Dean Morrissey grew up in Boston, spending his days imagining and drawing characters and poring over Disney matte paintings and comic books, to be replaced later by the works of Rembrandt, Vermeer, Pyle, and Wyeth. In the 1970s, Morrissey decided to devote himself to art full time and began working as a freelance book illustrator in New York. Morrissey has received the Society of Illustrators Gold Medal and The Chesley Award. He lives on the South Shore of Massachussetts.