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Since graduating from the Maryland Institute, College of Art in Baltimore, Wade has been a full-time, professional
artist. He got his start doing corporate commissions; his captivating pastel paintings, sometimes as large as
3 1/2 by 6 feet, have been commissioned by Boston Duck Tours, Bank of America, McDonald’s, HBO, Cinemax,
and Family Circleand Sesame Streetmagazines. His work is also in the permanent collection of the DeCordova
Museum in Lincoln, Massachusetts.
But it’s children’s books that really nudge Wade out of his artistic comfort
zone. Before Wade did books, he preferred drawing landscapes, cityscapes,
and buildings. His first book, Window Music, pushed him to paint people and
animals. Critics liked the result. Both TimeMagazine andThe New York Times
cited Window Musicas among the best picture books of 1998. Since then,
Wade has illustrated five additional picture books, each of which challenged
him in different ways. He enjoys sharing his creative process, challenges and
all, when he speaks and conducts workshops at galleries and schools.
Wade works exclusively in pastel; he is drawn to the intimacy of the chalk and the ease with which he can blend
colors. The magic happens in his studio, a converted shed just off his main house. The studio, equipped with
15-foot ceilings and a house gutter to catch all the pastel dust, is set on 5 1/2 acres of farmland in Lyman, Maine,
just a few miles from the Kennebunk farm on which he grew up. When Wade needs a break, he goes for a drive
to soak up the New England landscape—his biggest inspiration—or tends to his flowers, gardens, and fruit trees.
Then he returns to his studio, refreshed and ready to make more magic.
Strong lines. Bold colors. Dazzling perspectives. All three distinguish Wade
Zahares’ larger-than-life pastel paintings. Wade’s magical scenes pull readers
in with their sweeping curves and unexpected angles, like an insect’s view of
a garden or a bird’s-eye view of the Statue of Liberty. “I love creating a whole
little world that doesn’t exist in everyday life,” he says.
Both a fine artist and a children’s book illustrator, Wade has always loved to
draw. But it wasn’t something that came easily. “In high school, I spent a lot
of time in the art room,” he says. “Other students would just sit down and draw
people or horses really beautifully. I would struggle to draw.” But Wade had
passion, and the persistence to back it up. Recognizing this, his high school art
teacher suggested he make a career of his art. The idea quickly took hold, and
before Wade knew it, he was applying to art schools.

Since graduating from the Maryland Institute, College of Art in Baltimore, Wade has been a full-time, professional artist. He got his start doing corporate commissions; his captivating pastel paintings, sometimes as large as 3 1/2 by 6 feet, have been commissioned by Boston Duck Tours, Bank of America, McDonald’s, HBO, Cinemax, and Family Circleand Sesame Streetmagazines. His work is also in... More