Marlis Cornett, Illustrator

Marlis Cornett was born in Atlanta, Georgia, the eldest of five children. She always knew she was an artist, even at the young age of five when she painted her father's car with exterior house paint.  It was then she experienced her first art critic.  As she grew older, she realized there were many ways to create art rather than being limited to just painting or drawing. The illustrations in Uncle Alfred and the Watermelon Tree were designed with pieces of recycled materials. Marlis also creates some of her work from old piano keys and hammers.  One of these pieces is displayed at the Royal Academy of Music in London, England.  This is the first time she has illustrated a book, and she says she loved every minute of it!