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- Alicia Austin
- 6507 Franrivers Avenue
- West Hills, CA 91307
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- (800) 524-6116
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- Alicia Austin followed in her family's artistic footsteps by
- beginning her own creative drawings at the age of six. She
- spent her formative years as an "army brat," absorbing the
- different styles and philosophies of schools and artists in
- the U.S., Germany, Japan, and Canada before discovering her
- special penchant for fantasy art.
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- Alicia studied art, biology, and comparative anatomy at the
- University of Houston with the thoughts of becoming a medical
- illustrator. She then moved to Canada, where a college club
- science fiction and fantasy magazine "coerced" her into doing
- their illustrations. Shortly thereafter, Alicia displayed her
- work at the 1969 World Science Fiction Convention in St. Louis,
- where every piece was purchased during the first two days of the
- five-day art show. She was contacted there by her first
- professional editor and was soon published in 1971 in NEW WORLDS
- OF FANTASY 3. A career was born.
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- Over the years Alicia has interpreted European, Russian,
- Oriental, and other ethnic folklore and mythology. A deep love
- of fantasy, fairy tales, folklore, and mythology has led her into
- explorations of the stories of Native Americans.
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- Alicia is one of many contemporary artists who have stepped
- beyond the boundaries of simple "illustration" into the world of
- fine art. She has been expanding her techniques by working with
- printmaking, Prismacolor, and pastels, frequently combining one
- or more of these with her watercolor techniques. A typical
- original might now have thirty layers before she is finished.
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- She was honored in 1970 with the Hugo Award for Best New Artist
- (the first woman artist to receive a Hugo, the field's highest
- honor). In 1979, she received a Balrog Award for her book,
- AGE OF DREAMS: THE ILLUSTRATIONS OF ALICIA AUSTIN,
- and a Howard Award for Best Fantasy Artist. In 1982, her work was
- added to the permanent collection of the New Britain (CT) Museum of
- American Art, and in 1991 Alicia won the Inkpot Award for
- Outstanding Achievement in Illustration.
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- Alicia is a member of Women Artists of the West, the Association
- of Science Fiction and Fantasy Artists (ASFA), the Society of
- Children's Book Writers and Illustrators, the Women's Caucus for
- Art, and the Southern California Council on Literature for
- Children and Young People.
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