Illustrator Kate Erwin, who recently joined the group of more than 40 exhibiting artists at Gallery 302 in Bridgton, recently opened a small creative collaboration company called Big Bear Studios centered around the design and creation of children’s literature. Submitted photo

BRIDGTON — Primarily an illustrator, Kate Erwin is inspired by narratives. She loves nothing more than the combination of words and pictures and the stories they can tell together. Erwin, who recently joined the group of more than 40 exhibiting artists at Gallery 302, recently opened a small creative collaboration company called Big Bear Studios centered around the design and creation of children’s literature. The company plans to put out five new children’s books in the following year, many of them written and/or illustrated by Erwin.

When she is not telling stories, Erwin spends most of her time hiking, camping, swimming, kayaking and cycling all over Maine with her partner and her two pups. The inspiration she finds there makes its way back to her fine art, resulting in some of the few pieces she produces that stand alone and are not related to her stories.

She prefers ink painting and old-fashioned dip pen drawing above all else and feels happiest with a calligraphy pen in her hand and an inkwell within reach. Her fine artwork is primarily black and white, with carefully chosen pops of color added to accent the beauty of the ink. Her children’s work, however, can become quite colorful but still retains a sense of minimal simplicity.

To see Erwin’s stunning work, stop into Gallery 302 at 112 Main St. For more information, call 207-647-2787, see the gallery’s website at gallery302.com or visit the facebook page.