Kinuko Y. Craft is one of the most widely respected and well known fantasy artists in the World today. Her past commissions have included paintings for book covers of the who’s who of well known fantasy authors, opera posters, fairy tale books as well as covers for almost every major national magazine. During her storied career she has become known for meticulous attention to detail, a passionate love of fine art and a deep knowledge of art history.
A Storyteller
Kinuko Y. Craft considers herself a story teller. Her fairy tale books are currently distributed throughout the United States, Europe, Greece, China and Korea. Her art is also widely licensed on calendars, posters, greeting cards and other consumer goods. Her work has been widely exhibited and is now in private collections throughout the United States, Europe and the Far East. It can also be found in public collections at The National Portrait Gallery at the Smithsonian in Washington DC, The Cornish Colony Museum in Windsor, VT, The Museum of American Illustration in New York City, The National Geographic Society and dozens of corporate collections.
A compelling background
Ms. Craft is a graduate, BFA 1962, of The Kanazawa Municipal College of Fine and Industrial Art (known in Japan as The Kanazawa Bidai). She was born in Japan and came to the United States in the early sixties where she studied design and illustration at the Art Institute of Chicago. Subsequently, she worked for a number of years in well known Chicago art studios. By the end of the decade her work was in wide demand and she begun her long and successful career as a free-lance illustrator. For most of this time she worked in editorial and advertising markets where her work regularly appeared in national magazines and newspapers. Since the mid 1990’s, she has concentrated on children’s picture books, fantasy book jackets and poster designs.
View Kinuko Y. Craft Paintings
Awards are numerous
Kinuko Craft’s work has been recognized repeatedly by professional art and design publications, competitions and shows, garnering numerous awards over the years. Kinuko Craft’s artwork has won well over a hundred awards to date. She has been elected to the Hall of Fame of the Society of Illustrators, she has been awarded Gold and Silver Medals from the Society of Illustrators, The Grand Master Award from the Society of Illustrators and various accolades dating back to the 1990’s.