My name is Caroline Trippe, and I am a self-taught draftsman and painter.

Since 2007 I have been writing and illustrating my own versions of the myths and fairy tales that enchanted me as a child.  These story-and-picture books have become my preferred means of artistic expression, and I have worked on them exclusively for the last several years.

Over time, the power of the old stories has deepened for me––it is their human content that  anchors them  in my heart and mind. I enjoy re-telling the tales in my own idiom. I have discovered that I also  like working in a series, where a narrative suggests the imagery.  Each book,  including the writing, takes between one and two years to complete.

I choose stories that suit my particular sensibilities and abilities, and although I love such well-known tales as “Snow White” and “Sleeping Beauty,” I prefer, for the most part,  to take on lesser known stories for my own variants, hoping to avoid too much conscious or unconscious influence. The re-tooled stories in The Rapunzel Room and  Apple Mother are the most experimental, and do include riffs on some of the best known fairy tales of the Brothers Grimm.

Illustration has presented me with new  challenges. I often borrow everyday objects and elements of local landscapes to fabricate imaginary worlds and characters.

My books are meant meant to appeal as much to adults of any age who love the genre as they are to children.  They are now my preferred way of sharing my artwork with others.