Jon Van Zyle of Alaska was born in 1942. Much of his artistic inspiration has come from his Arctic adventures surrounding his two-time participation in the Iditarod Dog Race. In 1979, he was named the official Iditarod artist. He was inducted into the Iditarod Hall of Fame in 2004. A book of his life and art, The Best of Alaska - The Art of Jon Van Zyle was published in 1990. In addition, Jon has illustrated many children's books and his images have been used by Lennox for collectors plates, mugs and music boxes.