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Grand illustrations

By Katie Mills Giorgio

If you were disciplined enough to read the Harry Potter books before seeing the movies, you have Mary GrandPré to thank for bringing the wizarding world of Hogwarts to life — visually, that is.

GrandPré is the creative talent behind the magically beautiful illustrations of the Harry Potter series and an exhibition of her work that opened this month at the Cedar Rapids Museum of Art (CRMA). “Mary GrandPré: Harry Potter and Beyond” features many preliminary sketches and illustrations from the highly celebrated American version of J.K. Rowling’s Harry Potter books.

Although she is best-known for these illustrations, as the exhibition’s title suggests GrandPré has done a wide variety of work as an illustrator. She has contributed to several other children’s books, including The House of Wisdom (1999), The Sea Chest (2002) and Sweep Dreams (2005). She has also provided illustrations for several books for adults as well as the covers to many magazines, including Business Week, Atlantic Monthly and Time.

The CRMA exhibition aims to be a true reflection of GrandPré’s career and includes many other pieces beyond her Harry Potter work. GrandPré thinks visitors will be surprised by what they see.

“I feel that even though there are common denominators in the body of work, there is also a lot of variety and maybe even a few surprises,” she says.

Of the works in the exhibition, GrandPré says she is particularly fond of and personally connected to the painting of her dog Chopper. “He was a love of my life, and will never be replaced,” she says. “I guess I've always put him on a pedestal, and this painting reminds me of the holy cards I use to look at in my early days in Catholic school. On this earth, Chopper was the closest thing to a saint.”

GrandPré also admits a connection to the characters she illustrates. Like many readers of the Harry Potter series, she developed a relationship with Harry, Ron, Hermione and others in the tales while illustrating their stories for so many years. “I feel like I know them all quite well,” she says. “And aging them each year, each book, made me feel a bit like their mom, especially with Harry.”

The process of illustrating is always guided by the story, GrandPré says. “I simply read what J.K. Rowling wrote. She is very descriptive, and there was a lot to work from. I made lots of notes as I read each story so that I could be accurate, then took creative license and added my own touch, trying to bring some magic to the pictures.”

Visitors to GrandPré’s exhibition at the CRMA are sure to see a little of that magic. “I've approached my work with an open mind for each project, not really knowing how it would turn out. I want the viewer to see that there is a story that goes with each project, and that each piece deserves to be shown in its best light, true to that story,” she says. “In the end, I hope they feel like they have walked through a big picture book and maybe in doing so, have connected a little more with that child inside of themselves.”

GrandPré has been illustrating children’s books for about 20 years and has been using pastels — an easy, immediate and physical medium, she says — since she was five years old. A native of Minnesota, GrandPré now lives in Florida.

“Mary GrandPré: Harry Potter and Beyond” will be on view at the CRMA through February 1. For more information and a listing of all related educational programs visit the Cedar Rapids Museum of Art web site.