Keith Birdsong obit

Muskogee art legend Keith Birdsong dies

 

He was not on the list.

Keith Birdsong, 59, born and raised in Muskogee, died today from injuries sustained in a car wreck. He had spent the last year recovering from a massive brain bleed.

Birdsong was an in-demand artist whose work graced TV shows, book covers and even US Postal stamps. He is most famous for his work with TV and movie property Star Trek, for which he created photo-realistic renditions of space ships and cast members ranging from William Shatner to Chris Pine. He used a technique that blended colored pencils and a concoction he called “acrylic wash” to create his works of art.

Using local models, Birdsong also created ethereal works of art depicting complex themes.

Services are scheduled at 2 p.m. June 14 — a month before what would have been his 60th birthday — at Christian Chapel in Muskogee, 4043, Chandler Road.

A self-taught artist, Birdsong grew up in Muskogee, Oklahoma, until the age of 15. He subsequently moved to California and later to Texas, spending a year in each state. He then moved to Missouri, where he finished school and got married before joining the United States Army. He served in the 82nd Airborne Division. He completed several illustration projects for the Army during this time. He self-identified as being of Cherokee and Muscogee descent.

Birdsong worked as a journalist before becoming a professional illustrator. His chosen medium was acrylic paint and colored pencil. He did illustration work for Star Trek, books of the cyberpunk role-playing game Shadowrun, and children's books such as The Halloween Hex: Hi-Tech Howard.

In addition to book covers, Birdsong's work has appeared in films, on collectors' plates for the Hamilton Collection and the Bradford Exchange, and on U.S. postage stamps, including an issuance honoring American Indian dance and six "Celebrate the Century" stamps that commemorated the 1960s.

 

Birdsong's family includes Sheila Corley, his sister DeeJay Gaugh, his daughter Candice Jordan, and two granddaughters.

Notable clients

United States Post Office

Paramount Studios

NASA

Lucasfilm

Simon & Schuster

Pocket Books

New American Library

Berkley Books

Bradford Exchange

Random House

Prentice Hall

Harlequin

Ace Books

De Laurentiis Studios

Penguin

Roc Books