Although he may not be a familiar name among the roster of Pop Surrealist and Low Brow artists that are typically identified with Baby Tattooville, James Gurney is a highly accomplished artist and author known for his illustrated book series Dinotopia, as well as his plen-air landscape paintings. He has been an illustrator for National Geographic Magazine, has illustrated over seventy science fiction magazine and book covers, and was a scenic background painter (he produced over 500 paintings) for the animated film “Fire and Ice,” produced by Ralph Bakshi and Frank Frazetta. He lives in New York just one street light away from fellow Baby Tattooville ’09 artist extraordinaire Travis Louie.
More after the jump…
Mr. and Mrs. James Gurney in front of his painting at the Riverside Art Museum
For Baby Tattooville ’09, it is fittingly appropriate that Gurney had a degree in archeology. In the past, exploration of the unique, historical, and architecturally significant Mission Inn hotel was encouraged, but this year, it was mandatory (more on that in another article). As his contribution to the gift bag, James Gurney treated each attendee with original drawings that featured adventures that his creatures were having throughout the hotel. He referred to these drawings as his Explorer’s Journal. Dragons could be seen hanging out on a tower, an antlered fandango could be seen chilling out on the taft chair, while a Shakespearean-looking cat has fallen asleep writing on a desk. The Baby Tattooville Secret Society was treated to a true master illustrator at work, as Gurney could be seen throughout the weekend creating these drawings.
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- Mr. and Mrs. James Gurney in front of his painting at the Riverside Art Museum
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