pastimes. At school, I could often be found in the library.
My first illustration was published at age 15, in American Girl Magazine.
I have been a professional portrait painter since the early 70s. I began to exhibit in local
summer art fairs and then moved on to galleries, from East Hampton and Southampton to New
York City and out of state.
By then I was living on the South Fork, with young children of my own. A children’s book agent
had seen my work in a solo show and sent a manuscript. This would become my first children’s
book, Danger At The Breaker (Catherine Welch).
Book manuscripts continued to arrive. I worked on the dining room table late into the night
when my children were asleep. Eventually I worked on a small studio-shed in the peaceful
garden of Anne Porter the poet.
My children grew up and left home. I moved to the North Fork, where I have enjoyed
photographing and painting rural landscapes. Paintings of the North Fork are in the Blue Door
Gallery in Riverhead.
I continue to work on children’s books, and am presently at work on my 24th children’s book.
Career highlights and awards include the Christopher Award, Highlights For Children Best
Illustrator awards, CTE Sesame Street Children’s Magazine Reviewer’s Choice Award,
American Bookseller “Pick Of The List”, Barners & Noble Book Of The Month Award, Horn
Book Guide Recommended Title, Children’s Book Council Notable Book, among others.
My art is in several museum collections, including a ten-painting acquisition by the esteeemd
Eric Carle Museum of Picture Book Art in Amherst, Massachussetts.