Portrait of a mature man with gray hair in a cozy art studio, featuring artworks and wooden accents, representing creativity and artistic passion at Visual Arts Passage.

Guest Artist: C. F. Payne

Chris Payne is an iconic illustrator. His career remains a north star for many of the most accomplished working artists today.

About C.F. Payne

C.F. Payne is an illustrator and arts educator with a passion for drawing.  His work has appeared in publications such as Time, Der Spiegel, The New York Times, Rolling Stone, MAD, Boys Life, Atlantic Monthly, AARP, the Wall Street Journal and many other national and international publications.

John Lithgow’s The Remarkable Farkle McBride and Micawber, Steve Martin’s Late for School and Mark Kelly’s Mousetronaut and Mousetronaut Goes to Mars are just a few of the twenty children’s books C.F. has illustrated. Others include The Adventures of Tom Sawyer, Casey at the Bat, To Dare Mighty Things: The Life of Theodore Roosevelt and Ogden Nash’s Line Up for Yesterday.

His work has been exhibited at the National Portrait Gallery, Norman Rockwell Museum, Mazza Museum, Cincinnati Art Museum and others around the world. He is the subject of the movie: C.F. Payne: An American Illustrator.

He has received Gold Medals from the Society of Illustrators in 1993 and 1996, Silver Medals in 1992, 1996, 1998, 1999 and 2001. He received the Hamilton King Award for excellence in illustration in 1995 and the Society of Illustrators Distinguished Educator Award in 2012. The National Cartoonist’s Society awarded him the Illustration Award in 2002 and the Book Illustration Award in 2003. In 2017, he won the Individual Artist Governor’s Award for the Arts in Ohio. Communication Arts awarded him the Award of Excellence in 2020.

Courses Now Enrolling

Illustration & Fine Arts students gain access to all guest artist events.

Other Guest Artists

Colorful cityscape featuring residential buildings with distinctive window designs and warm lighting, highlighting urban architecture and artistic shadow play. Guest artist feature at Visual Arts Passage showcases creative community engagement in contemporary art.
Vibrant, colorful mural artwork by guest artist featuring playful caricature with bold lines and engaging street art style at Visual Arts Passage.
Greeting card art featuring a humorous, close-up portrait of Santa Claus with a playful expression and detailed facial features, highlighting festive holiday artwork for visual arts exhibitions.
Vibrant digital portrait of a woman with purple hair surrounded by colorful flowers, highlighting the diverse artwork featured by Visual Arts Passage.
Vibrant watercolor artwork by guest artist at Visual Arts Passage featuring abstract figures and nature-inspired scenery in warm pink and green tones.
Vivid green ivy-covered mural featuring a mysterious face peering through leaves, showcasing talented guest artist work at Visual Arts Passage.

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