Ilze Neilande

Is a graduate of J. Rozentāls Riga Secondary School of Art, the Painting Department of the Latvian Academy of Art, I. Zariņš” master class in monumental painting and the master class of Prof. Boriss Bērziņš. She has obtained a Master’s Degree in Art (1993). A painter and graphic artist, she has participated in exhibitions since 1982. Since 1995 she has taught painting at several art schools and academies. Since 2000 she heads the preparatory painting course of the Latvian Academy of Art.

She has created illustrations for the Latvian Encyclopaedia (Latvijas enciklopēdija, five volumes. SIA Valerija Belakoņa izdevniecība, R.: 2002–2009). She has also created series of Latvian postage stamps and a large number of greetings cards. In collaboration with the publishing house Avots she has created several children’s books with Latvian folk-song and folk-tale texts. She won the 2002 Indriķis Zeberiņš Prize with her books “Sing, Sing, Blizzard!” (Dziedi, dziedi, putenīti! R.: Avots, 1999) and “To the Wolf’s Surprise, the Fox Has a Silken Coat: Latvian Folk-Songs and Tales about Animals” (Vilkam liels brīnumiņš, lapsai zīžu kažociņš: latviešu tautas dziesmas un pasakas par dzīvniekiem. R.: Avots, 2000).

A children’s book is like meeting once again that little person who believed fervently that the third son would defeat the dragon, that the poor girl would marry the prince, that the lad Sprīdītis would find the land of happiness, that the Wonderbird would spread its wings somewhere just nearby, and that every story would have the happiest ending. (Ilze Neilande)