R. Gregory Christie Explained

Nationality:American
Genre:picture books, chapter books, middle grade fiction non-fiction
Notableworks: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, 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
Years Active:1996-present
Language:English
Awards:Caldecott Honor, Golden Kite Award for Picture Book Text, Golden Kite Award for Picture Book Illustration, Coretta Scott King Award, NAACP Image Award
Birth Place:Plainfield, New Jersey, U.S.
Alma Mater:School of Visual Arts
Birth Date:1971 7, mf=yes
Education:BFA

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.

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. His mother was a Louisiana Creole and his father was a pharmacist. He was raised in Scotch Plains, New Jersey, close to the Jerseyland Resort.

He went to St. Bartholomew the Apostle Elementary School. 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.

He graduated from Fanwood High School in 1989 and attended New York City's School of Visual Arts. 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. Christie graduated from the School of Visual Arts in 1993, with a BFA.

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.

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.

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. It won him the Coretta Scott King Award at age 25.

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] [10] His illustrations have also appeared on HBO Kids and the PBS children's show Between the Lions. 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. 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.

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.[11] [12] After the campaign failed, Christie relaunched the campaign on Indiegogo with a lower goal, reached success and ended up opening the store shortly after. 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.[13]

Selected bibliography

Picture books

Chapter books

Middle grade

Album covers

Awards

Nominee

Won

Notes and References

  1. Web site: R. Gregory Christie's Biography. The HistoryMakers. en. 2019-05-12.
  2. Web site: Interviews - The Palm of My Heart Lee & Low Books. www.leeandlow.com. 2019-05-12.
  3. Web site: Interview with R. Gregory Christie. Edward. Summer Dula. Ryt 200. Summer Edward- Writer, Children's Editor. 2019-05-12. M.S.Ed..
  4. Web site: Seven Impossible Things Before Breakfast » Blog Archive » Seven Questions Over Breakfast with R. Gregory Christie. 2019-05-12.
  5. Web site: R. Gregory Christie. Our White House Looking In, Looking Out. en-US. 2019-05-12.
  6. Web site: 2017-01-23 . 2017 Caldecott Medal: Winner & Honorees . 2024-01-24 . Brilliant Books.
  7. Web site: The Schneider Family Book Award. I Love Libraries. 2019-05-12.
  8. Web site: 2012 Boston Globe–Horn Book Awards for Excellence in Children's Literature — The Horn Book. www.hbook.com. 2019-05-12.
  9. Web site: NAACP Image Awards - Outstanding Literary Work. AALBC.com, the African American Literature Book Club. en. 2019-05-12.
  10. Web site: Coretta Scott King Book Awards - All Recipients, 1970-Present. JAMUNDSEN. 2012-04-05. Round Tables. en. 2019-05-12.
  11. Web site: Schultz . Marc . Children's Illustrator Kickstarts an Arts Center . www.publishersweekly.com . March 8, 2012.
  12. Web site: Filmmakers Launch Kickstarter Campaign for 'Fat Kid' Film. Publishers Weekly. en. 2019-05-12.
  13. Web site: Update 5: A Word From Illustrator R. Gregory Christie! · The Bessie Coleman Story, presented by Sweet Blackberry. Kickstarter. en. 2019-05-12.
  14. Web site: New Voices Writing Contest for Picture Books Lee & Low Books. www.leeandlow.com. 2019-05-12.
  15. Web site: 2015 Bluestem Book Award Nominees - Hennepin County Library. BiblioCommons. en-US. 2019-05-12.
  16. Web site: TeachingBooks.net Ezra Jack Keats Book Award, 1986-2019. www.teachingbooks.net. 2019-05-12.
  17. Web site: Award Finalists – Ohioana Library. June 22, 2017 . en-US. 2019-05-12.
  18. Web site: Winners. 2012-05-12. Western Writers of America. en-US. 2019-05-12.
  19. Web site: (Theodor Seuss) Geisel Award winners and honor books, 2006 - present. 1999-11-30. Association for Library Service to Children (ALSC). en. 2019-05-12.
  20. Web site: CCBC Booklists. ccbc.education.wisc.edu. 2019-05-12.

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