Creating a moment that communicates emotionally with the viewer is the essence of Gregory Manchess’ artwork. After two years as a studio illustrator with Hellman Design Associates, Manchess began a freelance illustration career in 1979. His illustrations have since appeared on the covers of Time, The Atlantic Monthly, and two Major league Baseball World Series Programs. Additional clients include Playboy, Omni, Newsweek, Smithsonian, Global Marine, and Federal Express, which commissioned four paintings for a display in the company’s offices, as well as for posters and greeting cards. He has illustrated movie posters for Paramount and Disney, and the portrait of a young Sean Connery in the Warner Brothers movie Finding Forrester. The portrait acts as a catalyst for the movies climax when Connery points to it, revealing his identity to a room full of students. In 2003 The History Channel commissioned Manchess to create portraits of the Russian Tsars, which were used as billboards, bus shelters, and print ads to promote their related documentary. He is currently working on an extensive project for the Abraham Lincoln Library and Museum.
Gregory Manchess has also worked for the National Geographic Society on many occasions, including an expedition to the Fond du Lac River in Saskatchewan for the 1966 article David Thompson: The Man Who Measured Canada, and illustrations for The Wreck of the C.S.C. Alabama. His illustrated children’s books include To Capture the Wind, Nanuk: Lord of the Ice, and the recently released Giving Thanks.
In 2001 Gregory Manchess was featured in Walt Reed’s The Illustrator in America: 1860-2000. The comprehensive publication represents 140 years of outstanding illustrators in America. He has been featured in Artist’s Magazine, Communication Arts, and Step-by-Step Graphics, which used his work for a 1996 cover. His work is also included in numerous juried annuals of these publications.
In 1999, Gregory Manchess was the recipient of the prestigious Hamilton King Award, and in 2000, the Stephan Dohanos Award, both from the Society of Illustrators in New York. His work has garnered a gold, and three silver medals from the same institution, as well as two silver medals and a Best in Show Award from the Society of Illustrators in Los Angeles. He has exhibited with the Eleanor Ettinger Galleries in New York and Hong Kong, and in 1997 was featured in a solo exhibition at Witham Gallery in Dayton, Ohio. He lectures frequently at universities and colleges nationwide.
Apart from illustration, Manchess pursues interests in environmental issues, hiking, and ninjutsu, the 900-year-old Japanese martial art. He resides in Beaverton, Oregon.
