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Artist Scott Gustafson’s exquisite and detailed paintings speak to the childhood dreams and passions in each of us, unlocking a world of wonder and “once upon-a-times” . . . . In "Merlin and Arthur," Gustafson brings to life the stuff of which legends are made. Authors and artists have fallen under the spell of possibilities that abound within the framework of the Arthurian Legend. Merlin, the world’s foremost wizard, alchemist, prophet and sage would have made a dazzling tutor for Arthur, the young boy who was destined to become Britain’s “once and ever king.” Gustafson sets his scene in Merlin’s room, chock full of exotic and marvelous portents, omens, objects and animals. In fact, 21 symbols and references associated with the legend of Merlin can be found throughout the painting.
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Storytelling through pictures has always held a certain fascination for Scott
Gustafson; be they the moving images in animated cartoons, or the epic
illustrations of N. C. Wyeth. Upon entering the Chicago Academy of Fine Art,
Scott was 99% sure that he wanted to become an animator, but it was that 1%
that ultimately drew him more and more into the world of stretched canvas and
oil paint. "As an animator, "Gustafson says, "your contribution to a given
film is, by necessity, limited to whatever character you've been assigned. But
as an illustrator, you're responsible for locations, sets, costumes, props,
lighting and character designs, not to mention the overall mood and emotion of
a given painting. It's about the best job there is."
Over the nearly twenty-five years that span his career, he has had the
opportunity to fulfill commissions for a number of varied clients and
publishers such as Celestial Seasonings, Playboy magazine, Saturday Evening
Post, The Bradford Exchange, DreamWorks and The Greenwich Workshop. His
illustrated books include The Night Before Christmas, Peter Pan, Nutcracker,
as well as two original titles, Animal Orchestra and Alphabet Soup. His newest
release, Classic Fairy Tales, was recently awarded a Chesley award for best
interior book illustrations from the Association of Science Fiction and
Fantasy Artists and is currently in its third printing.
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