Artist, visionary, innovator, and musician are just a few words that help describe Jon Rattenbury. An Artist of international stature, Rattenbury is probably best known for his attention to detail, his use of vibrant colors and light, and his portrayal of nature's awe-inspiring beauty. Through his work, we are able to experience a dreamlike vision of the natural world around us.
Born in Cheltenham, England in 1966, Rattenbury's family immigrated to America when he was just 3 years old settling in Northern California...
Artist, visionary, innovator, and musician are just a few words that help describe Jon Rattenbury. An Artist of international stature, Rattenbury is probably best known for his attention to detail, his use of vibrant colors and light, and his portrayal of nature's awe-inspiring beauty. Through his work, we are able to experience a dreamlike vision of the natural world around us.
Born in Cheltenham, England in 1966, Rattenbury's family immigrated to America when he was just 3 years old settling in Northern California. Though completely self-taught as an artist, Jon draws on his family and childhood experiences for his artistic ability. Both his mother and grandmother have strong musical talents. Most of Jon's childhood was spent with his twin brother, Tim, exploring the magnificent rolling hills, lush valleys and endless beauty of California. It was the splendor of the natural world around him that inspired him to start drawing at an early age. He explored many types of drawing techniques in pencil and ink. At the age of 13, he began experimenting with the use of color and light. Though he began painting with oils, Rattenbury soon discovered acrylics where he found his greatest passion.
Before becoming a full time artist Jon designed stained glass and etched glass windows for various companies. He also worked in a photo studio where he retouched and airbrushed photographs for magazines and commercial projects as well as in the printing industry where he learned all about the art of lithography. During this time, Rattenbury continued to learn and refine techniques that allowed him to grow as an artist.
In the 1990's, Rattenbury was discovered by a publisher in Southern California that gave him his first major gallery exposure. This led him to leave the printing business to pursue his painting full-time. Rattenbury's popularity grew as an increasing number of individuals found their place of peace and tranquility in his visions. In 2004, Jon founded Rattenbury Fine Arts, and he has been independently published since then. He continues to grow as an Artist, Musician, and an individual that cares deeply about the world around us.
Rattenbury's work has been displayed and sold at shows and galleries across the United States and internationally. He has experienced enduring success in Japan where his work continues to grow in popularity. Jon has appeared at numerous shows in Nagoya, Tokyo, Osaka, and Hiroshima and enjoys every opportunity to get to know and spend time with those individuals who are inspired by the images he feels so privileged to paint.
Between painting his inspirational works of art you will find Jon creating another passion of his, writing music. In 2007, he released a New Age album entitled "Eternal Spirit." His music has been played on numerous new age music stations and is available through many retailers including iTunes. In his life, the beauty of art and music go hand in hand.
Rattenbury's work has also been displayed at The International Licensing Show. He has a growing list of licensees that use his images for many different products including jigsaw puzzles, cross stitch patterns, wall murals, mosaic tile, and digital files for PSP tubes, screen savers, calendars and cards.
Jon currently resides in Northern California with his wife Jeanni, and their children Zackary and Bailey. When not in his studio, he enjoys spending time with family and friends, and, of course, taking in the great outdoors.
Like Norman Rockwell, Seuss personally created every rough sketch, preliminary drawing, final line drawing and finished work for each page of every project he illustrated. Despite the technical and budgetary limitations of color printing during the early and mid-twentieth century, Dr. Seuss the artist was meticulous about color selection. He created specially numbered color charts and elaborate color call-outs to precisely accomplish his vision for each book. Saturated reds and blues, for example, were carefully chosen for The Cat in the Hat to attract and maintain the visual attention of a six-year-old audience. By the time Seuss’s book career took off, sharp draftsman skills were evident in drawings. His ability to move a storyline ahead via illustrations filled with tension, movement and color became a hallmark component of his work, and the surreal images that unfolded over six decades became the catalyst for a humorous and inspired learning experience.
Artist Leo Rijn, the inaugural sculptor for the Dr. Seuss Tribute Collection I, was selected to launch this project due to his prized work with some of today’s top talent in the world of film, entertainment and the visual arts (including Tim Burton, Ang Lee and Steven Spielberg). Rijn has been identified as one of today’s brightest sculpting talents because of his ability to breathe life into the written word and successfully transform two-dimensional ideas into three-dimensional works of art. Universal Studios commissioned Leo to develop and oversee the creation of numerous maquette scale models for the Monumental Dr. Seuss Sculptures at Seuss Landing in Orlando, Florida. Leo was instrumental in the art direction for many of the sculpted characters and buildings now on display at this permanent Seuss attraction. His strikingly accurate Seuss works embody a masterful and intuitive Seussian sensibility, establishing him as a leading talent in interpretive sculpting.
Seuss embarked on an ingenious project in the early 1930s as he evolved from two-dimensional artworks to three-dimensional sculptures. What was most unusual for these mixed-media sculptures was the use of real animal parts including beaks, antlers and horns from deceased Forest Park Zoo animals where Seuss’s father was superintendent. Unorthodox Collection of Taxidermy was born in a cramped New York apartment and included a menagerie of inventive creatures with names like the “Two Horned Drouberhannis,” “Andulovian Grackler,” and “Semi-Normal Green-Lidded Fawn.” Shortly after Seuss created this unique collection of artworks, Look Magazine dubbed Seuss “The World’s Most Eminent Authority on Unheard-Of Animals.” To this day, Seuss’s Unorthodox Collection of Taxidermy remains as some of the finest examples of his inventive and multi-dimensional creativity.
Illustrator by day, surrealist by night, Seuss created a body of irrepressible work that redefines this American icon as an iconographic American artist. Yet, the Secret Art often shows a side of the artist that most readers, familiar with him through his classic children’s books, have never seen. This collection, created over a period of more than 60 years, encompasses the entirety of Seuss’s multi-dimensional talent. The artistic golden thread highlighted throughout this collection is apparent in each wildly imaginative and surreal Secret Art image. The Secret Art of Dr. Seuss is an inimitable collection of artworks created at night for his own personal enjoyment. These works were rarely, if ever, exhibited during his lifetime and provide a deeper glimpse into the art and life of this celebrated American Icon.
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