George Edward Barr (January 30, 1937 – April 19, 2025) was an American science fiction and fantasy artist.

Early life and education

George Barr was born in Tucson, Arizona, on January 30, 1937, and grew up in Salt Lake City. His parents related that Barr started drawing at age 2 after his older sister was complimented on drawings she had done in kindergarten. At age 13, he became a fan of science fiction when his father brought home a copy of Amazing Stories. Barr eventually supplied both cover art and interior art to Ballantine Books, Ace Books, Leisure Books, Newcastle Books, Forgotten Fantasies, DAW Books, Asimov's Science Fiction, Amazing Stories, Pulphouse Publishing, Donald M. Grant, Underwood–Miller, Alyson Books, Strawberry Hill Books, Arbor House, Weird Tales and TSR.

thumb|right|Barr's illustration for "The Perils of Nicolina" published in [[Amazing Stories in 1994]]

A collection of his professional fantasy and science fiction paintings, Upon the Winds of Yesterday and Other Explorations, was published by Donald M. Grant in 1976 with a limited press run of only 2,500 copies, which quickly sold out. and was often romantic and whimsical. Barr used an unusual layered technique, first pencilling in the drawing very lightly, then redrawing it with black ball-point pen complete with tonal variations. The colors were then painted in, "almost as if doing a coloring-book exercise", as Barr noted.

Jon Gustafson, writing in Science Fiction Review, commented, "George Barr is too humble ... [I] am convinced that he simply doesn't realize how good he is ... [For the cover of The Book of Fritz Leiber], what George has done is assemble a number of elements from the stories and place them together in a unique still-life. The basic colors are eye-catching reds, golds, and ivory, and the ground is a very dark violet (almost black) ... The overall effect is pleasing to the eye, despite the bright colors used ... The details are carefully delineated, as are the details in Leiber's stories, and the matching of artistic and literary styles is perfect."

Richard E. Geis reviewed the book of Barr's art published by Donald M. Grant Publishing in 1976, and was very impressed, writing, "Upon the Winds of Yesterday And Other Explorations: The Paintings of George Barr is absolutely exquisite! This man is superb, and Donald M. Grant has given him a perfect display ... This edition is limited to 2500 copies, and costs $20. Believe me, it is worth it. Get one while they last."

Reviewing the first few issues of the fanzine AMRA, Norm Metcalfe noted that "#7 has some artwork which stands heads and shoulders over the previous issues. George Barr is responsible for much of the gain."

William Rotsler wrote, "The truth is that George has a unique talent and a lot of it. His style is composed of careful, even painstaking craftsmanship, some excellent ideas, a sense of humor, and a dash of madness."

Of his recognition as an artist, Barr said, "If there is a popularity for what I do, it's probably because I paint pretty pictures, because that's what I'm trying to do. I don't shock or startle; I basically paint things that are pretty, that people can get pleasure from."

Hugo Awards

  • Winner, Best Fan Artist, 1967
  • Finalist, Best Fan Artist, 1966, 1968, and 1969
  • Finalist, Best Professional Artist, 1975 and 1976

Locus Awards

  • Finalist in various categories, 1970–1976 and 1977–1982

World Fantasy Awards

  • Finalist, Best Artist, 1975 and 1976

British Fantasy Awards

  • Finalist, Best Artwork, 1978

References

General citation for article

  • George Barr on DeviantArt