James Harold Galleries (Lake Tahoe, CA)

Born on a small farm in rural Indiana, Jim Davis's asthma forced him inside and into drawing. Growing up with more than 25 cats, it's no wonder that in 1978 Davis created Garfield. The fat, lazy, lasagna-loving, cynical cat would soon catapult to the top, appearing in over 2400 newspapers worldwide, garnering four Emmy awards and starring in a top-rated Saturday morning cartoon. Along the way, Davis and Garfield also managed to compile a publishing recored that would make Stephen King jealous. Davis now overseas his own company where in addition to the animation art, he continues to develop comic strips, TV specials and a variety of books.