David J. Blossom

Though born in Chicago, Illinois, Blossom lived most of his life on the East Coast. Growing up in Rye, New York, he later moved with his family to Westport, Connecticut in 1963, where he lived until his death. Early in his career, he worked as an art director at Young & Rubicam, a communications company, where he specialized in advertising for the Ford Motor Company and Pan American Airways. His work in illustration included covers for romance novels and popular magazines such as "Outdoor Life" and "Reader's Digest". Blossom is also known for creating movie posters for such Clint Eastwood westerns as "The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly", "A Fistful of Dollars", and "A Few Dollars More". In its annual awards for excellence to deserving artists, the Society of Illustrators awarded the Hamilton King award to Blossom for best illustration of the year in 1973.