A Christy Morning

Just because I ran into a man carrying a nice Howard Chandler Christy drawing on my way to work this morning.

A Good Morning

I know you’re all sick of me talking about Stephan Martiniere but this morning I came in to find these three paintings waiting in my email. I just had to share...or is it brag?

Sorry to say, you wont see these in the stores very soon -- they are all for books publishing about three quarters of a year or more away, but, such is the sales schedule.

Dragons of Babel by Michael Swanwick
An Autumn War, the next volume in Daniel Abraham’s The Long Price Quartet
A new author for us, William H. Drinkard’s Elom.

Now, it's off to the designers with them.

Spring

Yay! It’s finally Spring here in New York. You can tell from the sprouting of metal trees and electronic bird songs in Madison Square Park. Backdrop: the Flatiron building where Tor lives.

Call for Adult Artists with Asperger’s Syndrome

A good friend of mine, Shelia Berry, is curating an exhibit of artwork created by artists with Asperger’s Syndrome. It is often speculated that a disproportionately large percentage of the science fiction and fantasy community has AS. A big part of the exhibit's mission, besides promoting the artists, is to educate others about Asperger's so, pass the word on!

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Andy Warhol, Thomas Edison, and Albert Einstein are all thought to have had Asperger's Syndrome (AS). Affected individuals usually have normal to superior intelligence, but sustained social impairments making traditional employment difficult. AS is an innate neurological condition that promotes hyperfocus on intense interests. With support—creativity and innovation can flourish. Those with AS may make remarkable works of art and major contributions to our world.

We are looking for works by artists over 18 years old, who have been diagnosed with AS. Two dimensional art and small sculpture accepted. Works available for sale. No commission charged.

Submission deadline: June 15, 2007
There is no entry fee.

Please submit by email to Kathy Clark at ktigheclark@aim.com, 617-491-0280. Include:

• Name, address, phone number, e-mail
• List with: titles/mediums/dimensions/year completed
• A brief statement about your work

The Art Committee of the Asperger's Association of New England will select up to three pieces from each artist.

Art will be exhibited in three locations:

• John Hancock Center, Boston, MA on September 28, 2007 during the Asperger's Association Annual Conference
  
• Cambridge Multicultural Arts Center, Cambridge, MA, January 2008
• Honan-Allston branch of the Boston Public Library, Allston, MA, May 2008.

For additional information, please contact curators: sheilaberry@braid.com 781.648.6375, or ktigheclark@aim.com 617.491.0280

To learn more about Asperger's Syndrome, please visit www.aane.org

Stephen King weighs in on covers that “communicate nothing.”

MicroVisions in Spectrum!

Congrats to Adam Rex, Jon Foster, Vincent Di Fate, and Boris Vallejo. Their mini paintings from the MicroVisions student scholarship fundraising auction have been selected to appear in Spectrum 14. I’m thrilled to see their efforts continue to live beyond the auction and the students that will benefit from it.

Amazing Visions Opening

I didn't make it out to the Amazing Visions opening but Greg Manchess did, and he sent along these pictures. It looks like a nice presentation and a nice crowd. Good luck to the artists, I know a number of the paintings are already sold.

PICTURED: Crowds. Brom, Todd Lockwood, and Brain Despain
PAINTING: Brian Despain.

Charles Vess Lecture: May 2nd, NY

UPDATE: Charles talks about the talk here. And mentions a Jim Hanley’s Universe signing on Friday, May 4th. And sends me some images that will be discussed at the lecture – seen to the left.


CHARLES VESS
Part Seen, Part Imagined
An informal visual survey of three predominate threads of the fantastic in the arts: the English fairy painters, the American pulp tradition, and the visionary artist.

Wednesday May 2nd, 2007
6:30 PM
$10.00 / $6.00 students
Society of Illustrators
128 East 63rd Street
New York, NY 10021
212.838.2560
info@societyillustrators.org

I had the pleasure of seeing part of this lecture on Charles’ laptop at a bar in Austin. He covered a lot of great obscure and well-known paintings from 19th Century up through today. I’m very much looking forward to hearing the full lecture.

A new deluxe edition of Stardust will go on sale that same Wednesday.

[Earlier post on the collaboration between Charles and Michael Kaluta on Fables: 1001 Nights of Snowfall.]

LEFT ROW: Quint Buchholtz, Yevgeny Rachev, Ivan Bilibin
RIGHT ROW: Frantisek Kupka, Eugene Grasset, Arnold Bocklin

Easter = Leyendecker

Happy jelly beans and chocolate bunnies.

Because I have had countless lunches, and way too many slices of pumpkin pie, sitting under this J.C. Leyendecker "Easter" painting at the Society, Easter and Leyendecker go hand in hand to me. (Of course, as the man that invented the New Year’s Baby the same could be said for that holiday. And he did help solidify the look of the modern day Santa. But anyway....) Has there ever been an illustrator with more elegance and grace, or with such an impeccable sense of design and control without loosing the life and playfulness of a painting? I doubt it.

Truly, Leyendecker's work must be seen in person. His signature linear brush strokes are so confidently placed that he never over-paints the surface, often leaving canvas and underpainting to show through as textures that are difficult to appreciate in reproduction. Lucky for me, there is only 660 days left before this Leyendecker show gets to my neck of the woods. Woo-hoo!

For great detail shoots from the exhibit, check out this Ey Foo series: Part one, two, and three.

Stephan Martiniere: Hugo Nominee Profile

The fifth and final Hugo Nominee profile. Although I have opinions about who I think should win this particular year (which I won’t share here, I’m afraid) in the long run they are all excellent and deserving artists. I hope all those judging this category take some time and look through each of the nominees' websites and think about who has made the most effect on you personally and the most impact on the field generally.

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Stephan Martiniere attended high school at one of the most renowned art schools in Paris. Since then he has worked between Asia and the United States in almost every visual media.

He has worked as a director for television animation series, including the musical adaptation Madeleine which received the ACT Awards, the Parent’s Choice Award and an Emmy nomination. Stephan created environments for theme parks and designed motion rides such as “Star Trek: The Experience” and “The Race For Atlantis” in Las Vegas. These projects led him to Hollywood, where he had the opportunity to design for the feature films Virus, The Astronaut's Wife, Red Planet, I, Robot, and Star Wars: Attack of the Clones and Revenge of the Sith. Currently Stephan works as an art director for Midway Games.

Stephan’s ability to create lavish and convincing city and space-scapes has made him a highly sought after book cover artist. His work can be seen on covers for Larry Niven, Karl Schroeder, Spider Robinson, Joel Shepard, and many others throughout the US and Europe.

His concept designs and illustrations have garnered him a gold Spectrum Award, and an award of excellence and two master awards from Exposé. This is Stephan's second consecutive year as a Hugo nominee.

Stephan Martiniere’s art books, Quantum Dreams and Quantum Scapes, are available from Design Studio Press.

Earlier interview with Stephan here.

PAINTINGS:
Cover for A Shadow in Summer by Daniel Abraham. (Tor Books)
Cover for Mainspring by Jay Lake. (Tor Books)
Cover for Variable Star by Robert A. Heinlein and Spider Robinson. (Tor Books)

John Jude Palencar: Hugo Nominee Profile

Fourth installment of the Hugo nominee profiles:

John Jude Palencar is known throughout the world for his distinctive, ethereal style and unique conceptualization.For more than twenty-five years he has received honors for his contributions to the field of illustration including Gold and Silver Medals from the Society of Illustrators, two Gold Awards from Spectrum, and three Chesley Awards from the Association of Science Fiction and Fantasy Artists.

His work has appeared on hundreds of book covers in over thirty countries for such renowned authors as H. P. Lovecraft, Ursula LeGuin, Marion Zimmer Bradley, and Stephen King. Most recently, his cover paintings for Eragon and Eldest, by Christopher Paolini, have appeared on the New York Times Children’s Best Seller List.

Time, Smithsonian, and National Geographic Magazine, and the Philadelphia Opera have employed his illustrative talents for their publications and productions.

He enjoys an on-going artist-in-residence program in County Kerry, Ireland, where his paintings were included in a special exhibit entitled, “Images of Ireland” held at the National Museum in Dublin.

Palencar’s art book, Origins, published this winter from Underwood Books.

(Earlier post on Origins here.)

PAINTINGS:
Cover for Wings to the Kingdom by Cherie Priest. (Tor Books)
Cover for The Black Tattoo by Sam Enthoven. (Razorbill)
Personal work "Prophet".

Bob Eggleton: Hugo Nominee Profile

Third installment of Hugo Nominee profiles:

Having won nine Hugo, twelve Chesley, and two Locus Awards, and The Skylark Award for Science Fiction genre contributions, Bob Eggleton is arguably one of the genre’s most popular artists. His work can be seen on hundreds of books covers, magazines, posters and prints, and other products.

Eggleton has worked as a conceptual illustrator for the Academy Award nominated animated film “Jimmy Neutron: Boy Genius” and “The Ant Bully”.

Between demanding deadlines for book covers and movies, Eggleton has two art books of personal work, Dragonhenge and The Stardragons. Collections of his illustration work include, Alien Horizons: The Fantastic Art of Bob Eggleton, Greetings From Earth: The Art of Bob Eggleton, The Book of Sea Monsters, and Primal Darkness: The Gothic and Horror Artwork of Bob Eggleton.

Bob Eggleton has been elected as a Fellow of The International Association of Astronomical Artists, and is a Fellow of The New England Science Fiction Association.

When not working, Eggleton enjoys buying dinosaur toys, traveling, fitting in the odd bit of landscape painting, and watching Japanese monster movies. He is married to Australian artist, Marianne Plumridge. They live in Rhode Island in a condo largely populated by a legion of Godzilla toys.

You can follow Bob Eggleton’s work on his website and his “painting a day” blog.

PAINTINGS:
Illustration for upcoming book One of Our Robots is Missing (Baby Tattoo Press)
Wraparound cover for Brain Lumley's Tarra Khash: Hrossak! (Tor Books)
Cover for We the Underpeople by Cordwainer Smith. (Baen Books)

Donato Giancola: Hugo Nominee Profile

The second of five posts highlighting the Best Pro Artist Hugo nominees:

From The Lord of the Rings to Gericault’s ‘Raft of the Medusa’, Donato Giancola’s influences encompass visits to the well trodden steps of the local library, to pilgrimages to the greatest museums of the world. Donato recognizes the significant cultural role played by visual art, and makes personal efforts to contribute to the expansion and appreciation of the science fiction and fantasy genre that extend beyond the commercial commissions of his clients. To these ends the artist appears at various institutions, tournaments, universities, and conventions where he freely offers advice, performs demonstrations in oil paint, and lectures on his aesthetics: from Rome to Santiago to Moscow. Since beginning his professional career in 1993 Donato’s list of clients has rapidly grown, spanning major book publishers in New York to concept design firms on the West Coast; notables include Wizards of the Coast, LucasArts, National Geographic, DC Comics, The United Nations, Microsoft, Playboy Magazine, Sony, The ScienceFiction Book Club, Tor Books, Random House, Milton-Bradley, and Hasbro. His classical approach to the human form is unparalleled in sensitivity and realism. Merits range from the Jack Gaughan Award for Best Emerging Artist in 1998 to ten Chesley Awards including one for Artistic Achievement 2002, the Artist Hugo Award, and multiple silver and gold medals from Spectrum: The Best of Contemporary Fantastic Art.

He lives with his wife and two daughters in Brooklyn, New York.

PAINTINGS:
Cover for The Outback Stars by Sandra McDonald (Tor Books)
Wraparound cover for The Fortress of Glass (Tor Books)
Cover for The Name of the Wind by Pat Rothfuss (DAW Books)

John Picacio: Hugo Nominee Profile

The first of five posts highlighting the Best Pro Artist Hugo nominees:

John Picacio has illustrated covers for books by Harlan Ellison, Michael Moorcock, Robert Silverberg, Frederik Pohl, Jeffrey Ford, Joe R. Lansdale, Robert Heinlein, Graham Joyce, and many, many others. In 2002, he received the International Horror Guild Award for Best Artist. In 2005, he received a Chesley Award for Best Paperback Cover and the World Fantasy Award for Best Artist. In 2006, he received the Chesley Award for Artistic Achievement and was a Locus Award finalist. This is his third consecutive nomination for the Best Professional Artist Hugo and his art book, Cover Story: The Art of John Picacio, is one of the five finalists for this year’s Hugo in the Best Related Book category. For more info and images, please visit his website and blog.

IMAGES:
Cover for A Canticle for Leibowitz by Walter M. Miller, Jr. (Harpercollins/Eos)
Cover for Time's Child by Rebecca Ore (Harpercollins/Eos)
Wraparound cover for The Empire of Ice Cream by Jeffrey Ford (Golden Gryphon)

Thumbnail Interview with John.

Society Advertising & Institutional Opening

Friday was the last installment of the Society's annual: Adverting, Institutional, and Unpublished. It must have been a great time -- most of my pictures have people's mouths gaping with laughter, I didn't get home until 3:30am, and somehow Michael Deas agreed to strip the ugly paint off of the copper window casing in my office. This segment of the show is often more enjoyable than the Book & Editorial part -- fewer crowds and other activities surrounding the event enable you to actually talk to people that you just barely say "Hi" to at the earlier show. I spent a nice amount of time talking to Mark Summers (who is hard at work on a robot/woman for a non-fiction Tor book and Lassie for our sister company Feiwel & Friends), Jim Bennett, Michael Deas, Steve Stroud, and others. Tim O'Brien deserves a huge round of applause for chairing a great annual and upping the bar in some aspects. He was visibly relieved to hand the mantel over to Peter de Seve, chair of Illustrators 50.

SOME OF THE MEDAL-WINNERS: Mark Summers' portrait of Anna May Wong. Yuko Shimizu. Etienne Delessert's star-eating frog for the infamous Dellas Graphics Frog Folio.

PEOPLE, CLOCKWISE: Mark Summers and me, Peter De Seve and Jim Bennett, Tiffany Prothero and Scott Altman. Michael Deas. Steve Stroud.