Mary M. Preble, illustrator and author of five books, has been creating art since she was a very little girl. She taught art for twenty-eight years and learned about the Gelli plate as a new medium to teach her students. Creating fantastic papers to use in her illustrations and teaching the Gelli plate to many schools and individuals is her passion now.

Mary uses recycled items to create the rich textures in her illustrations. Think bubble wrap, a comb, the bottom of a shoe or water bottle, or even the core from a head of lettuce. Many say her work reminds them of Eric Carle. Mary says she’s “Eric Carle on a lot of caffeine!”