Recognition
- Winner of the 2019 Book illustration Competition organised by House of Illustration and The Folio Society - Illustrations and book binding for ‘Howl’s Moving Castle’ by Diana Wynne Jones
- Finalist of the 2023 British Book Design and Production Award, Highly Commended for The Neverending Story, Literature category
- Finalist of the 2022 British Book Design and Production Award, Highly Commended for Hortari, self-published category
- Finalist of the 2021 British Book Design and Production Award for Omoiyari and Bird People, self-published category
- Spectrum: The Best in Contemporary Fantastic Art, volumes 24, 26, 27
About
Marie-Alice Harel is an award-winning French author and illustrator based in Edinburgh, Scotland.
She designs and illustrates books for readers of all ages. Her work, mostly traditional (watercolor, pencils and ink) is regularly exhibited in galleries in the UK, the USA and France. She teaches Book Illustration at Schoolism.
Marie-Alice also makes artist books, another playful way to combine images and stories, as well as ceramics and textile pieces when time allows. Her self-published work is signed MÄ Harel. She was a Geosciences PhD and researcher before becoming a full time illustrator in 2016.
Clients : The Folio Society, Bloomsbury, The Royal Mint, Penguin Random House, Aardman Animations, Rocket Bird Books, 3dtotal Publishing, Chicken House Books, Gautier Languereau, Hachette, Cipango Editions, Tétras Lire, Graphite Magazine
Contact:
hello@maharel.com
For professional enquiries, please contact my agent caroline@arenaillustration.com
BOOKS
--> Author & Illustrator :
Bird People - A curious artbook (self-published) - Hardback, Kickstarter fully funded campaign, 2020
Hortari - Tales of forgotten seekers and explorers (self-published) - 1st edition 2017, 2nd edition 2018 and 3rd edition 2022 in quater bound hardback
Omoiyari - Where stories come from (self-published) - 1st edition limited to 60 hardback copies 2016, 2nd edition in japanese binding 2020
Hortari and Omoiyari are translated and published in France by Cipango, under the same names (2019)
--> Illustrator :
Pandora and the Story Forge, Picture book, by Gaynor Andrews - Rocket Bird Books (to be published, 2024)
Tales from Watership Down, by Richard Adams - A Puffin Book modern classics (to be published, 2024)
A ship in the dark, by Yarrow Townsend – Chicken House (To be published, 2024)
What You Need to Be Warm, by Neil Gaiman, with 12 other illustrators - Bloomsbury, 2023
The Map of Leaves, by Yarrow Townsend – Chicken House, 2022
The Neverending Story, by Michael Ende - The Folio Society, 2022
House of Many Ways, by Diana Wynne Jones - The Folio Society, 2021
Castle in the Air, by Diana Wynne Jones - The Folio Society, 2021
The Book of Hopes, edited by Katherine Rundell - contributed a poem + illustration - Bloomsbury, 2020
Rooftoppers, The Good Thieves, The Wolf Wilder, Skysteppers by Katherine Rundell - Bloomsbury, 2020
Howl’s Moving Castle, by Diana Wynne Jones - The Folio Society, 2019
L'odyssée de Kumiko - Picture book, Japanese folktale (French, Gautier-Languereau Editor) - 2018
La Princesse Grenouille - Picture book, Russian folktale (French, Gautier Languereau) - 2017
exhibitionS
P.S. 8 Postcard Show - Nucleus Portland, U.S., Nov 2023 - Group Show
Microvisions 4 - Wow x Wow Gallery, May 2021 - Group Show
MerMay - Gallery Nucleus, U.S., 16 May - 31 May 2020 - Group Show
Playbills : A Broadway Poster Show - Gallery Nucleus, U.S., 29 Feb - 15 March 2020 - Group Show
Power in Numbers 5 - Gallery Nucleus Portland, U.S., 15 Feb - 4 Mar 2020 - Group show
Marvellous and Mischievous: Literatures young rebels - The British Library, London, 8 Nov 2019 - 1 Mar 2020 - Feature the original illustration ‘Running on the wind’ from the Folio Society’s edition of ‘Howl’s Moving Castle’.
Near and Far - Art and stories - Institut Français d’Ecosse, Edinburgh, 6-28 Nov 2019. SOLO SHOW
Roulez jeunesse - Puy-de-Dôme, France, 29 Oct - 7 Dec 2019 - Group Show
Lightbox Expo - Pasadena, USA, 6-8 Sept 2019 - Inaugural Convention
Hortari - Scottish Storytelling Centre, Edinburgh, Scotland, 7 Nov - 9 Dec 2018 - SOLO SHOW
Frankenstein - Liverpool Book Art, Kirkby Gallery, UK, 17th Sept 2018 - 26 Jan 2019 - Group show
Parallel - Light Grey Art Lab Gallery, Minneapolis, U.S., 22 Sept - 20 Oct 2017 - Group show
Midnight - Light Grey Art Lab Gallery, Minneapolis, U.S., 28 Oct - 23 Nov 2016 - Group show
Tiny Homes - Light Grey Art Lab Gallery, Minneapolis, U.S., 15 Sept - 22 Oct 2016 - Group Show
Omoiyari - Scottish Storytelling Centre, Edinburgh, Scotland - 6-27 July 2016 - SOLO SHOW
Artist Books - Presented at the Fruitmarket Gallery, Edinburgh, at the Artist's Bookmarket every year since 2017. A selection of artist books are permanently displayed at the Edinburgh Printmakers shop.
EDITORIAL
Kaguya Hime - Illustrations for a Japanese folktale published in Tétras Lire (April issue) - 2020
La fée aux Nèfles - Cover + 9 illustrations for issue n°39 of Tétras Lire (French, Alba Verba editions) - 2019
Voyage sur la queue du vent - Illustrations for a Japanese folktale published in the January issue of Tétras Lire (French, Alba Veba editions) - 2019
Domoy - Tutorial and illustration for the October 2018 issue of Graphite Magazine (issue 9), 3dtotal - 2018
Les Patins d'Argent - Cover + 10 illustrations for the December issue of Tétras Lire (French, Alba Verba editions) - 2017
Amrita, Cover for the Autumn/Winter 2017 edition of the Yoga Magazine Amrita (UK) - 2017
Rois et Reines - Cover + 10 illustrations for the April issue of Tétras Lire (French, Alba Verba editons). Tales "Riquet à la Houppe" and "Peau d'Ane" by Charles Perrault - 2017
L'Or de Cuzco - Illustrations for a Peruvian folktale published in the January issue of Tétras Lire (French, Alba Verba editions) - 2017