William D. Berry or Bill Berry (May 20, 1926 – 1979) was an influential
Alaskan artist known for his
wildlife sketches,
cartoon
A cartoon is a type of visual art that is typically drawn, frequently animated, in an unrealistic or semi-realistic style. The specific meaning has evolved over time, but the modern usage usually refers to either: an image or series of images ...
s, and
paintings.
Life and work
He was born May 20, 1926, in
San Mateo, California
San Mateo ( ; ) is a city in San Mateo County, California, on the San Francisco Peninsula. About 20 miles (32 km) south of San Francisco, the city borders Burlingame to the north, Hillsborough to the west, San Francisco Bay and Foster C ...
. He met and married Elizabeth, and they had two sons, Mark (b. 1959) and Paul (b. 1962). The family moved to
Fairbanks, Alaska in 1965.
One of his last works was a
mural for the children's room in the
Noel Wien Public Library The Noel Wien Public Library, operated by the Fairbanks North Star Borough, is located in Fairbanks, Alaska. It has a branch library in North Pole, Alaska. Its current director is Melissa Harter. The library has more than 100,000 titles in its colle ...
in Fairbanks.
He was shot and killed before he was able to complete the mural. His mural, "An Alaskan Fairytale," was completed by illustrator and
Caldecott Medal winner
Trina Schart Hyman.
Bibliography
* ''
Birds of Southern California'', by
George Wollet.
* ''
Animal Friends of the Sierra'', by
Fran Hubbard. 1955.
Awani Press.
* ''
Animal Friends of the Northwest'', by
Fran Hubbard. 1957.
Awani Press.
* ''
How to Understand Animal Talk''. 1958, by
Vinson Brown.
* ''
Mammals of Los Angeles County''. 1959, by
Charles A. McLaughlin.
* ''
Ducks, Geese, and Swans''. 1960, by
Herbert H. Wong.
* ''
Buffalo Land''. 1961.
* ''
Deneki: An Alaskan Moose''. 1965.
* ''
Animals of the North''. 1966, by
William O. Pruitt. (later republished as: Wild Harmony: The Cycle of Life in the Northern Forest)
* ''
Mammals of the San Francisco Bay Area''. (
with Elizabeth Berry)
* Letters from Alaska: hazards and humor of life in suburbia, by Edith C. Rohde. 1979.
That New Publishing Company (Illustrations and Dust jacket by Berry)
* ''
William D. Berry: 1954-1956 Alaskan Field Sketches''. 1989. Compiled with commentary by
Elizabeth Berry.
University of Alaska Press. Paper Cloth
References
Sources
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*
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External links
Online Images by William D. Berry
1926 births
1979 deaths
Artists from Alaska
Animal artists
People from San Mateo, California
People from Fairbanks, Alaska
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