Minney graduated from
Oakland High in 1946, he attended the
California School of Arts and Crafts. After graduation, he married his high school sweetheart, Doris Schulz, and worked as a fireman in nearby
Orinda as he tried to launch his art career. In 1955, he moved to
New York City. Doris got a job in advertising with
Doyle, Dane, Bernbach, while Minney stayed home with his daughter and created samples. Eventually, he met Eddie Balcourt, an artist's representative, and began his career as a professional illustrator. Minney did many credited and uncredited illustrations for
Stag,
For Men Only,
Male,
True Action,
Man’s World and many other publications of
Magazine Management. He also did all the interior illustrations for the short-lived
Space Science Fiction Magazine. During the 1960s, readership of the men’s adventure magazines dropped and jobs were harder to come by. One of the last men’s adventure magazine illustration Minney did was for
National Lampoon in November 1970. From 1969 to 1986, Minney created over 400 paperback illustrations in oils and acrylic for
Grosset & Dunlap,
Avon,
Fawcett,
Harlequin,
Ace,
Pinnacle,
Manor Books, and
Pyramid. Among the titles he illustrated were: the
Lone Ranger series
Horatio Hornblower series, and Windhaven series. Minney was the featured artist in
Illustration magazine #40. His work was also featured in
the Season 5 episode "Going Hollywood" of the History Channel series
American Pickers, which aired on August 5, 2013. In the 1990s and into the 2000s, Minney worked in ceramics and exhibited his works at many arts and crafts shows in California and Florida. ==References==