James Dean Pruner: A Biography

James Dean Pruner (1951-1987 or 1988) 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. 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 was an advocate for small-scale subsistence farming. Pruner received his BA and MA degrees in art at Emporia State University, and later produced a series of prints at The Lawrence Lithography Workshop in Lawrence, Kansas; one edition from this series is in the collection of The University of Kansas, Spencer Museum. Pruner produced several zines, including: One (1) Day Close to Hell; TV: Modern Man, Primitive Man; and Hard-Nosed Harry. Tell It to the Horses (2018) at Bermac Arts, for the Core Program at The Museum of Fine Arts, Houston is the first exhibition of his work in 20 years, and is made in conversation and with generous loans from Pruner's family and friends.