Vincent Villafranca (born January 25, 1969) is an American sculptor. He creates bronze sculptures ranging from traditional wildlife imagery to futuristic science-fiction-based imagery.

Biography

Early life and education

Villafranca was born January 25, 1969, in

Monterey, California Monterey ( ; ) is a city situated on the southern edge of Monterey Bay, on the Central Coast (California), Central Coast of California. Located in Monterey County, California, Monterey County, the city occupies a land area of and recorded a popu ...

and spent his early years in

Venezuela Venezuela, officially the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela, is a country on the northern coast of South America, consisting of a continental landmass and many Federal Dependencies of Venezuela, islands and islets in the Caribbean Sea. It com ...

Mexico Mexico, officially the United Mexican States, is a country in North America. It is the northernmost country in Latin America, and borders the United States to the north, and Guatemala and Belize to the southeast; while having maritime boundar ...

and

Del Rio, Texas Del Rio (in Spanish language, Spanish, ''Del Río'', "from the river") is a city in and the county seat of Val Verde County, Texas, Val Verde County in southwestern Texas, United States. As of 2020 United States census, 2020, Del Rio had a popul ...

. Even at a young age, he used his unique imagination to create works of art out of common items, painting, sketching and creating small sculptures as a child. Much of his early work was influenced by television and film, particularly westerns and science-fiction films. He earned a B.A. in History from Southwest Texas State University in 1994 and apprenticed at Michael Hall's Studio Foundry during his final year of undergraduate studies.

Career

Villafranca has worked extensively with David Iles of Bolivar Bronze in Bolivar, Texas. In 2009, he created the physical bronze sculpture used as the

Bradbury Award The Ray Bradbury Nebula Award for Outstanding Dramatic Presentation (formerly the Ray Bradbury Award for Outstanding Dramatic Presentation) is given each year by the Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers Association (SFWA) for science fiction or fan ...

. This award is presented annually by the

Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America The Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America, doing business as Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers Association and commonly known as SFWA ( or ) is a nonprofit 501(c)(3) organization of professional science fiction and fantasy writers. Whi ...

as part of the Nebula Awards ceremony. In 2013, Villafranca designed and produced the

Hugo Awards The Hugo Award is an annual literary award for the best science fiction or fantasy works and achievements of the previous year, given at the World Science Fiction Convention (Worldcon) and chosen by its members. The award is administered by t ...

for the 71st World Science Fiction Convention. In 2016, the new

World Fantasy Award The World Fantasy Awards are a set of awards given each year for the best fantasy fiction published during the previous calendar year. Organized and overseen by the World Fantasy Convention, the awards are given each year at the eponymous ann ...

was debuted. Villafranca designed the award and creates the trophies every year. The trophy is that of a leafless tree in front of a full moon and replaced the bust of

H. P. Lovecraft Howard Phillips Lovecraft (, ; August 20, 1890 – March 15, 1937) was an American writer of Weird fiction, weird, Science fiction, science, fantasy, and horror fiction. He is best known for his creation of the Cthulhu Mythos. Born in Provi ...

whose rampant racism made many uncomfortable. World Fantasy decided a new award would honor the winners and Villafranca's design was chosen as the new trophy.

Marriage and children

Villafranca and Michelle Mitchell were married in Hays, Texas.

Awards

*2006: Best 3-D Art,

World Fantasy Convention The World Fantasy Convention is an annual science fiction convention, convention of professionals, collectors, and others interested in the field of fantasy. The World Fantasy Awards are presented at the event. Other features include an art sh ...

, "The Poacher's Nightmare" *2007: Body of Work, World Fantasy Convention *2008: Chesley Award, Best 3-D Art, "A Conscious Entity & Its Maker" *2008: Jurors' Award,

World Science Fiction Convention Worldcon, officially the World Science Fiction Convention, the annual convention of the World Science Fiction Society (WSFS), is a science fiction convention. It has been held each year since 1939 (except for the years 1942 to 1945, during Wor ...

, "The Celestial Itinerant" * 2009: Chesley Award, Best 3-D Art, "Otherworldly Procession" (Bronze) *2010: Chesley Award, Best 3-D Art, "The Switching Hour" *2012: Chesley Award, Best 3-D Art, "Robo-Bike"

References

External links

Villafranca Sculpture
{{DEFAULTSORT:Villafranca, Vincent 1969 births Living people Sculptors from Texas Texas State University alumni American science fiction artists American artists