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Bolormaa Baasansuren illustrated her first story, told to her by her grandmother, when she was four years old. Her first picture book, Tales on Horseback written by Dashdondog Jamba, was published when she was in 10th grade at secondary school and was a "Distinguished Best Book of Mongolia" in 1999. She went on to graduate in painting from the Institute of Fine Arts in Mongolia and has also studied picture book illustration in Moscow, Russia.

Bolormaa has won many awards, both in her native Mongolia and abroad, including twice being placed in the International Competition of Illustration (Teatrio/UNICEF). In 2004 she won the Grand Prize in the 14th Noma Councours with her illustrations for My Little Round House, which has since been published in Mongolia, Japan and Canada. My Little Round House was selected for inclusion in the 2010 Spirit of PaperTigers Book Set and illustrations from the book feature in a PaperTigers Gallery.

In 2008, Bolormaa moved from Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia, with her husband, artist Ganbaatar Ichinnorov, to Japan, where she is currently a research student at the University of Bunkyo. The illustrations featured here are from books published in Japanese and sadly not available in English.

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Q & A

How are you enjoying your studies in Japan and what have you been working on?

It's very interesting and I have really enjoyed meeting many illustrators and editors. The Japanese people are very kind and friendly. I always feel they are very hard-working. Also, I'm studying many things about picture books in Japan.

Do you find you work differently in Japan compared with when you are back home in Mongolia?

I have found some difference in my recent works. My colours have become became brighter than before.I think maybe the different colors from nature here in Japan have influenced me: for example, ther are so manybeautiful brightly colored flowers, and the trees and mountains...

What are you working on at the moment?

Recently I finished illustrating a 32-page picture book magazine called Senji's New House written by my husband Ganbaatar. It's due to be published in November by Fukuinkan Shoten Publishers in Japan.

What are your plans for the future?

I would like to continue creating many interesting picture books for children.

Posted May 2011

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