Morrissey, Dean

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Morrissey, Dean

Personal

Born in MA; married; wife's name Shan; children: one son.

Addresses

Home—Eastern MA.

Career

Author and illustrator. Freelance artist, beginning late 1970s.

Awards, Honors

New York Times Best Illustrated Book citation, 1994, for Ship of Dreams; Society of Illustrators Gold Medal, 1997, for The Great Kettles; Chesley Award, 2002, for The Light Ship; Chesley Award nomination, 2003, for Anna of the Celts; numerous awards for book-cover illustration.

Writings

SELF-ILLUSTRATED

Ship of Dreams, Harry N. Abrams (New York, NY), 1994.

The Great Kettles: A Tale of Time, Harry N. Abrams (New York, NY), 1997.

The Christmas Ship, HarperCollins (New York, NY), 2000.

(With Stephen Krensky) The Moon Robber (part of "Magic Door" series), HarperCollins (New York, NY), 2001.

(With Stephen Krensky) The Winter King (part of "Magic Door" series), HarperCollins (New York, NY), 2002.

(With Stephen Krensky) The Monster Trap, HarperCollins (New York, NY), 2004.

(With Stephen Krensky) The Crimson Comet, HarperCollins (New York, NY), 2006.

ILLUSTRATOR

Robert E. Howard, Jewels of Gwahlur, Donald M. Grant (W. Kingston, RI), 1979.

Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, The Speckled Band, St. Martin's Press (New York, NY), 1987.

James Redfield and Dee Lillegard, The Song of Celestine, Little, Brown (Boston, MA), 1998.

Charles Dickens, A Christmas Carol, adapted by Stephen Krensky, HarperCollins (New York, NY), 2004.

Sidelights

A self-taught artist who was inspired to become an illustrator through his admiration for the work of painters ranging from Rembrandt to N.C. Wyeth, Dean Morrissey's detailed images have attracted the praise of children's book reviewers wherever they appear. In an appraisal of his illustrations for The Song of Celestine by James Redfield and Dee Lillegard, for instance, a Publishers Weekly reviewer wrote that "Morrissey's … gleaming oil paintings, with their painstaking detail, masterful use of light and deep, saturated colors," are reminiscent of paintings "of the Dutch masters." Establishing his career in New York City during the mid-1960s, Morrissey worked as a commercial artist specializing in illustrations for book covers. After ten years at this pursuit, he decided to pursue oil painting full time. His detailed, light-filled works are noted for their fantasy elements, their inventive elements, and their detailed composition.

Although he had worked in book illustration for many years, Morrissey's first original book for children, Ship of Dreams, did not appear until 1994. Featuring original oil paintings and a nostalgic tale about a boy named Joey, who finds himself transported up into the night sky where he joins the Sandman on his nightly rounds sprinkling dust onto sleeping children everywhere, Ship of Dreams transports readers via "magical" paintings in which "not a visual detail goes awry," according to a Publishers Weekly critic. Another early work, The Great Kettles: A Tale of Time, finds Joey once again heading skyward, this time in a homemade time machine in which he hopes to visit the Man in the Moon. In the imaginatively told The Christmas Ship, young Joey joins village toymaker Sam Thatcher in a magical boat and helps Sam aid Father Christmas in distributing toys around the world on Christmas Eve. "Morrissey fans will welcome another gathering of his lavishly light-filled, photographically realistic illustrations," noted Michael Cart in a Booklist review of The Christmas Ship, while a School Library Journal critic predicted that the book's "dark scenes with vibrantly jewel-toned figures … will appeal to many readers."

Although Morrissey's original self-illustrated books have been valued more for their lavish art than their texts, he has continued to hone his storytelling skills through his working relationship with writer prolific Stephen Krensky. Featuring the painters characteristically detailed illustrations and a coauthored text, the "Magic Door" series was the first collaboration between the two men. In series opener The Moon Robber, readers meet ten-year-old friends Michael and Sarah as they join six-year-old Joey (the star of other Morrissey titles) on a nostalgic fantasy in which they cross the Sea of Time and enter an alternate universe known as the land of the Great Kettles. Befriended by Captain Luna, whose job is to steer the moon across the night sky, the children take a ride in Luna's dirigible but are captured by a giant that is determined to steal the moon from the sky. Noting the story's appeal for children in the upper elementary grades, Booklist contributor Roger Leslie cited the "light fantasy and … clever twists" in The Moon Robber, adding that Morrissey's "detailed illustrations … give the text an old-world feel." In Publishers Weekly a critic faulted the story for its uneven pace, but concluded that Morrissey's art "will keep readers aloft throughout this flight of fancy."

The "Magic Door" series continues with The Winter King, which returns the children to the Great Kettles as they help restore the region's climate. The book's images "are gorgeously painted and generously imagined," wrote School Library Journal writer Susan Lissim, the critic adding that Morrissey's illustrations possess "far more heft and weight than [the book's] … wisp of a story."

In addition to their "Magic Door" series, Morrissey and Krensky have also teamed up to write the standalone novels The Monster Trap and The Crimson Comet. Praised by a Publishers Weekly reviewer as "an appealing tale set … in a bygone time," The Monster Trap finds young Paddy beset by imaginary worries while spending the night at his grandfather's house. After listening to a radio show about monsters, the boy becomes nervous in his unfamiliar surroundings, until his grandpa finds a lighthearted way of putting Paddy's worries to rest. The Publishers Weekly writer cited the story's "comforting conclusion," and added that the coauthor/illustrator "makes inventive use of light and playful perspectives." Kathleen Kelly MacMillan wrote in School Library Journal that Morrissey's shadowy paintings "capture the 1940s feel of the story, and the whimsical monsters will catch the eyes of kids." Reviewing The Crimson Comet, another nostalgic tale that finds two children on their way skyward to help the Man in the Moon, a Kirkus Reviews contributor dubbed the book a "nighttime fantasy overflowing with visual extravagance" and added that its text "provides the perfect blend of wonder and matter-of-fact."

Biographical and Critical Sources

PERIODICALS

Booklist, October 1, 2000, Michael Cart, review of The Christmas Ship, p. 348; April 15, 2001, Roger Leslie, review of The Moon Robber, p. 1559; April 15, 2002, GraceAnne A. DeCandido, review of The Winter King, p. 1418.

Kirkus Reviews, July 1, 2004, review of The Monster Trap, p. 634; October 1, 2006, review of The Crimson King, p. 1021.

New York Times Book Review, November 13, 1994, Stuart McLean, review of Ship of Dreams, p. 40.

Publishers Weekly, October 31, 1994, review of Ship of Dreams, p. 60; November 24, 1997, review of The Great Kettles: A Tale of Time, p. 72; June 22, 1998, review of The Song of Celestine, p. 90; September 25, 2000, review of The Christmas Ship, p. 72; June 11, 2001, review of The Moon Robber, p. 86; August 9, 2004, review of The Monster Trap, p. 250; October 2, 2006, review of The Crimson Comet, p. 63.

School Library Journal, October, 2000, review of The Christmas Ship, p. 61; September, 2001, Devon Gallagher, review of The Moon Robber, p. 200; July, 2002, Susan Lissim, review of The Winter King, p. 96; August, 2004, Kathleen Kelly MacMillan, review of The Monster Trap, p. 90; December, 2006, Piper L. Mayman, review of The Crimson Comet, p. 110.