CHERYL ALLISON is a regional Emmy nominated and three time Telly Award winning filmmaker based in Dallas, Texas. Through her films she strives to tell stories that raise awareness and bring to light issues that would otherwise go unseen. Her films have screened in festivals all over the world and received distribution through Amazon Prime. As an animal lover, Cheryl knew the story of Honk would not only resonate with children but also educate them on the adversity that dumped domestic ducks and geese face. Cheryl began posting videos of her unusual friendship with Honk and soon his story went viral and he became the beloved ambassador for discarded ducks and geese everywhere. His story has touched people worldwide resulting in 80K followers on Instagram. Honk and Cheryl are frequent "virtual" speakers at schools, scout troops, and various children's organizations. Look for the "Honk!" documentary coming soon. To find out more visit www.cherylallison.net and follow Honk on Instagram: @honk_thegoose.
MARTY VAN KLEECK (Co-Author) has long been an advocate of providing arts experiences for children as part of her arts administration career at both the Granbury Opera House and the Bath House Cultural Center. She created the first children’s acting school at the Granbury Opera House and scheduled one musical each summer in which young aspiring actors could participate in a professional production. Each year she produced and performed in the annual children’s holiday show. At the Cultural Center she started an after-school arts program, a summer camp, and a photography spring break camp as well as four weeks of arts workshops to celebrate Arts Month each April. Marty also sponsored the Petite Palace Circus on the grounds of the Cultural Center along with the International Children’s Festival.
AILI E. BUCHANAN (Illustrations) was born in Randolph, Vermont, Aili (pronounced “EYE-Lee”) has always been at home with a pencil or paintbrush in her hand. Having artistic relatives as far back as the early 1900’s in her Finnish lineage, she continued the family tradition in her youth by first drawing, then progressing to painting with acrylics and oils. After receiving her degree in Fine Arts at Stephen F. Austin, she began her career in commercial art, then later continued her studies in drawing, sculpture, and painting at the Lacoste School of the Arts in Provence. Immersed in the culture and beautiful setting of southern France, Aili defined her skills as an artist.
In the 1980’s, Aili co-founded a company that created
individual works of art on canvas, painted and embellished furniture, created glass and tile mosaics, and hand-painted large murals for professional pediatric clinics and upscale homes.
Today, influenced by the beauty all over the state of Texas, Aili continues to paint in acrylics, oils, and watercolors, both outdoors and in her studio in Fort Worth. She has a beautiful, yet simple style of painting that includes landscapes, animals, and still life.