Favorite Quote by George Pratt - "I carry a sketchbook wherever I go. I'll use whatever is at hand — paper bags, hotel notepads, scraps — but usually I have a small leatherbound book, a brand
which, unfortunately, is no longer made. When I heard that they were discontinuing them I bought a pile of them to tide me over. It looks like a bible more than anything else, and it fits neatly in my coat pocket. The paper inside is either antique white, or buff colored (depending on which one I grabbed that day) and has a wonderful laid texture that will accept just about anything that lands on it — pen, charcoal, spit, you name it."
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| George Pratt from Brittany - "I started out fairly tentatively, taken more by the movement and color of the water and the pier. Here's looking to the pier jutting out into the bay." |
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| George Pratt from Brittany - "This beautiful old Windmill, sans windmill, was one of the first structures to greet me as I drove down toward Cancale. The sun had bathed everything in wonderful golden hues." |
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| George Pratt from Brittany - "Neat pasture I found and later did some paintings in. Just trying to play with tone here. Brush pen and spit." |
Information from George Pratt's Website -
Pratt, G. (n.d.). Sketchbooks. Retrieved from http://www.georgepratt.com/sketchbooks/brittany/brittany1.html
Born October 13, 1960, in Beaumont, Texas, George Pratt moved to New York City in 1980 to study Drawing and Painting at Pratt Institute, where he later taught Junior and Senior-level Methods and Media, as well as Sequential Storytelling for seven years. He also taught for two years at the Joe Kubert School in Dover, New Jersey; did per diem teaching for the Master Illustration program at SVA for Marshal Arisman; was Visiting Professor for ten weeks at Savannah College of Art and Design; and taught full-time at Virginia Commonwealth University for three years. He now teaches full-time at Ringling College of Art and Design.
A successful painter, his work is in private collections throughout the world, and has been exhibited in the Houston Museum of Fine Art.
George's first novel, "Enemy Ace: War Idyll", DC Comics/Warner Books, has seen four American editions, has been translated into nine languages, and was on the required reading list at West Point Military Academy. The book was nominated for both the Eisner Award and Harvey Award for Best Graphic Novel, as well as Best Foreign Graphic Novel in Angouleme, France where it won the prestigious France Info Award for Best Foreign Graphic Novel. In England it also won the SpeakEasy Award for Best Foreign Graphic Novel.
"No Man's Land", published by Tundra, gathers all the paraparatory sketches for "Enemy Ace: War Idyll" into one book along with unpublished monotypes and paintings, peppered with quotes from the Great War. The work has been in many exhibitions on war throughout America, Canada, and Europe.
With Steven Budlong and James McGillion, George created "See You In Hell, Blind Boy", a documentary film about his travels through the Mississippi Delta researching his blues novel of the same name. The film won Best Feature Documentary at the New York International Independent Film Festival, and was accepted and shown at the Santa Barbara, Nashville and Hot Springs Film Festivals. The film subsequently aired for over a year on the Bravo Channel on television.
"Harvest Breed", a Batman graphic novel for DC Comics/Warner Brothers, was written and fully painted by George. The book was nominated for twoEisner Awards: Best Graphic Novel and Best Painter.
"Wolverine: Netsuke", a four-issue mini-series was written and painted by George for Marvel Comics. This became a bestselling mini-series upon its release, won the Eisner Award for Best Painter / Multimedia Artist, and was subsequently nominated for the Best Mini-Series Award by Wizard Magazine.
Current projects include: "See You In Hell, Bllind Boy: A Tale of the Blues", a text novel written by George which also includes his photographs, illustrations, comics and recordings made in the Mississippi Delta. George's Blues photographs were featured in the premier issue of Argosy Magazine.
"Find Me A Voice" includes paintings and prints of the Holocaust with poetry by Gabor Barabas. This has also been written as a play that has been produced in Cincinnatti, New York and New Jersey.
"Artists at the Front", a documentary film about the eight artists commissioned by the American Government to go "over there" and paint the First World War from the trenches.
George was honored to be included in Walt Reed's definitive coffee table book "The Illustrator in America 1860-2000". He was also awarded a Gold Medalin the Spectrum Awards of 2002 and has had his work exhibited many times at the Society of Illustrators in New York, and is a member of that prestigious organization
George recently completed drawings and paintings for a Romanian film documentary in association with Kaigonan Films and National Geographic of Romania. Titled "Hill 789" the film traces the struggles of one Dimitri Dimancescu a young lieutenant in the Romanian Army.
George continues to illustrate and design books and book jackets for various publishers, including: Random House, Henry Holt, Inc., Warner Books, Clarion Books, and Columbia Studios.
He currently resides in Sarasota, Florida.
I carry a sketchbook wherever I go. I'll use whatever is at hand — paper bags,
hotel notepads, scraps — but usually I have a small leatherbound book, a brand
which, unfortunately, is no longer made. When I heard that they were
discontinuing them I bought a pile of them to tide me over.
It looks like a bible more than anything else, and it fits neatly in my coat pocket.
The paper inside is either antique white, or buff colored (depending on which one
I grabbed that day) and has a wonderful laid texture that will accept just
about anything that lands on it — pen, charcoal, spit, you name it.
The books have traveled with me all over the world, kept me company in places
where I was a total outsider, couldn't speak the language. But the language of
line was always there, and it bridged the barriers like nothing else could.
I draw all the time and love trying to capture the incredible beauty of everyday
things around me. When I was living in New York I struggled to draw the people
I shared the subway with. Literally one of the best places to people-watch.
I hope that you have as much fun sifting through all of these as I did drawing them. (Pratt)
My sketchbook response....
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