Who We Are: Hannah deBree

illustration by Agnes Lee

Name:
Hannah deBree

Location:
Oakland, California

Profession:
Mom of Stella and Djuna, and Director of Marketing + Social Media for ILLUSTORIA

Favorite artist/illustrator:
I love the installations and artist books of Christian Boltanski, Sophie Calle, and Ann Hamilton. I'm also a big fan of Kambui Olujimi's work; he's a friend and an amazing and prolific artist. One of my favorite illustrators is Adrian Tomine.

Best book you've read in the past year:
Another hard question… I can never pick just one. A few favorites from the past year were My Struggle by Karl Ove Knausgaard, The Argonauts by Maggie Nelson, and A Manual for Cleaning Women, stories by Lucia Berlin.

Kids book you could read every night:
Zachariah OHora’s No Fits, Nilson! It’s a quick and fun read. OHora is another favorite illustrator.

Best memory of being a kid:
Some of my favorite memories are from a trip my family took to Europe when I was eight: swimming in the Aegean and lounging on the black sand beaches of Santorini, eating endless gelato in Florence, riding the tube in London. I loved it all.

Favorite weekend activity:
Going to the farmer’s market with my husband and kids. We see friends and family. We buy fresh produce. We listen to music. It’s great.

Song currently on repeat:
It’s not new, but I keep going back to this live version of Julian Casablancas singing “I’ll Try Anything Once.”

Favorite meal:
Sushi. Ramen. Tacos. Pizza from Boot and Shoe Service. The pork chop from Wood Tavern. Any of the salad options at Penrose. Steak. I have so many favorites.

Silly monster by Stella

Last time you made something with your hands:
I drew silly monsters with my daughter yesterday, and made vegetable soup last night for dinner.

Silly monster by Hannah

Fun fact about you:
I started playing the cello at age 4 1/2.

Hannah playing the cello, age 5

A Good Children's Story

We at ILLUSTORIA couldn't agree more with the message of this quote. Our aim is to share stories, art, comics, interviews, book reviews, music playlists, and activities that can be equally enjoyed by kids and the young at heart. 

This lovely illustration is by the talented Elizabeth Haidle, our extraordinary creative director. Visit her at ehaidle.com.