James Gurney

Template:Short description Template:Use mdy dates Template:Use American English Template:Infobox artist James Gurney (born June 14, 1958) is an American artist and author known for his illustrated book series Dinotopia, which is presented in the form of a 19th-century explorer's journal from an island utopia cohabited by humans and dinosaurs.

Gurney is also a paleoartist who depicts and restores in his paintings extinct fauna such as both avian and non-avian dinosaurs.

Life and education

James Gurney was born on June 14, 1958, in Glendale, California.<ref name=fosters>Template:Cite news</ref> He grew up in Palo Alto, California, the youngest of five children of Joanna and Robert Gurney, a mechanical engineer.<ref>Jackson, Donald Dale (September 1995). "Daring Deeds, Bold Dreams, in a Land Removed from Time". p. 73. Smithsonian.</ref>

Growing up, he showed great interest in dinosaurs but found few books on the subject in his local library or school. The first dinosaur fossil he saw was that of an Allosaurus at a museum. His fascination with dinosaurs led to an interest in archaeology. As a youth, he dug up his home's back yard looking for arrowheads or lost temples.<ref name=fosters />

He studied anthropology at the University of California, Berkeley, receiving a bachelor of arts degree with Phi Beta Kappa honors in 1979.<ref name=fosters /> He then studied illustration at the Art Center College of Design in Pasadena, California, for a couple of semesters.<ref name=fosters />

Gurney met his wife, fellow artist Jeanette, as a sketching partner<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> in Art Center College of Design, Pasadena, California.<ref name=":0" /> Together they moved to the Hudson Valley of New York, where they raised their two sons.<ref name=":0">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> Gurney welcomed his family around when painting, setting up a play space in the studio near his painting table.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> The couple are still avid outdoor painters,<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> living in a small town in the Hudson Valley.<ref name=":0" /><ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

Career

Prompted by a cross-country adventure on freight trains, he and Thomas Kinkade coauthored The Artist's Guide to Sketching in 1982.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

Gurney and Kinkade also worked as painters of background scenes<ref>Bensimhon, M. (October 1992). "Living with Dinosaurs: Inside the Mind of a Man Who Makes Fantasy Seem Real". p. 54. Life. . </ref> for the animated film Fire and Ice (1983), co-produced by Ralph Bakshi and Frank Frazetta.<ref>Template:Cite journal</ref>

Gurney's freelance illustration career began in the 1980s, during which time he developed his characteristic realistic renderings of fantastic scenes, painted in oil using methods similar to the academic realists and Golden Age illustrators. He painted more than 70 covers for science fiction and fantasy paperback novels.Template:Cn He created several stamp designs for the U.S. Postal Service, most notably The World of Dinosaurs in 1996.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

Starting in 1983, he began work on over a dozen assignments for National Geographic magazine, including reconstructions of the ancient Moche, Kushite, and Etruscan civilizations, and the Jason and Ulysses voyages for Tim Severin.

The inspiration that came from researching these archaeological reconstructions led to a series of lost-world panoramas, including Waterfall City (1988) and Dinosaur Parade (1989).

With the encouragement of retired publishers Ian and Betty Ballantine, he discontinued his freelance work and committed two years' time to writing and illustrating Dinotopia: A Land Apart from Time, published in 1992. The book made The New York Times Bestseller List, and won Hugo, World Fantasy, Chesley, Spectrum, and Colorado Children's Book awards. It sold over a million copies and was translated into 18 languages.<ref>Parks, John (November 2006). "Fact & Fantasy: The Paintings of James Gurney". p. 43. American Artist.</ref>

Sequels of Dinotopia that are both written and illustrated by Gurney include Dinotopia: The World Beneath (1995), Dinotopia: First Flight (1999), and Dinotopia: Journey to Chandara (2007).

Original artwork by Gurney from the Dinotopia books has been exhibited at the National Museum of Natural History of the Smithsonian Institution, the Norman Rockwell Museum, the Royal Tyrrell Museum and is currentlyTemplate:When on tour to museums throughout the United States and Europe.

Most recently, he has written two art-instruction books: Imaginative Realism: How to Paint What Doesn't Exist (2009), a book about drawing and painting things that do not exist;<ref>Template:Cite book</ref> and Color and Light: A Guide for the Realist Painter (2010).<ref>Template:Cite book</ref> These books are based upon Gurney's blog posts, in which he gives practical advice to realist and fantasy artists.

On February 21, 2012, Gurney was inducted as a Living Master by the Art Renewal Center.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref><ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

The dinosaur Torvosaurus gurneyi was named in honor of Gurney in 2014.<ref>Template:Cite journal</ref>

Further reading

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External links

• {{#invoke:URL|url}}{{#invoke:Check for unknown parameters|check|unknown=Template:Main other|preview=Page using Template:URL with unknown parameter "_VALUE_"|ignoreblank=y | 1 | 2 }}, Gurney's official website