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CLICK HERE FOR A GALLERY OF H. B. LEWIS ORIGINAL ART AVAILABLE !
H.B. "Buck" Lewis is one of the most sought after and prolific character designers and story artists working in contemporary animation. His credits include character design for Walt Disney Feature Animation, DreamWorks Animation, Blue Sky/Fox Animation, and Warner Bros. Animation. His influence is most evident in such contemporary classics as Disney's TARZAN and TREASURE PLANET, Fox/Blue Sky's ICE AGE and ROBOTS and most recently in DreamWorks' MADAGASCAR... His work has been published in "making of" books such as The Tarzan Chronicles, The Art of Robots, and Treasure Planet: A Voyage of Discovery.
Mr. Lewis contributed character design and visual development work to Disney's LILO & STITCH, THE EMPEROR'S NEW GROOVE, and DINOSAUR as well as DreamWorks' ANTZ. >His designs will be seen in 2006 in three separate animated features - Pixar's CARS, DreamWorks' OVER THE HEDGE, and Warner Bros' ANT BULLY for which he was principal character designer. He recently completed work on character designs for Pixar's RATATOUILLE (2007), and DreamWorks' BEE STORY (2007), KUNG FU PANDA (2008) and REX HAVOC (2009), and is presently at work on designs for a five new animated feature projects, including one with the team at Blue Sky/Fox Animation who produced Ice Age and Robots. >
A graduate of the Rhode Island School of Design, Mr. Lewis was inducted into the Disney Hall of Fame for his character design work, and his illustration for the U.S. Postal Service graced the nation's official 1997 Christmas Stamp.> H. B. Lewis's work has been exhibited across the nation and abroad, and he has been honored six times with invitations to exhibit with the prestigious Society of Illustrators in New York City. He has illustrated nearly a dozen books including My Penguin Osbert, The Klutz Book of Magic, Kids Shenanigans, and Santa Bear. His illustrations for Can I Have Stegosaurus Mom? received the Bologna Italy International Children's Book Art Award, and subsequently toured in an year-long international exhibition. In 1998 Mr. Lewis wrote and illustrated the splendid and evocative children's book Winnie Mae for which he received a Communication Arts Award.
Readers of such magazines and newspapers as The New York Times, Forbes, Newsweek, and Sports Illustrated will recognize Mr. Lewis's remarkably appealing and signature style that has livened countless covers, articles and editorials in these publications. His ability to capture both character and commentary in a single illustration ranks him among the most accomplished and memorable artists working in the field. His genius for character specific detail rivals the work of the editorial giants from the golden age of illustration. A graphic daredevil with a biting wit, H. B. Lewis's work is underscored by a color palate as rich as N.C. Wyeth and a sense of staging as keen as Richard Outcault.
The distinct egg-shaped silhouettes, the graceful sweep of a neck or sweet curve of a hand that turn abruptly to the angle of a prominent ruddy nose or crisp trouser; sharp features on weary commuters are complimented by the fleshy and sculptural details of the more voluminous denizens of the H.B. Lewis universe, with flush cheeks and gravity defying grace that can make characters appear like brightly colored parade balloons come to life. In every design and illustration, be it in pencil, pen, watercolor, pastel or acrylic, there is a magical spark behind the eyes of each of Lewis's characters. Whether it's a Santa's knowing glance underneath heavy lids and an arched brow, the guilty grin of a child sneaking pizza to his pet dinosaur, or the startled face of a dog and cat made unwilling assistants in an amateur magic act, there is life in the eyes that gives evidence to a soul in every character - a life that brings a smile and even an audible laugh to the viewer. And then there is that signature Lewis smile, a closed-lipped grin that makes you feel as if the character is looking back at you in full possession of some wonderful or wicked little secret.
.......................................................................................................................................................................................- Rhett Wickham - Gallery Archivist and Coordinator of Special Exhibitions