WLM | art
WLM | art
To glean out the presidents ’ quirks and personalities , Zak had to do a great deal of research . He discovered that there were a lot of blank spots in his own knowledge of the presidents , as well as the history recorded about them . Some presidents we hear a lot about , others very little . His research included a trip to the National Portrait Gallery in Washington , D . C . ( which is one of his favorites ), to study the presidents and how other artists had painted them .
This treasure , The Presidents -- 239 at 1600 , a ten foot by three foot painting including all 43 presidents , was unveiled in Casper on February 27 , 2015 at the Nicolaysen Art Museum when Zak received the 2014 Governor ’ s Art Award . Zak feels that the utilization of his signature style in this piece allowed him to keep the personality of the individual accurate , as well as be reflective of their accomplishments in the White House , good or bad . A year and a half in the making , Mr . McMurry was very proud of the piece – both the outstanding talent displayed , and the fact that it was done by a born-and-bred Casper man who still makes his home there .
When I asked Zak what he saw in his future , he expressed that he hopes for more multiple character portraits . He has some ideas -- one of which is a portrait of the First Ladies . I can ’ t wait to see that one !
Zak lives in Casper with his wife , Renada , and his son , Houston .
Zak ’ s illustrations and paintings have been published in Golf World Penthouse , National Geographic Society , New York Times , Esquire , and many more . He has been accepted into the prestigious Society of Illustrators . His picture books have been published by Simon and Schuster , Penguin , G . P . Putman ’ s Sons and Sleeping Bear Press . Personalized , autographed copies of his titles are available for order through Casper ’ s Wind City Books , located at 152 S . Center Street . Give Wind City Books a call at 307.315.6003 . More information on Zak , his online store and more can be found at zacharypullen . com . WLM
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