{"Id":7389,"Name":"James Gurney","Biography":"\u003Cstrong\u003EContact Information:\u003C/strong\u003E\u003Cbr /\u003E\nJames Gurney\u003Cbr /\u003E\nPO Box 693\u003Cbr /\u003E\nRhinebeck, NY 12572\u003Cbr /\u003E\u003Cbr /\u003E\n\u003Cstrong\u003EWebsites:\u003C/strong\u003E\u003Ca href=\u0022http://www.jamesgurney.com\u0022 target=\u0022_blank\u0022\u003Ejamesgurney.com\u003C/a\u003E \u003Ca href=\u0022http://www.dinotopia.com\u0022 target=\u0022_blank\u0022\u003Edinotopia.com\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cbr /\u003E\u003Cbr /\u003E\u003Cbr /\u003E\n\u003Cstrong\u003EBlogs:\u003C/strong\u003E \u003Ca href=\u0022http://gurneyjourney.blogspot.com\u0022 target=\u0022_blank\u0022\u003Egurneyjourney.blogspot.com\u003C/a\u003E \u003Ca href=\u0022http://jamesgurneyoriginalart.blogspot.com/\u0022 target=\u0022_blank\u0022\u003Ejamesgurneyoriginalart\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cbr /\u003E\u003Cbr /\u003E\nJames Gurney is best known for his illustrated book series \u003Ci\u003EDinotopia\u003C/i\u003E. He specializes in painting realistic images of scenes that can\u0027t be photographed, from dinosaurs to ancient civilizations. He is also a dedicated plein air painter and sketcher.\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cbr /\u003E\nBorn in California in 1958, he taught himself to paint by reading books about the Golden Age American illustrators and French academic painters. He studied archaeology at the University of California at Berkeley, receiving a degree in anthropology with Phi Beta Kappa honors. Prompted by a cross-country adventure on freight trains, he coauthored \u003Ci\u003EThe Artist\u0027s Guide to Sketching\u003C/i\u003E in 1982. During the same period, he worked as a background painter for the animated film \u003Ci\u003EFire and Ice\u003C/i\u003E, co-produced by Ralph Bakshi and Frank Frazetta. \u003Cp\u003E\u003Cbr /\u003E\nHis freelance illustration career began with paperback book covers, where he developed his characteristic realistic renderings of fantastic scenes, using charcoal studies of posed models for reference. His has worked on more than a dozen assignments for \u003Ci\u003ENational Geographic\u003C/i\u003E magazine, painting reconstructions of Moche, Kushite, and Etruscan civilizations. The inspiration that came from researching these scenes of ancient life led to a series of lost world paintings, including \u0022Dinosaur Parade\u0022 and \u0022Waterfall City.\u0022 With the encouragement of retired publishers Ian and Betty Ballantine, he committed two years\u0027 time to writing and illustrating \u003Ci\u003EDinotopia: A Land Apart from Time\u003C/i\u003E, which was published in 1992. Dinotopia sold over two million copies in 18 languages.\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cbr /\u003E\nSolo exhibitions of his artwork have been presented at The Smithsonian Institution, The Norman Rockwell Museum, The Norton Museum of Art, The Delaware Art Museum, and over 20 other venues. He is a popular lecturer at art schools, movie studios and game companies, and he teaches occasional workshops. His most recent book, \u003Ci\u003EColor and Light: A Guide for the Realist Painter\u003C/i\u003E \u0026#40;2010\u0026#41; was Amazon\u0027s #1 bestselling book on painting for over 52 weeks and is based on his daily blog \u003Ca href=\u0022http://gurneyjourney.blogspot.com\u0022 target=\u0022_blank\u0022\u003Egurneyjourney.blogspot.com\u003C/a\u003E.\u003Cbr /\u003E\u003Cbr /\u003E\n\u003Ci\u003EPlease note: All images copyright James Gurney. Dinotopia is a registered trademark of James Gurney. For use of images in traditional print media or for any commercial licensing rights, please email the artist for permissions.\u003Cbr /\u003E\u003Cbr /\u003E\nPermission is automatically granted to show Gurney\u0027s images on your non-commercial blog, website, or Facebook page as long as you give a credit and link back to \u003Ca href=\u0022http://www.jamesgurney.com\u0022 target=\u0022_blank\u0022\u003Ejamesgurney.com\u003C/a\u003E or \u003Ca href=\u0022http://www.dinotopia.com\u0022 target=\u0022_blank\u0022\u003Edinotopia.com\u003C/a\u003E. Students and teachers can also quote images for their non-commercial school activity.\u003C/i\u003E\u003Cbr /\u003E\u003Cbr /\u003E\u003Cfont size=\u00223\u0022 color=\u0022cb0223\u0022\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EBooks Available On this Artist (signed by the artist with original hand sketch)\u003C/strong\u003E\u003C/font\u003E\u003Cbr\u003E\u003Ca href=\u0022http://store.arc-store.com/disi20anedwi.html\u0022 target=\u0022_blank\u0022\u003EDinotopia: 20th Anniversary Edition\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cbr\u003E\u003Ca href=\u0022http://store.arc-store.com/jotoch.html\u0022 target=\u0022_blank\u0022\u003EJourney to Chandara\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cbr\u003E\u003Ca href=\u0022http://store.arc-store.com/imre.html\u0022 target=\u0022_blank\u0022\u003EImaginative Realism\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cbr\u003E\u003Ca href=\u0022http://store.arc-store.com/colorandlight.html\u0022 target=\u0022blank\u0022\u003EColor and Light\u003C/a\u003E","Awards":null,"HasAlbums":false,"HasPortraits":false,"HasRelationships":false,"HasArticles":false,"HasDepictedPlaces":false,"HasLetters":false,"HasLibraryItems":false,"HasProducts":true,"HasSignatures":false,"HasVideos":false,"HasMapLocations":false,"TotalArtworks":26}