James Gurney
The Excursion 1995

In this bucolic scene, a long-necked Camarasaurus leads a picnic party into the quiet Slumberbund Valley. Compared with the sprightly Ornithomimus walking alongside, his gait is smooth and stately.

Before painting the Camarasaurus, James Gurney built a scale model and placed it outdoors to study the effect of light and shadow on its form. He and his son then posed for photographs as the dinosaur's human riders. The scene's backdrop was based upon field studies created in New York's Hudson River Valley, where the artist frequently paints on location.

Illustration for Dinotopia: The World Beneath
Oil on canvas mounted to plywood

Link to image of plaque at Norman Rockwell Museum