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Richard Gregory Christie (born July 26, 1971)[1] is an American author and illustrator of picture books, chapter books, middle grade novels, and album covers best known for his Coretta Scott King Award-winning books No Crystal Stair: A Documentary Novel of the Life and Work of Lewis Michaux, Harlem Bookseller, Bad News for Outlaws: The Remarkable Life of Bass Reeves, Deputy U. S. Marshal, and Brothers in Hope: The Story of the Lost Boys of Sudan, Only Passing Through, and the NAACP Image Award-winning Our Children Can Soar: A Celebration of Rosa, Barack, and the Pioneers of Change.

R. Gregory Christie
Born (1971-07-26) July 26, 1971 (age 50)
Plainfield, New Jersey, U.S.
LanguageEnglish
NationalityAmerican
EducationBFA
Alma materSchool of Visual Arts
Genrepicture books, chapter books, middle grade fiction non-fiction
Notable worksNo Crystal Stair: A Documentary Novel of the Life and Work of Lewis Michaux, Harlem Bookseller, Bad News for Outlaws: The Remarkable Life of Bass Reeves, Deputy U. S. Marshal, Our Children Can Soar: A Celebration of Rosa, Barack, and the Pioneers of Change, Brothers in Hope: The Story of the Lost Boys of Sudan
Notable awardsCaldecott Medal, Golden Kite Award for Picture Book Text, Golden Kite Award for Picture Book Illustration, Coretta Scott King Award, NAACP Image Award
Years active1996-present
Website
www.rgregorychristie.com

He has illustrated more than 60 books.


Personal life


Christie was born on July 26, 1971 in Plainfield, New Jersey, to Ludra V. St. Amant Christie and Gerard A. Christie.[1] His mother was a Louisiana Creole and his father was a pharmacist.[1] He was raised in Scotch Plains, New Jersey, close to the Jerseyland Resort.[1]

He went to St. Bartholomew the Apostle Elementary School.[1] Christie recalls always having an interest in art and drawing characters from comic books from age 5.[2] Christie began painting illustrations of public broadcasting service shows when he was eight years old.[3] While attending Fanwood High School in 1985, he worked for Commercial Art and Supply, formerly known as Art Mart in Plainfield.[1]

He graduated from Fanwood High School in 1989 and attended New York City’s School of Visual Arts.[1] During that time, he worked at the Solomon R. Guggenheim museum bookshop in Manhattan and again after its renovation, as a security guard. During his time on the nightshift it took him six months to complete what would become his debut picture book.[3][2] Christie graduated from the School of Visual Arts in 1993, with a BFA.[1]

Christie currently lives and paints in Atlanta, Georgia.


Career


His first illustration was published in the Star Ledger, the largest circulated newspaper in New Jersey, in 1990, while he was still attending university.[1]

Christie started his career working on album covers for several record companies, including Moserobie Music, Impulse Records, and MCA Records, mostly working on jazz records.[4][5] His preferred medium is working with acrylics.[4]

His first official illustration job for a book was for a volume of poetry called The Palm of My Heart: Poetry by African American Children, with text by Davida Adedjouma, was published by Lee & Low in 1996 and inspired by the works of the painters Ernie Barnes, Pablo Picasso, and Egyptian art.[3] It won him the Coretta Scott King Award at age 25.[2]

Since then, many of the books he has worked on have gone on to win major awards, including six more Coretta Scott King Honors, a Caldecott Honor, the Schneider Family Book Award, the NAACP Image Award, and the Boston Globe-Horn Book Award.[6][7][8][9] His illustrations have also appeared on HBO Kids and the PBS children's show Between the Lions.[3] As a freelance illustrator, some of his clients include The New Yorker, Rolling Stone, Vibe Magazine, The Wall Street Journal, The New York Times, The Kennedy Center, Reading Is Fundamental, Marlo Thomas, and Pete Seeger.

He cites the works of American artists William H. Johnson and Romare Bearden and Ezra Jack Keats' children's books as the sources of some of his inspiration.[2] Many of Christie's works center on mostly African American historical figures and he has worked on picture book biographies of Muhammad Ali, Sojourner Truth, Billie Holiday, Langston Hughes, Louis Armstrong and Richard Wright, among others.[3]

In 2012, Christie launched a Kickstarter campaign for a combined children's bookstore and arts literary center called GAS ART GIFTS, planned to open in North DeKalb Mall in Decatur, Georgia, but was ultimately unable to meet the goal.[10][11] After the campaign failed, Christie relaunched the campaign on Indiegogo with a lower goal, reached success and ended up opening the store shortly after.[11][3] Today it is an online combination of bookstore and art studio specializing in products and services originating from Christie's artwork. Also in 2012, Christie's art was displayed on New York City's subway lines in the form of a poster named "The Subway Soiree". It was up for the entire year as a part of the MTA Arts & Design program. 2013 brought more major commissions for Christie. The biggest of all was the United Postal Service's commission of this artist for the Kwanzaa stamp. Additionally in that year, Christie did the Congo Square New Orleans Jazz Festival poster showcasing Louisiana legend, Buckwheat Zydeco.

In 2017, Christie was attached as the illustrator for the Sweet Blackberry Foundation's animated shorts based on African American pilot Bessie Coleman, inventor Garrett Morgan and ballet dancer Janet Collins, in collaboration with The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air actress Karyn Parsons.[12]


Selected bibliography


Picture books

Chapter books

Middle grade

Album covers


Awards


Nominee

Won


References


  1. "R. Gregory Christie's Biography". The HistoryMakers. Retrieved May 12, 2019.
  2. "Interviews - The Palm of My Heart | Lee & Low Books". www.leeandlow.com. Retrieved May 12, 2019.
  3. Edward, Summer Dula; Ryt 200; M.S.Ed. "Interview with R. Gregory Christie". Summer Edward- Writer, Children's Editor. Retrieved May 12, 2019.
  4. "Seven Impossible Things Before Breakfast » Blog Archive » Seven Questions Over Breakfast withR. Gregory Christie". Retrieved May 12, 2019.
  5. "R. Gregory Christie". Our White House | Looking In, Looking Out. Retrieved May 12, 2019.
  6. "The Schneider Family Book Award". I Love Libraries. Retrieved May 12, 2019.
  7. "2012 Boston Globe–Horn Book Awards for Excellence in Children's Literature — The Horn Book". www.hbook.com. Retrieved May 12, 2019.
  8. "NAACP Image Awards - Outstanding Literary Work". AALBC.com, the African American Literature Book Club. Retrieved May 12, 2019.
  9. JAMUNDSEN (April 5, 2012). "Coretta Scott King Book Awards - All Recipients, 1970-Present". Round Tables. Retrieved May 12, 2019.
  10. Schultz, Marc (March 8, 2012). "Children's Illustrator Kickstarts an Arts Center". www.publishersweekly.com.
  11. "Filmmakers Launch Kickstarter Campaign for 'Fat Kid' Film". PublishersWeekly.com. Retrieved May 12, 2019.
  12. "Update 5: A Word From Illustrator R. Gregory Christie! · The Bessie Coleman Story, presented by Sweet Blackberry". Kickstarter. Retrieved May 12, 2019.
  13. "New Voices Writing Contest for Picture Books | Lee & Low Books". www.leeandlow.com. Retrieved May 12, 2019.
  14. "2015 Bluestem Book Award Nominees - Hennepin County Library". BiblioCommons. Retrieved May 12, 2019.
  15. "TeachingBooks.net | Ezra Jack Keats Book Award, 1986-2019". www.teachingbooks.net. Retrieved May 12, 2019.
  16. "Award Finalists – Ohioana Library". Retrieved May 12, 2019.
  17. "Winners". Western Writers of America. May 12, 2012. Retrieved May 12, 2019.
  18. admin (November 30, 1999). "(Theodor Seuss) Geisel Award winners and honor books, 2006 - present". Association for Library Service to Children (ALSC). Retrieved May 12, 2019.
  19. "CCBC Booklists". ccbc.education.wisc.edu. Retrieved May 12, 2019.


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