Mark Ulriksen
Encyclopedia
Mark Ulriksen is an award winning American
painter
and magazine
illustrator.
and University of Massachusetts, Amherst
, Ulriksen's first major position was as art director
of San Francisco Magazine (formerly San Francisco Focus magazine) from 1986 until 1993, when he began to devote all his time and attention to painting and illustrating.
, a relationship with has continued to this day. His contributions made history for the magazine with the first cover illustrating the content of the issue (the White House
under then-President
Clinton
, which was also the first issue to include, in the article, further small pictures illustrating the content of the article. Since then he has been a regular contributor to the magazine, and has been responsible for numerous cover images. In addition, he has (on multiple occasions) been paired with the noted baseball writer Roger Angell
to illustrate the New Yorker's annual baseball
season wrap
.
, GQ Magazine, Entertainment Weekly
, Time Magazine
, and Newsweek
, and his work features in the permanent collection of The Smithsonian
, the Library of Congress
and the Galleria Nazionale d'Arte Moderna
(the Museum of Contemporary Art), Rome
.
, as well as drawing on his family and friends (in a manner akin to Norman Rockwell
) to serve as anonymous
subjects for his illustrations. It is a style that is expressionistic, quirky, angular, and painterly, with exaggerated features (usually very small hands and feet), but which captures the essence of his subjects dead-on with sweetness, light humor, and joy.
Ulriksen's cover for the February 27, 2006 edition of The New Yorker won the 2006 American Society of Magazine Editors
award for Best News Magazine Cover. The cover, titled Watch Your Back Mountain was prompted by the hunting incident
earlier in the month when Vice President
Dick Cheney
accidentally shot and injured Harry Whittington
. The cover depicts Cheney and President
George W. Bush
dressed as cowboys, with Cheney holding a smoking shotgun
and Bush lurking behind him, in homage to the 2005 film Brokeback Mountain. The ASME, in announcing the award, said that the image "evokes both the smugness of a vice president implicated in catastrophe and the cluelessness of a president incapable of stopping him".
Ulriksen is the recipient of a Gold Medal
from the Society of Illustrators
.
(in particular The Giants
and The Boston Red Sox
), Ulriksen is married to the photographer Leslie Flores. They live in Cole Valley, San Francisco with their two daughters and their chocolate Labrador
, Henry.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
painter
Painting
Painting is the practice of applying paint, pigment, color or other medium to a surface . The application of the medium is commonly applied to the base with a brush but other objects can be used. In art, the term painting describes both the act and the result of the action. However, painting is...
and magazine
Magazine
Magazines, periodicals, glossies or serials are publications, generally published on a regular schedule, containing a variety of articles. They are generally financed by advertising, by a purchase price, by pre-paid magazine subscriptions, or all three...
illustrator.
Education and early professional life
After studying at California State University, ChicoCalifornia State University, Chico
California State University, Chico is the second-oldest campus in the twenty-three-campus California State University system. It is located in Chico, California, about ninety miles north of Sacramento...
and University of Massachusetts, Amherst
University of Massachusetts Amherst
The University of Massachusetts Amherst is a public research and land-grant university in Amherst, Massachusetts, United States and the flagship of the University of Massachusetts system...
, Ulriksen's first major position was as art director
Art director
The art director is a person who supervise the creative process of a design.The term 'art director' is a blanket title for a variety of similar job functions in advertising, publishing, film and television, the Internet, and video games....
of San Francisco Magazine (formerly San Francisco Focus magazine) from 1986 until 1993, when he began to devote all his time and attention to painting and illustrating.
Relationship with The New Yorker magazine
Ulriksen's first significant illustration assignments came in 1993 from The New Yorker, at the time under the helm of editor Tina BrownTina Brown
Tina Brown, Lady Evans, CBE , is a journalist, magazine editor, columnist, talk-show host and author of The Diana Chronicles, a biography of Diana, Princess of Wales. Born a British citizen, she took United States citizenship in 2005 after emigrating in 1984 to edit Vanity Fair...
, a relationship with has continued to this day. His contributions made history for the magazine with the first cover illustrating the content of the issue (the White House
White House
The White House is the official residence and principal workplace of the president of the United States. Located at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue NW in Washington, D.C., the house was designed by Irish-born James Hoban, and built between 1792 and 1800 of white-painted Aquia sandstone in the Neoclassical...
under then-President
President of the United States
The President of the United States of America is the head of state and head of government of the United States. The president leads the executive branch of the federal government and is the commander-in-chief of the United States Armed Forces....
Clinton
Bill Clinton
William Jefferson "Bill" Clinton is an American politician who served as the 42nd President of the United States from 1993 to 2001. Inaugurated at age 46, he was the third-youngest president. He took office at the end of the Cold War, and was the first president of the baby boomer generation...
, which was also the first issue to include, in the article, further small pictures illustrating the content of the article. Since then he has been a regular contributor to the magazine, and has been responsible for numerous cover images. In addition, he has (on multiple occasions) been paired with the noted baseball writer Roger Angell
Roger Angell
Roger Angell is an American essayist. He has been a regular contributor to The New Yorker and was its chief fiction editor for many years...
to illustrate the New Yorker's annual baseball
Baseball
Baseball is a bat-and-ball sport played between two teams of nine players each. The aim is to score runs by hitting a thrown ball with a bat and touching a series of four bases arranged at the corners of a ninety-foot diamond...
season wrap
Wrap
Wrap is something in which an object is encased, enclosed, or covered.Wrap may also refer to:-Storage and preservation:* Overwrap, a wrapping of items in a package or a wrapping over packages...
.
Other work
Ulriksen has also contributed to Rolling Stone Magazine, Vibe MagazineVIBE
Vibe is a music and entertainment magazine founded by producer Quincy Jones. The publication predominantly features R&B and hip-hop music artists, actors and other entertainers...
, GQ Magazine, Entertainment Weekly
Entertainment Weekly
Entertainment Weekly is an American magazine, published by the Time division of Time Warner, that covers film, television, music, broadway theatre, books and popular culture...
, Time Magazine
Time (magazine)
Time is an American news magazine. A European edition is published from London. Time Europe covers the Middle East, Africa and, since 2003, Latin America. An Asian edition is based in Hong Kong...
, and Newsweek
Newsweek
Newsweek is an American weekly news magazine published in New York City. It is distributed throughout the United States and internationally. It is the second-largest news weekly magazine in the U.S., having trailed Time in circulation and advertising revenue for most of its existence...
, and his work features in the permanent collection of The Smithsonian
Smithsonian Institution
The Smithsonian Institution is an educational and research institute and associated museum complex, administered and funded by the government of the United States and by funds from its endowment, contributions, and profits from its retail operations, concessions, licensing activities, and magazines...
, the Library of Congress
Library of Congress
The Library of Congress is the research library of the United States Congress, de facto national library of the United States, and the oldest federal cultural institution in the United States. Located in three buildings in Washington, D.C., it is the largest library in the world by shelf space and...
and the Galleria Nazionale d'Arte Moderna
Galleria Nazionale d'Arte Moderna
Galleria Nazionale d'Arte Moderna, or the National Gallery of Modern Art , is an art gallery in Rome, Italy, dedicated to modern art....
(the Museum of Contemporary Art), Rome
Rome
Rome is the capital of Italy and the country's largest and most populated city and comune, with over 2.7 million residents in . The city is located in the central-western portion of the Italian Peninsula, on the Tiber River within the Lazio region of Italy.Rome's history spans two and a half...
.
Artistic style
Ulriksen's style incorporates his loves of dogs and baseballBaseball
Baseball is a bat-and-ball sport played between two teams of nine players each. The aim is to score runs by hitting a thrown ball with a bat and touching a series of four bases arranged at the corners of a ninety-foot diamond...
, as well as drawing on his family and friends (in a manner akin to Norman Rockwell
Norman Rockwell
Norman Percevel Rockwell was a 20th-century American painter and illustrator. His works enjoy a broad popular appeal in the United States for their reflection of American culture. Rockwell is most famous for the cover illustrations of everyday life scenarios he created for The Saturday Evening...
) to serve as anonymous
Anonymity
Anonymity is derived from the Greek word ἀνωνυμία, anonymia, meaning "without a name" or "namelessness". In colloquial use, anonymity typically refers to the state of an individual's personal identity, or personally identifiable information, being publicly unknown.There are many reasons why a...
subjects for his illustrations. It is a style that is expressionistic, quirky, angular, and painterly, with exaggerated features (usually very small hands and feet), but which captures the essence of his subjects dead-on with sweetness, light humor, and joy.
Awards won
American Society of Magazine Editors
The American Society of Magazine Editors is an industry trade group for editors of magazines published in the United States. The group advocates on behalf of member organizations with respect to First Amendment issues, and serves as a networking hub for editors and other industry employees...
award for Best News Magazine Cover. The cover, titled Watch Your Back Mountain was prompted by the hunting incident
Dick Cheney hunting incident
The Dick Cheney hunting incident occurred on February 11, 2006, when then U.S. Vice President Dick Cheney shot Harry Whittington, a 78-year-old Texas attorney, while participating in a quail hunt on a ranch in Kenedy County, Texas...
earlier in the month when Vice President
Vice President of the United States
The Vice President of the United States is the holder of a public office created by the United States Constitution. The Vice President, together with the President of the United States, is indirectly elected by the people, through the Electoral College, to a four-year term...
Dick Cheney
Dick Cheney
Richard Bruce "Dick" Cheney served as the 46th Vice President of the United States , under George W. Bush....
accidentally shot and injured Harry Whittington
Harry Whittington
Harry M. Whittington is an American lawyer, real estate investor, and political figure from Austin, Texas who received international media attention on February 11, 2006, when he was shot by Vice President Dick Cheney while hunting quail with two women on a ranch in Kenedy County, Texas, near...
. The cover depicts Cheney and President
President of the United States
The President of the United States of America is the head of state and head of government of the United States. The president leads the executive branch of the federal government and is the commander-in-chief of the United States Armed Forces....
George W. Bush
George W. Bush
George Walker Bush is an American politician who served as the 43rd President of the United States, from 2001 to 2009. Before that, he was the 46th Governor of Texas, having served from 1995 to 2000....
dressed as cowboys, with Cheney holding a smoking shotgun
Shotgun
A shotgun is a firearm that is usually designed to be fired from the shoulder, which uses the energy of a fixed shell to fire a number of small spherical pellets called shot, or a solid projectile called a slug...
and Bush lurking behind him, in homage to the 2005 film Brokeback Mountain. The ASME, in announcing the award, said that the image "evokes both the smugness of a vice president implicated in catastrophe and the cluelessness of a president incapable of stopping him".
Ulriksen is the recipient of a Gold Medal
Gold medal
A gold medal is typically the medal awarded for highest achievement in a non-military field. Its name derives from the use of at least a fraction of gold in form of plating or alloying in its manufacture...
from the Society of Illustrators
Society of Illustrators
The Society of Illustrators is a professional society based in New York City. Founded in 1901, the mission of the Society is to promote the art and appreciation of illustration, as well as its history...
.
Personal life
A life-long fan of baseballBaseball
Baseball is a bat-and-ball sport played between two teams of nine players each. The aim is to score runs by hitting a thrown ball with a bat and touching a series of four bases arranged at the corners of a ninety-foot diamond...
(in particular The Giants
San Francisco Giants
The San Francisco Giants are a Major League Baseball team based in San Francisco, California, playing in the National League West Division....
and The Boston Red Sox
Boston Red Sox
The Boston Red Sox are a professional baseball team based in Boston, Massachusetts, and a member of Major League Baseball’s American League Eastern Division. Founded in as one of the American League's eight charter franchises, the Red Sox's home ballpark has been Fenway Park since . The "Red Sox"...
), Ulriksen is married to the photographer Leslie Flores. They live in Cole Valley, San Francisco with their two daughters and their chocolate Labrador
Labrador Retriever
The Labrador Retriever is one of several kinds of retriever, a type of gun dog. A breed characteristic is webbed paws for swimming, useful for the breed's original purpose of retrieving fishing nets. The Labrador is the most popular breed of dog by registered ownership in Canada, the United...
, Henry.