George Almond: B I O G R A P H Y

Born on Cape Breton Island, Canada, George Almond created his first painting at the age of five, following a school field trip to the local zoo. The class having been assigned to choose their favorite animal and paint it, he chose a magnificent African elephant. Quite a challenge, not to be taken lightly ; the boy knew it would require careful analysis. Such a huge animal must have a sturdy skeleton to support its great mass, so he painted the skeleton first. It wasn't anatomically correct, of course; that knowledge lay ahead a few years-hey, nobody said he was a genius-so he constructed on paper an elephant-shaped system of beams and girders. Next he pictured the muscles, thick cables to move the great beast. Finally, he painted the skin and the wise, world-weary feral eyes. So was the origin of the perfectionism and attention to detail that has informed his work ever since. Having studied under the tutelage of such seasoned artists as Manuel De Leon, the noted anatomist, and Larry Brady, graphic designer to the J. Paul Getty Trust, he built a career as a freelance illustrator, serving such clients as The Cheesecake Factory, Knott's Berry Farm, Macmillan / McGraw Hill Publishing, Benchmark Education, Brain Worx Publishing, The Discovery Cube Science Center, Maya Cinemas, New World Computing, Computer Games Strategy Plus Magazine, The 3DO Company, The California Glass Association, The Classical Theatre Lab and Unknown Theatre, to name but a few. Today his work focuses mainly on children's book illustration. Mindful of the influence picture books were to his own childhood development, as a person as well as an artist, he considers his work to be not only a vocation but a deep trust, aiding and enhancing children's experience of learning. Finally, it only remains to say that George Almond has built a proven track record of superior artistic achievement on two principles: quality and efficiency, keeping as his motto: Can you imagine it? I can picture it!