Boris Vallejo

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Boris Vallejo
BorisVallejo.jpg
Vallejo in April 2005
Born (1941-01-08) January 8, 1941 (age 83)
Lima, Peru
Spouse Julie Bell
Website borisjulie.com

Boris Vallejo (born January 8, 1941) [1] [2] is a Peruvian-American painter [3] who works in the science fiction, fantasy, and erotica genres. [3] His hyper-representational paintings have appeared on the covers of numerous science fiction and fantasy fiction novels. They are also sold through a series of annual calendars.

Contents

Early life

Vallejo was born January 8, 1941 [4] in Lima, Peru. He began painting at the age of 13, in 1954, and obtained his first illustration job three years later in 1957 at the age of 16. He attended Escuela Nacional Superior Autónoma de Bellas Artes on a five-year scholarship, and was awarded a prize medal. [5]

Career

After emigrating to the United States in 1964, at the age of 23, he quickly garnered a fan following from his illustrations of Tarzan, Conan the Barbarian, Doc Savage, and various other fantasy characters (often done for paperback-fiction works featuring the characters). This led to commissions for movie-poster illustration, advertisement illustration, and artwork for various collectibles, including Franklin Mint paraphernalia, trading cards, and sculpture. Along with his wife Julie Bell, Vallejo presents his artwork in an annual calendar and various books. Vallejo's work is often compared[ by whom? ] to the work of Frank Frazetta, not only because it is similar stylistically, but also because Frazetta painted covers for paperbacks of some of the same characters. [6]

Vallejo's preferred artistic medium is oil on board, and he has previously used photographs to combine discrete images to form composite images. [7] Preparatory works are pencil or ink sketches, which have been displayed in the book Sketchbook. He and Julie Bell have worked on collaborative artworks together, in which they sign the artwork with both names. [8]

Vallejo has produced film posters for numerous fantasy and action movies, including Knightriders (1981), Q (1982), and Barbarian Queen (1985). He has also illustrated posters for comedies, notably National Lampoon's Vacation (1983), European Vacation (1985), Nothing but Trouble (1991) and Aqua Teen Hunger Force Colon Movie Film for Theaters (2007), co-created with Bell. [9]

He created the 1978 Tarzan calendar.[ citation needed ] His sea serpent paintings hang in the queue of Loch Ness Monster, a rollercoaster at Busch Gardens Williamsburg.

Awards

He received the British Fantasy Award for best artist in 1979 [10] for his painting The Amazon Princess and her Pet. [11] Vallejo also won the 2011 Chesley Award for Lifetime Artistic Achievement, [12] [13] and the 2014 Chesley Award for Best Product Illustration. [14] He received the Inkpot Award in 1978. [15]

Publications

Vallejo's published works include:

A yearly calendar of 13 paintings by Boris Vallejo and Julie Bell is produced by Workman Publishing.[ citation needed ]

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References

  1. Comics Buyer's Guide #1650; February 2009; page 107.
  2. Miller, John Jackson (June 10, 2005). "Comics Industry Birthdays". Comics Buyer's Guide . Archived from the original on February 18, 2011.
  3. 1 2 Boing Boing.
  4. "Boris Vallejo". Illustration History. Norman Rockwell Museum. 2020. Retrieved 8 January 2024.
  5. Sackmann, E. Great Masters of Fantasy Art Taco 1986 p.34 ISBN   3892680086
  6. "Frank Frazetta / Boris Vallejo: Who knows some similar artists". CGC Comic Book Collectors Chat Boards. 5 January 2014. Retrieved 2020-08-20.
  7. Boris Vallejo Fantasy Art Techniques
  8. Boris Vallejo and Julie Bell Fantasy Workshop: A Practical Guide
  9. "King of the Mountain - Posterwire.com". 5 March 2007.
  10. "British Fantasy - Prix littéraire - nooSFere". www.noosfere.com.
  11. "Julie Bell & Boris Vallejo". Imaginstix.com. Retrieved from "Julie Bell & Boris Vallejo". Archived from the original on 2014-07-15. Retrieved 2013-03-17..
  12. "Award Category: 2011 Award for Lifetime Artistic Achievement (Chesley Award)". www.isfdb.org. Retrieved 2020-08-20.
  13. Gallo, Irene (2011-08-19). "Announcing the 2011 Chesley Award Winners". Tor.com. Retrieved 2020-08-20.
  14. Gallo, Irene (2014-08-15). "Announcing the 2014 Chesley Award Winners". Tor.com. Retrieved 2020-08-20.
  15. Inkpot Award