Mari Kanstad Johnsen lives and works as a visual artist, freelance illustrator and writer in Oslo. Since finishing her education in 2010, she has illustrated 11 picture books, mainly children's books, but also artist books produced during artist residencies in the Netherlands and Italy.
She made her children's book debut in 2011 with illustrations for the critically acclaimed picture books Barbie-Nils and the gun problem and Vivaldi . With the book Livredd i Syden , she made her debut as a writer.
Kanstad Johnsen (b. 1981, Bergen) is educated from The Art Academy in Oslo, and from Konstfack in Stockholm. She has had several exhibitions at home and abroad, and won a number of awards for her work. She has been purchased by The National Library.
