Barry Kooser
| Barry R. Kooser | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Born |
December 23, 1968 Wheat Ridge, Colorado |
| Residence | Colorado |
| Alma mater | Kansas City Art Institute |
| Occupation |
Animator Background artist, Disney Painter, Kooser Gallery CCO, Worker Studio |
| Website |
worker-studio.com koosergallery.com |
Barry R. Kooser is an American artist, painter, and animation filmmaker who worked at Walt Disney Feature Animation Studios between 1992 and 2003 as a background artist on films such as The Lion King, Pocahontas, Mulan, Lilo & Stitch, and as background supervisor on Brother Bear. After leaving Disney, he worked independently as a painter exhibiting and selling fine art in galleries around the US. While teaching animation and story-boarding at Rocky Mountain College of Art + Design, he met Worker Studio founder Michael "Ffish" Hemschoot, and became a partner at the Colorado animation studio and its chief creative officer at one time, now serving as a consulting art director.[1][2]
Early Life and education
Born in Wheat Ridge, Colorado, Kooser grew up in the neighboring city of Arvada, where he graduated from Arvada West High School in 1987. He received a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Illustration from Kansas City Art Institute in 1991. After a summer internship at Walt Disney Feature Animation Studios in Orlando, Florida, Kooser was hired at the studio as a background artist.[3]
Influences
Noting his influences in an article, Kooser selected 5 production designs that continue to inspire him creatively. The selections include Disney's Lady and the Tramp, Tyrus Wong's work on Bambi, Dennis Gassner and Richard L. Johnson's work on Road to Perdition, Ralph McQuarrie's work on Star Wars, and Dean Mitzner's work on Tron.[4]
Disney years
Kooser's first film at Disney Animation Studios was as an in between artist on the Roger Rabbit animated short, Trail Mix-Up in 1993. He continued to work as a background artist on projects at Disney's Orland, Florida Studio, including the features The Lion King, Pocahontas, Mulan, and Lilo & Stitch.
In 2001, as background supervisor on Brother Bear, Kooser and his team traveled to Jackson Hole, Wyoming and studied with Western landscape painter Scott Christensen, where they learned to: "simplify objects by getting the spatial dimensions to work first and working in the detail later."[5]
Filmography
| Year | Film | Credit | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1993 | Trail Mix-Up | In-between artist | Short film |
| 1994 | The Lion King | Background artist | |
| 1994 | Disney's Animated Storybook: The Lion King | Background artist | Video game |
| 1995 | Pocahontas | Background artist | |
| 1998 | Mulan | Background artist | |
| 2002 | Lilo & Stitch | Background journeyman | |
| 2003 | Brother Bear | Background supervisor | |
See also
References
- ↑ Gangelhoff, Bonnie. "Emerging Artists | Barry Kooser". F+W Media, Inc. Retrieved June 20, 2013.
- ↑ Porter, Steve. "Worker Studio makes moving messages to help companies tell their stories". InnovatioNews. Retrieved June 20, 2013.
- ↑ "Barry Kooser". Zoom Information, Inc. Retrieved June 20, 2013.
- ↑ Cangialosi, Jason. "Worker Studio's Barry Kooser: Top 5 Production Designs". Yahoo!. Retrieved January 20, 2014.
- ↑ Dercksen, Daniel E. "nature calls: creating a naturalistic look". Daniel E. Dercksen/ The Writing Studio/ The Write Agency. Retrieved June 20, 2013.
External links
- Barry Kooser IMDB Page
- Kooser Gallery Fine Art
- Worker Studio Team Page – Barry Kooser
- Barry Kooser on Panel at 2013 Denver Comic Con – Denver Comic Con 2013: So You Wanna Be a Concept Artist