Avi KatzAVI KATZ IS A VETERAN AMERICAN-BORN Israeli illustrator, cartoonist, and painter. His interest in SF/F illustration began early; while still a teenager in Philadelphia he sent a pack of his Lord of the Rings art to J.R.R. Tolkien, and received an entusiastic response from the author, who told him he was the first illustrator to portray the dwarves as he had intended.At age 20, while studying art at Berkeley, he was interviewed by John W. Campbell but decided to avoid the draft and Vietnam and complete his studies at the Bezalel Academy of Art in Jerusalem; he has made his home in Israel since then. He has been the staff illustrator of The Jerusalem Report magazine since its first issue in 1990 and is active in the international organization Cartooning for Peace, as well as the Association of Caricaturists in Israel. He has illustrated some 170 books in Israel and the USA, which have won the National Jewish Book Award, Hans Christian Andersen honors, the Ze'ev Prize, and others; he was a nominee for the lifetime achievement Astrid Lindgren Award.A founding member of the Israel Society for Science Fiction and Fantasy, Katz created many original book covers for SF/F published in Israel; his illustrations graced the covers of Society posters and all the issues of The Tenth Dimension fanzine over the decade of its publication. He has exhibited at various sci-fi conventions including WorldCon 2003 and was Guest of Honor at ICon 2002. He is featured in the book Masters of Science Fiction and Fantasy Art (Rockport Press). In 2000, Katz created for the Israeli Postal Service a three-stamp series on Science Fiction in Israel. Read More Read Less