June 2012 Artist of the Month

Gary Lippincott

Having always been fascinated with the magical worlds of fantasy and imagination, Gary can’t remember a time when he wasn’t attempting to bring some of his dreams back to so-called reality. At a young age, he started ‘conjuring up’ images of fairies, gnomes, wizards, dragons, giants monsters and all the wonderful places they inhabit. Through his creative talents, Gary has attempted to capture the viewer of his art with the notion that the worlds of imagination and reality are not that far apart. Very recognizable landscapes become populated with wee folk . . . and ‘real’ stone castle houses, dragons, and sorcerers . . . and beneath the leaves and vines of the underbrush live creatures that are rarely encountered.

Shortly after receiving his BFA degree from the Maryland Institute College of Art, Gary began a career as a freelance illustrator. Although he had painted primarily in oils during his years in art school, Gary began teaching himself how to control the more difficult medium of watercolors. He wanted to stay away from the more ‘slick’ techniques being used so much in science-fiction and fantasy art to date. Gary developed a feel of  ‘old-world craftsmanship’ in his art that separates it from most of the rest. He hopes to evoke a feeling in his art that lends itself to the whimsical fairy-tale-like themes he loves to paint.

Although he specializes in fantasy art, Gary has done a lot of illustration along other themes. His artwork appears in children’s books, text books, book jackets, and even jigsaw puzzles. He has received numerous awards for his artwork at science-fiction and fantasy conventions. His work is now being bought by collectors worldwide.

A member of the Western Massachusetts Illustrators Guild, Gary has taught Fantasy Art and Imaginative Drawing at the Worcester Art Museum. He has exhibited at Arts Worcester, University of Massachusetts Medical, Bush Galleries, Cambridge Gallery, Southbridge Center for the Arts, Spencer Arts Center, Northampton Center for the Arts, and the Words and Pictures Museum. Books he has illustrated include The Bookstore Mouse, Jennifer Murdley’s Toad, With Love at Christmas, On the Frontier with Mr. Audubon, Ancient Egypt, The Skull of Truth, The Vampire’s Beautiful Daughter, The Fisherman and His Wife, Jeremy Thatcher, Dragon Hatcher, and more.

Check out some of Gary’s work at www.garylippincott.com