Marita Maizīte

Is a graduate of Riga Applied Art School and the Graphic Art Department of the Latvian Academy of Art. She is art editor and illustrator for the magazine Spicīte. Since 1991 she has taken part in more than fifty art activities and group exhibitions of graphic artists in Latvia, Finland, Russia, Japan, Slovakia, Lithuania, Estonia and Australia. She has held five solo exhibitions. Maizīte has taken part in major exhibitions of book art in Latvia, the 1st Tallinn Illustration Triennial in 2003, the Biennial of Illustrations Bratislava in 1997, the 2005 Biennial of European Illustration in Japan, “The Golden Pen” in Belgrade in 1999 and the 6th International Artist’s Book Triennial in Vilnius in 1997.

Maizīte has illustrated more than 25 books, a large proportion of which are collections of Latvian folk-tales and sets of textbooks, created in collaboration with the publishers RaKa and Lielvārds. She has illustrated the books “Monica and the Forest” and “Monica and the Forefather of Diamonds” by Signe Kvaskova (Monika un mežs. R.: Preses Nams, 2002; Monika un dimantu ciltstēvs. R.: Jumava, 2006). She was nominated for the 2002 Annual Prize for Book Publishing for her illustrations to the book “The Seven Festivals of the Colour Grey” by V. Ļūdēns (Pelēkās krāsas septiņi svētki; R: Preses Nams, 2002). Her most recent works are illustrations for “Hullabaloo in Dundurciems”, a collection of tales by R. Ļovina from the town of Limbaži (Dundurciema Jampadracis. R.: Jumava, 2009), “101 Dalmatians” by D. Smith (101 dalmācietis. R.: Jumava, 2010) and the novel “Cat Girl” by the young writer Ilze Liliāna Muižzemniece (1995) about the fearless orphan Aurēlija (Kaķu meitene. R.: Jumava, 2010).

A children’s book and its illustrations guide you to fantasy worlds, leading you through the different kingdoms. (Marita Maizīte)