Keith Birdsong facts for kids

Keith Birdsong (born July 14, 1959 – died June 4, 2019) was a talented Muscogee Creek and Cherokee illustrator. He was best known for creating the amazing cover art for many Star Trek novels. His artwork often showed the characters from the Star Trek TV shows and movies in a very realistic way.

About Keith Birdsong

Early Life and Art Training

Keith Birdsong was born in Muskogee, Oklahoma. He lived there until he was 15 years old. He then moved to California and Texas for a year each. After that, he settled in Missouri. There, he finished school and got married.

Keith was a self-taught artist. This means he learned how to paint and draw on his own. He did not go to a special art school.

Military Service and Career

After finishing school, Keith joined the United States Army. He served in the 82nd Airborne Division. During his time in the Army, he worked on several illustration projects.

Later, Keith worked as a journalist. But he soon became a professional illustrator. He loved to use acrylic paint and colored pencils for his artwork.

Famous Works and Clients

Keith Birdsong created many famous illustrations. He made covers for Star Trek books. He also worked on books for the cyberpunk role-playing game called Shadowrun. He even illustrated children's books, like The Halloween Hex: Hi-Tech Howard.

His art was not just on book covers. You could also see his work in films. He designed collector's plates for companies like the Bradford Exchange. He also created designs for U.S. postage stamps. These included stamps honoring American Indian dance. He also designed six "Celebrate the Century" stamps that showed events from the 1960s.

Keith had a family he loved. This included his sister DeeJay Gaugh, his daughter Candice Jordan, and his two granddaughters.

Health and Passing

In June 2018, Keith had a serious health issue called a hemorrhagic stroke. Doctors thought he might not be able to walk, talk, or paint again. But Keith worked hard to get better. He recovered and was able to return to painting.

Sadly, Keith Birdsong passed away on June 4, 2019. He died from injuries he got in a car crash.

Notable Clients and Partnerships

Keith Birdsong worked with many important clients throughout his career. Some of them include:

• United States Post Office
• Paramount Studios
• NASA
• Lucas Film
• Simon & Schuster
• Pocket Books
• New American Library
• Berkley Books
• Bradford Exchange
• Random House
• Prentice Hall
• Harlequin
• Ace Books
• De Laurentiis Studios
• Penguin
• Roc

See also

• List of Native American artists
• Visual arts by indigenous peoples of the Americas