Charles Vess is an American fantasy artist and comics artist born on June 10, 1951, in Lynchburg, Virginia. He has specialized in the illustration of myths and fairy tales. His influences include British "Golden Age" book illustrator Arthur Rackham, Czech Art Nouveau painter Alphonse Mucha, and comic-strip artist Hal Foster, among others. Vess has won several awards for his illustrations.

Charles's art has been featured in many gallery and museum exhibitions across the nation, as well as in Spain, Portugal, the UK, Italy, and France. His work was included in the first major exhibition of Science Fiction and Fantasy Art at the New Britain Museum of American Art in 1980.

Over his 45-year career, Vess has won the Ink Pot Award for Excellence in Comic Art (1990), the World Fantasy Award multiple times, the Will Eisner Comic Industry Award for Best Penciler/Inker, and numerous other accolades. His collaboration with Neil Gaiman on the Sandman comic short story "A Midsummer Night's Dream" became the first comic to win the World Fantasy Award.

Vess' studio, Green Man Press, is located in Abingdon, Virginia. He has collaborated with authors like Neil Gaiman, Charles de Lint, and others on various projects. His significant works include illustrations for "Stardust," "The Books of Earthsea," and many more.

Charles and his wife Karen live with their four cats in the Appalachian foothills. He is known for his detailed, ethereal, light-and-shadow infused work, and he continues to win accolades and praise in the field of art and illustration.