Visionary Artist
William Stout
“I paint murals that bring prehistoric worlds to life.”
All Creatures Great and Small
San Diego Natural History Museum
San Diego to Baja, CA Coast: 3.5 Million years ago; Pliocene Epoch
I don't take my job lightly; I consider this kind of work very important. Art is a vital conduit for scientific information. Artists can transform difficult-to-grasp scientific concepts that appear solely in scientific journals or at scientific conferences into powerful, easy-to-grasp visuals for the public.
I love that murals are BIG. Painting them is physical work; it's not sitting politely at a drawing table, moving only one's wrist. Murals require arm work. If the murals are tall enough, painting them involves using mechanical lifts.
Obviously, the science throughout this process is very important—but so is the art. Just as much as I am checking the picture's science, I am also constantly reviewing and revising the picture's design, edges, values (an artistic term meaning dark and light systems) and color.
Large murals depicting prehistoric life are never the work of just one person. Scientific research and approval for such murals comes from many sources; technical people with diverse skills and specialties are involved and, of course, the input, demands and feedback from the staff of the institution where the murals will be housed are of paramount importance to the muralist.
My abiding wish is that my murals will serve to open young eyes, fill them with wonder and inspire future artists and paleontologists the way that the murals of artists like Charles R. Knight inspired me as a child.
William Stout resides in Pasadena, California. Stout has 12 large murals depicting prehistoric life at the San Diego Museum of Natural History.
Visit www.sdnhm.org or www.williamstout.com
Coastal Majesty
San Diego Natural History Museum
Baja, CA Coast: 75 Million years ago; Late Cretaceous Period