James Dean Pruner

James Dean Pruner (1951 – 1987/8) was an American painter, printmaker, draftsman, zinemaker, sculptor, and poet. Born in Lyons, Kansas, he also lived in Hays, Ellinwood, St. John, and in rural Stafford County, Kansas, where he farmed and maintained a studio. His works include a diverse range of subjects and styles, but with several consistent themes, including human relationships, animals and the land, and problems he associated with modern life, nuclear warfare, and technology. He produced more than 300 paintings, thousands of ink drawings, prints and etchings, silk-screened cards and posters, and more than 50 sculpture and assemblage pieces during his lifetime. Pruner's works can be found in the collection of the Spencer Museum of Art at The University of Kansas, at The Stone Gallery in Hays, KS, and in numerous private collections.

Early life and education Pruner was the second of three children born to Rosaleen Pruner (1928-1985) and Levon W. "Lee" Pruner (1922-2001).

1970s and 1980s "At 36, he'd become one of the Midwest's most distinctive painters and a colorful figure among the area's no-frills farm folk," writes Doug Hitchcock for Borderline magazine.

In 1987, Pruner withdrew from the gallery circuit he had frequented in Arizona, California, and Kansas. He began experimenting with carving stone, and created assemblages that were inspired by his friendship with William S. Burroughs, who was living in Lawrence, Kansas. He produced small paintings which replaced his former iconography with new figures; skeletons presided over chaotic scenes, and the window he had painted in many earlier works disappeared. Many of his images reflected on nuclear war and a devastated natural world. Pruner produced several zines, including: Hard-Nosed Harry (1979) One (1) Day Close to Hell (1979)

His images also illustrate the 1989 William S. Burroughs and Diane di Prima publication Stiletto One: A Ship of Fools.

Selected exhibitions 1998 James Dean Pruner Retrospective, at Moss-Thorns Gallery of Art, Fort Hays State University, Hays, Kansas (January 17-February 13) 1987 Group exhibition with Jeff Bertoncino, Carole Foster Blake, Leonel Góngora, and Agnese Udinotti, at Udinotti Gallery, 8756 Wonderland Ave., Los Angeles, California 90046 (March) The History of Man, at Sven & Me, 120 S. Main St., Lindsborg, Kansas (August 1–31) 1986 Stone Foundation, Hays, Kansas (April) 1985 A Cold Winter in Great Bend, KS, Kellas Gallery, 7 East 7th St., Lawrence, Kansas, 66044 (July 20 - August 24) 3D, Stone Gallery, 107 W. 6th St., Hays, Kansas (June 14-July 13) Man and Moon: J. Pruner Paintings, Improvisation, 8162 Melrose Ave., Los Angeles, California (February 26 - March 25) 1982 James Dean Pruner, Scissors/Paper/Stone Gallery, 1101 1/2 Mass St., Lawrence, Kansas (June 19 - July 17) 1976 Graduate Exhibition, College Art Building, Emporia Kansas State College, Emporia, Kansas (December 6–18) Udinotti Gallery, 4215 N. Marshall Way, Scottsdale, Arizona 85251

The James Dean Pruner Project Tell It To The Horses: The James Dean Pruner Project, a monographic publication and corresponding solo exhibition of James Dean Pruner's work is planned for 2016-2017 and is being coordinated by Laura A. L. Wellen of Houston, Texas, with support from Pruner's family.