To dream is one thing. To create that dream with single-minded artistic determination is another. James Gurney is that rare artist for whom childhood fantasy became an adult reality, with all his experiences and accomplishments contributing to the knowledge needed to make the dream come true. The concept is simplicity itself: what if dinosaurs evolved into the intellectual equals of man and remained alive on a single, mythical island? Not a utopia, but a Dinotopia, with a science and lifestyle far more Earth-friendly than our own.

To create this world, Gurney needed knowledge…a lot of knowledge. He graduated from the University of California at Berkeley with a degree in anthropology, then studied further at the Pasadena Art Ce...