| Frank Kelly Freas |
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Frank Kelly Freas ( 27 August 1922 – 2 January 2005 ), called the "Dean of Science Fiction Artists", was one of the most prolific and popular Science Fiction and Fantasy artists. His career spanned more than fifty years. He was probably the best known and best-loved American SF artist in the second half of the twentieth century. Born in 1922, he made his first science fiction cover art appearance " The Piper " on the jacket of Weird Tales in 1950 , he went on to paint literally hundreds of covers for all the major magazines. He did the covers of hundreds of books and magazines from the 1950s through the 1990s , notably '' Astounding SF '' both before and after its title change to '' Analog ''; '' Mad '' magazine covers (where he created the iconic character, Alfred E. Neuman ) from 1955 to 1962 ; cover art for DAW, Signet, Ballantine, Avon, all 58 Laser Books (which are now collectors' items), and over 90 covers for Ace books alone. He was editor and artist for the first ten ''Starblaze'' books. In a field where Airbrush ing is common practice, Freas's art is notable for its use of bold brush strokes. Freas was born in Hornell, New York , United States , and educated at Lafayette High School in Buffalo , where he received training from long-time art teacher Elizabeth Weiffenbach . He married Pauline (Polly) Bussard in 1952 ; they had two children, Jacqui and Jerry. Polly died of Cancer in January 1987 . In 1990 Kelly married (and is survived by) Dr. Laura Brodian. He was commissioned to paint the Skylab I insignia design and posters promoting the space program (used by NASA and now hanging in the Smithsonian Institution ); pinup girls on bombers while in the US Army Air Corps ; comic book covers; the cover of Queen 's first two-million-selling album '' News Of The World ''; the covers of the GURPS worldbooks ''Lensman'' and ''Planet Krishna''; and many others, such as more than 500 saints' portraits for the Franciscan s executed simultaneously with his portraits of Alfred E. Neuman ("What? Me Worry?") for ''Mad''. He was very active in gaming and medical illustration. Freas published several collections of his artwork and frequently gave presentations. His work appeared in numerous exhibitions. Among many other awards, Freas was the first person to receive ten Hugo Awards . He was nominated twenty times. No other artist in science fiction has consistently matched his record. His smooth and luminous images, amiable aliens, and sexy women have become part of today's science fiction visual language. He died in West Hills and is buried in Oakwood Memorial Park Cemetery in Chatsworth . Both communities are suburbs of Los Angeles, California , in the San Fernando Valley . AWARDS Freas's achievements include: Doctor of Arts, Art Institute Of Pittsburgh , December 2003.
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