James Gurney
Dinotopia Map  1992

Though the exact location of the lost island of Dinotopia has not been charted, this "Dinosaur Utopia" is
geographically diverse.  Roughly two hundred miles wide, it is divided in the center by the Forbidden Mountains,
with wet jungles to the west and arid canyons and deserts to the east.

"I have always taken the view that Dinotopia actually exists," James Gurney has commented.  Told in the voice of
nineteenth-century explorer Arthur Denison, his story brings together his abiding interest in archaeology, lost-worlds,
and the ever-changing science of paleontology. Creating a map of the island  made Dinotopia real for the artist. 
"I drew its shape, placing mountains here and deserts there," which made it possible for him to take readers into the
far reaches of this magical world.

Illustration for Dinotopia: A Land Apart from Time
Oil on board

Link to image of plaque at Norman Rockwell Museum