The Picture Book Buzz - Interview w/ Janice Hechter and Review of The Power of Her Paintbrush
- 2 days ago
- 9 min read
Janice Hechter is an author/illustrator with a deep passion for storytelling and visual arts. Her work delves into themes of empowerment, resilience, and the often-overlooked narratives of women in the arts and society.
After graduating from Carnegie Mellon University with a degree in illustration, she embarked on a career as a graphic designer and illustrator for various companies. It wasn't until the birth of her daughter that she reconnected with picture books. Like rediscovering a long-lost friend, memories of the books she cherished as a child came flooding back. Janice began reading these beloved stories to her daughter and discovered many new ones that captivated her. This rekindled her love for the marvelous blend of writing and art.
Janice’s the author-illustrator of Where Are the Women?: The Girl Scouts' Campaign for the First Statue of Women in Central Park (2025), Adventure Girl: Dabi Digs in Israel (2021) and the illustrator of 6 books, including The Little Esrog by Rochelle Kochin (2016), Great Elephant Escape by Una Belle Townsend (2012),
Her newest book, The Power of Her Paintbrush: The Story of Theresa Bernstein, releases March 3rd.
Welcome back Janice,
What is one of the most fun or unusual places where you’ve written a manuscript?
I once pulled out a notebook at the beach without a topic and plan in place. I just started writing. Of course it wound up being a story involving the sea, but with many twists and turns that surprised even me. Many times ideas hit me for either a story that I’m currently working on or a new book idea comes to mind when I’m out walking on a nearby trail or sometimes far away on a vacation. I pull out my phone and type pieces of the story in my Notes app. I probably use that app more than any other.
Nature is such a great place to recharge and let our minds wander. What was your inspiration or spark of interest for The Power of Her Paintbrush: The Story of Theresa Bernstein?
Visiting art museums has always been one of my favorite activities, but a number of years ago I began questioning why there were so few historic women artists shown in museums. At the same time, I thought about the lack of picture book biographies depicting female artists, although there were plenty of books featuring male artists. Did women pursue art careers in past centuries? Were they somehow judged not accomplished enough to receive recognition? I did a deep dive into women artists from history and that’s how I discovered artist Theresa Bernstein. I was captivated by the vitality of her paintings. I especially appreciated her paintings of suffragist parades and meetings, in which Theresa applied contrasting paints of light and dark, allowing the viewer to feel both the drama and importance of these events. Sometimes the people she painted had their eyes fixed directly at the viewer, making the people looking at her paintings feel a deep connection. And Theresa was a successful working artist. Compelled to learn more about Theresa and her art career, I started reading books about her and after getting to know her I wrote and illustrated my own book about Theresa – the first picture book ever published about this fascinating artist.
I am so glad you discovered and shared her story. What tends to come first (and/or easiest) for you – the story or the illustrations?
I always work on the text first and then comb through it to see where some of what I wrote might work better in the illustrations, rather than the text. I wind up eliminating a lot of the text and show it in the illustrations instead. A great benefit of being both author and illustrator is that I have the freedom to edit and cut text whenever necessary. This is something I cannot do when illustrating someone else’s story.
It is a blessing to be both the author and illustrator. What was the hardest or most challenging thing about writing and illustrating The Power of Her Paintbrush? And what was the most fun?
The most challenging part about writing this book was condensing everything I had learned about Theresa into the size constraints of a thirty-two-page picture book. I had an abundance of interesting information and had written descriptions of Theresa’s paintings that I wanted to include, but it would have been too overwhelming for young readers. It was hard to let go of some of my favorite lyrical writing.
The most arduous part of illustrating this book was maintaining accuracy in my depictions of late nineteenth and early twentieth century clothes, hairstyles, furnishings, cars, and décor. This required a lot of searching for photo references from those time periods.
The most fun was employing new literary devices, experimenting with new illustration techniques, and working with colors to depict emotion. I also enjoyed interviewing and getting to know Theresa’s friends and relatives.
Ooh, how exciting that you got to meet her relatives! How many revisions did the text and/or illustrations of The Power of Her Paintbrush take from first draft to publication? How did this compare to Where Are the Women?
I did thirty-two versions of the manuscript from first draft to publication and worked on the writing for ten months. For Where Are the Women? I did twenty-one versions of the manuscript and wrote the story for one and a half years.
For the illustrations in The Power of Her Paintbrush, I made numerous sketches and changes, while for Where Are the Women? I made barely any revisions.
Thank you for sharing these statistics. It is so interesting how different the path is for each book. Is there a spread that you were especially excited about or proud of? Or perhaps one which is your favorite spread?
Text & Image © Janice Hechter, 2026.
My favorite spread is the one where Theresa is sketching the suffragists at their parade.
The spread is so interesting with the contrast of Theresa in color and the suffragists in black and white, except for their flags, banners, and signs. Was there anything you discovered during your research that you wish you could have included in the main text or the back matter?
I discovered an episode in Theresa’s life that exemplified her tenacity when it came to capturing a moment via a quick sketch. Theresa was once a guest at a church service. As soon as she walked in, Theresa knew the scene would be the subject of her next painting. She took a seat in the back row and quickly sketched the congregants on the backs of letters she had handy. Theresa was determined to capture the people’s expressions and feelings on paper. She did all of her drawing underneath a prayer book, in order to hide what she was doing. But when a man in the row ahead heard the sounds of her scratchy sketching, he reached over and knocked the piece of paper out of her hands. It fluttered to the floor. Without saying a word, Theresa pulled out an envelope and jotted down notes of the scene instead. When the woman sitting in front of her noticed what she was doing, she grabbed the envelope and flung it to the floor. Soon the people next to her tugged at her sleeves to get her to stop. Luckily, the organist playing above noticed the uproar, flew down the steps, picked up the papers and envelope, and turned them over to Theresa. Theresa had managed to squeeze in just enough drawings and notes for a painting. When she returned to her studio Theresa thought to herself, nothing will keep me from painting this picture. And nothing did.
Interesting. Many illustrators leave treasures or weave special images (or elements) throughout the illustrations. Did you do this in The Power of Her Paintbrush? If so, could you share one or more with us?
Many of the background sketches appearing in Theresa’s studio depict actual paintings and themes that Theresa produced during particular time periods highlighted in the book. On one page, brush strokes and colors evoke Theresa’s style of painting and color palette, as an homage to the artist.
That's such a great tribute to her. What's something you want your readers to know about The Power of Her Paintbrush?
Although Theresa Bernstein faced her share of detractors, she never let them dissuade her from pursuing her dream of becoming a successful artist. Theresa was not only immensely talented, but most importantly she believed in her abilities. I hope that readers come away with a realization that talented women artists have not only existed, but have made remarkable contributions to art throughout the centuries. They have simply been erased from history. Within the past few years, museums and galleries have slowly started to reveal that hidden history and give these artists proper exposure and acknowledgement.
I am so glad you are helping to bring these stories back to our collective knowledge. Are there any new projects you are working on now that you can share a tidbit with us?
I recently wrote another picture book biography, this time about an inventor from history, which my agent will soon submit to publishers.
Congratulations and good luck with the manuscript. Last question, what animal or natural feature (place) do you want to learn more about? Why?
© M Marshall
I would love to visit Banff National Park in Alberta, Canada and hike along the picturesque Rocky Mountains and turquoise lakes.
Thank you, Janice, for sharing with us a bit about yourself and your new picture book.
To find out more about Janice Hechter, or to contact her:
Website: https://www.janicehechter.com/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/janice_hechter/
X (Twitter): https://x.com/JaniceHechter
Review of The Power of Her Paintbrush: The Story of Theresa Bernstein
The Power of Her Paintbrush: The Story of Theresa Bernstein
Author/Illustrator: Janice Hechter
Publisher: Kar-Ben Publishing (March 3, 20206)
Ages: 5 - 9
Nonfiction
Themes:
Painting, discrimination, determination, art, and biography.
Synopsis:
Theresa Bernstein discovered her love for art at age seven when she drew her first portrait. As a teenager, her photographic memory and sketching skills earned her recognition in art school. After moving to New York, Theresa faced sexism in the art world but persevered. Using the name "T. Bernstein" to hide her gender, she gained attention for her work. Challenging societal norms, she painted real-life women at a time when female artists were largely ignored. Despite discrimination due to her gender and Jewish faith, Theresa secured solo exhibitions and sold her works. She continued creating art into her 100s, leaving a lasting mark on the art world.
Opening Lines:
From the time she drew
her first portrait of her
friend Lorena at age seven,
Theresa never stopped making
art. She was constantly
sketching and painting.
What I LOVE about this book:
This opening is a fun way to show Theresa's artistic talent and love of drawing as a child. I was intrigued by the classroom scene with the kids, teacher, and desks depicted in faded pastels, while Theresa, the chalkboard, and guest are deeply colored and textured. This combination of faded individuals (in the next scene, school of design students, easels, and teacher) or items (pictures) set against the deep, prominent, boldly colored image of Theresa (and here her palette, chair, and the female model) make for some very interesting illustrations.
Text & Image © Janice Hechter, 2026.
When Theresa faced vandalism of a portrait she'd entered into a competition, her indignation and determination powered her through the night to repaint the painting. She won. Warnings by a female artist, just drove her to work harder. Her determination paid off as a shop owner, National Academy of Design, and English art collector fell in love with her art. But once again, she faced discrimination against women artists. So, she shortened her signature to "T. Bernstein," and suddenly "art critics and competition judges praised her paintings."
Text & Image © Janice Hechter, 2026.
Theresa's drive to paint realistic paintings and her determination not to be blocked by anyone - hotels that wouldn't serve Jews and men who continued to try to discredit a female artist - lead her to accomplish some amazing milestones and open doors for artists who followed. An author's note offers more insight into Theresa Berstein and photos of her and some of her art. This is a powerful tribute to a remarkable artist who broke restrictions and rules and painted the world on her terms, capturing what moved her.
Resources:
try some art projects using styles of famous artists.
have you ever been discouraged from doing something, either by others or yourself? Write a short story or draw a picture of how you overcame the discouragement?
pair this with Else B. in the Sea: The Woman Who Painted the Wonders of the Deep, by Jeanne Walker Harvey, illustrated by Melodie Stacey, No Horses in the House! The Audacious Life of Artist Rosa Bonheur, by Mireille Messier, illustrated by Anna Bron, Women in Art: 50 Fearless Creatives Who Inspired the World, by Rachel Ignotofsky.
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