Lars Grant-West was a country kid born in the big city of Manhattan. Regular outings to aquariums, zoos and the American Museum of Natural History fed what became a lifelong interest in all aspects of the natural world. He has ever after been afflicted with an obsession with the living things that share our planet. This quickly expanded to things that never lived...but...if things had happened just a little differently...might have.

After earning a BFA at the School of the Visual Arts (SVA) in NYC, Grant-West went on to pursue an illustration career. When the opportunity arose, he couldn't resist the lure of a job in the zoo field, where he worked designing and building exhibits. Eventually he launched a graphics department at the zoo and became its art director. During this time, he continued to work as a freelance illustrator, and after 12 years, eventually left the zoo to focus full-time on his work as an illustrator.

Academic research/areas of interest

• Natural sciences (all kinds)
• Animal physiology
• Skeletal cleaning
• Science fiction/fantasy/horror illustration

Fall 2018 Courses

• ILLUS-3924-01 Creature Lab
• ILLUS-8900-02 ISP Major

Spring 2019 Courses

• ILLUS-3938-01 Worldsmith