Jim Burns (born 10 April 1948) is a

Welsh Welsh may refer to: Related to Wales * Welsh, referring or related to Wales * Welsh language, a Brittonic Celtic language spoken in Wales * Welsh people People * Welsh (surname) * Sometimes used as a synonym for the ancient Britons (Celtic peop ...

artist born in

Cardiff Cardiff (; cy, Caerdydd ) is the capital and largest city of Wales. It forms a principal area, officially known as the City and County of Cardiff ( cy, Dinas a Sir Caerdydd, links=no), and the city is the eleventh-largest in the United Kingd ...

Wales Wales ( cy, Cymru ) is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is bordered by England to the Wales–England border, east, the Irish Sea to the north and west, the Celtic Sea to the south west and the ...

. He has been called one of the Grand Masters of the science fiction art world. In 1966 he joined the

Royal Air Force The Royal Air Force (RAF) is the United Kingdom's air and space force. It was formed towards the end of the First World War on 1 April 1918, becoming the first independent air force in the world, by regrouping the Royal Flying Corps (RFC) and ...

, but soon thereafter he left and signed up at the

Newport School of Art The University of Wales, Newport ( cy, Prifysgol Cymru, Casnewydd), was a university based in Newport, South Wales, before the merger that formed the University of South Wales in April 2013. The university had two campuses in Newport, Caerleon ...

for a year's foundation course. After that, he went on to complete a 3-year Diploma in Art and Design at

Saint Martin's School of Art Saint Martin's School of Art was an art college in London, England. It offered foundation and degree level courses. It was established in 1854, initially under the aegis of the church of St Martin-in-the-Fields. Saint Martin's became part of t ...

in London. When he left Saint Martin's in 1972 he had already joined the recently established illustration agency Young Artists. He has been with this agency, later renamed Arena, ever since. He is today a contemporary British

science fiction Science fiction (sometimes shortened to Sci-Fi or SF) is a genre of speculative fiction which typically deals with imaginative and futuristic concepts such as advanced science and technology, space exploration, time travel, parallel unive ...

illustrator. His work mostly deals with science fiction with erotic overtones. His paintings are generally intricate photo-realistic works of beautiful women set against advanced machines and spaceships. While his preparatory sketches are more erotically focused, his final works and published book covers have a more academic tone portraying far off and imaginary worlds. Apart from book and game covers, Burns briefly worked with

Ridley Scott Sir Ridley Scott (born 30 November 1937) is a British film director and producer. Directing, among others, science fiction films, his work is known for its atmospheric and highly concentrated visual style. Scott has received many accolades thr ...

on ''

Blade Runner ''Blade Runner'' is a 1982 science fiction film directed by Ridley Scott, and written by Hampton Fancher and David Peoples. Starring Harrison Ford, Rutger Hauer, Sean Young, and Edward James Olmos, it is an adaptation of Philip K. Dick' ...

'', and his illustrations and paintings comprise much of the book ''Mechanismo'' by Harry Harrison. He has also had books of his own works published, including '' Lightship'', ''Planet Story'' (written by Harry Harrison), ''Transluminal'', and ''Imago''. Burns won the

Hugo award for best professional artist The Hugo Award for Best Professional Artist is given each year for artists of works related to science fiction or fantasy released in the previous calendar year. The award has been given annually under several names since 1955, with the except ...

three times and has also been awarded 12

BSFA award The BSFA Awards are literary awards presented annually since 1970 by the British Science Fiction Association (BSFA) to honour works in the genre of science fiction. Nominees and winners are chosen based on a vote of BSFA members. More recently, m ...

s. Well regarded in

fandom A fandom is a subculture composed of fans characterized by a feeling of empathy and camaraderie with others who share a common interest. Fans typically are interested in even minor details of the objects of their fandom and spend a significant ...

, he was artist guest of honour at the 1987

Worldcon Worldcon, or more formally the World Science Fiction Convention, the annual convention of the World Science Fiction Society (WSFS), is a science fiction convention. It has been held each year since 1939 (except for the years 1942 to 1945, during ...

Portfolio

Work by the artist includes cover art for: *

Eye (short story collection) ''Eye'' (1985) is a collection of 13 science fiction short story, short stories by American writer Frank Herbert. All of the works had been previously published in magazine or book form, except for "The Road to Dune". Contents Introduction Herb ...

(1985) by Frank Herbert *

The Fury of Dracula ''The Fury of Dracula'' is a board game for 2-4 players designed by Stephen Hand and published by Games Workshop in 1987. Fantasy Flight Games released an updated version in 2006 as ''Fury of Dracula'', and a third edition in 2015 by the same n ...

(1987) a boardgame by Stephen Hand * Two books by

Daniel Keys Moran Daniel Keys Moran (born November 30, 1962), also known by his initials DKM, is an American computer programmer and science fiction writer. Biography Moran was born in Los Angeles to Richard Joseph Moran and Marilynn Joyce Moran. He has three ...

** ''Armageddon Blues'' (1988) ** ''The Long Run'' (1989) * Artificial Things (1989) for

Karen Joy Fowler Karen Joy Fowler is an American author of science fiction, fantasy, and literary fiction. Her work often centers on the nineteenth century, the lives of women, and alienation. She is best known as the author of the best-selling novel ''The Jan ...

* Over thirty books by

Robert Silverberg Robert Silverberg (born January 15, 1935) is an American author and editor, best known for writing science fiction. He is a multiple winner of both Hugo and Nebula Awards, a member of the Science Fiction and Fantasy Hall of Fame, and a Grand ...

including '' The Face of the Waters'' (1991) * ''

Aristoi The Aristoi (Greek: ἄριστοι) was the label given to the noblemen in ancient Greek society, and in particular ancient Athens. The term literally means "best", with the denotation of best in terms of birth, rank, and nobility, but also us ...

'' (1992) by Walter Jon Williams * '' Upland Outlaws'' (1993) by Dave Duncan * '' Infinity's Shore'' (1996) by David Brin *

The Stone Dance of the Chameleon Ricardo Pinto (born 1961 in Lisbon, Portugal) is a computer game programmer and fantasy novelist. Early life and gaming career Pinto's family moved to London when he was six, and then to Dundee in Scotland. In 1979, he commenced a degree in Ma ...

series by Ricardo Pinto ** ''

The Chosen Chosen or The Chosen may refer to: The chosen ones *Chosen people, people who believe they have been chosen by a higher power to do a certain thing including **Jews as the chosen people Books * ''The Chosen'' (Potok novel), a 1967 novel by Chaim ...

'' (1999) ** ''

The Standing Dead ''The Standing Dead'' is a 2002 fantasy Fantasy is a genre of speculative fiction involving magical elements, typically set in a fictional universe and sometimes inspired by mythology and folklore. Its roots are in oral traditions, w ...

'' (2002) ** ''

The Third God ''The Third God'' is a 2009 fantasy novel by Ricardo Pinto. It is the third book in ''The Stone Dance of the Chameleon Ricardo Pinto (born 1961 in Lisbon, Portugal) is a computer game programmer and fantasy novelist. Early life and gaming ...

'' (2009) * The ''

Greg Mandel Greg is a masculine given name, and often a shortened form of the given name Gregory. Greg (more commonly spelled " Gregg") is also a surname. People with the name *Greg Abbott (disambiguation), multiple people *Greg Abel (born 1961/1962), Canadi ...

Trilogy'' by Peter F. Hamilton ** ''

Mindstar Rising ''Mindstar Rising'' is a science fiction novel by British writer Peter F. Hamilton, published in 1993. It is the first book in the Greg Mandel trilogy. The novel introduces the major characters in the series, most notably Greg and Julia Evans. T ...

'' (1993) ** '' A Quantum Murder'' (1994) ** '' The Nano Flower'' (1995) * The '' Night's Dawn Trilogy'' by Peter F. Hamilton ** '' The Reality Dysfunction'' (1996) ** ''

The Neutronium Alchemist ''The Neutronium Alchemist'' is a science fiction novel by British writer Peter F. Hamilton, the second book in '' The Night's Dawn Trilogy''. It follows on from '' The Reality Dysfunction'' and precedes '' The Naked God''. It was published in ...

'' (1997) ** ''

The Naked God ''The Naked God'' is a science fiction novel by British writer Peter F. Hamilton, the third book in ''The Night's Dawn Trilogy'', following on from '' The Reality Dysfunction'' and ''The Neutronium Alchemist''. It was published in the United K ...

'' (1999) * '' A Second Chance at Eden'' (1998) by Peter F. Hamilton * ''

The Confederation Handbook British author Peter F. Hamilton's ''The Night's Dawn Trilogy'' consists of three science fiction novels: '' The Reality Dysfunction'' (1996), ''The Neutronium Alchemist'' (1997), and ''The Naked God'' (1999). A collection of short stories, ' ...

'' (2000) by Peter F. Hamilton * '' Fallen Dragon'' (2001) by Peter F. Hamilton * The ''

Commonwealth Saga The ''Commonwealth Saga'' is a series of science fiction novels by British science fiction writer Peter F. Hamilton. This saga consists of the novels ''Pandora's Star'' (2004) and ''Judas Unchained'' (2005). Hamilton has also written several ...

'' by Peter F. Hamilton ** '' Pandora's Star'' (2004) ** ''

Judas Unchained Judas Iscariot (; grc-x-biblical, Ἰούδας Ἰσκαριώτης; syc, ܝܗܘܕܐ ܣܟܪܝܘܛܐ; died AD) was a Disciple (Christianity), disciple and one of the original Twelve Apostles of Jesus Christ (title), Christ. According to a ...

'' (2005) * The ''

Void trilogy The ''Void Trilogy'' is a space opera series by British author Peter F. Hamilton. The series is set in the same universe as The '' Commonwealth Saga'', 1,200 years after the end of '' Judas Unchained''. Peter F. Hamilton sold the American rights ...

'' by Peter F. Hamilton ** ''

The Dreaming Void The ''Void Trilogy'' is a space opera series by British author Peter F. Hamilton. The series is set in the same universe as The '' Commonwealth Saga'', 1,200 years after the end of '' Judas Unchained''. Peter F. Hamilton sold the American rights ...

'' (2007) ** ''

The Temporal Void The ''Void Trilogy'' is a space opera series by British author Peter F. Hamilton. The series is set in the same universe as The ''Commonwealth Saga'', 1,200 years after the end of '' Judas Unchained''. Peter F. Hamilton sold the American rights t ...

'' (2008) In 2014, Titan Books published a collection of Burns's art throughout his career, ''The Art of Jim Burns: Hyperluminal''.

References

External links

* *
Artwork from Lightship on a science fiction blog
{{DEFAULTSORT:Burns, Jim 1948 births Living people Artists from Cardiff Welsh illustrators Welsh writers Science fiction artists Games Workshop artists British speculative fiction artists Hugo Award-winning artists Alumni of Saint Martin's School of Art