The Homeward Bounders

During the early to mid 1980s I was in friendly contact with the late British fantasy author Diana Wynne Jones. I loved her work, though I never read very many of her books. I ended up illustrating a number of her tales for various small magazines. During one of her visits to the USA, Diana commissioned me to do an illustration of a scene from her book "The Homeward Bounders." In this climactic scene, all the main characters storm an interdimensional fortress belonging to the demons who "play" the worlds as a multi-user roleplaying game. The central figure, the girl in black, has a right arm that can shape-shift, in this case into a fiery beam that can shatter the fortress door.

"The Homeward Bounders" is acrylic on illustration board, 14" x 10", Summer 1982. Click on the image for a larger view.

In Memoriam "ZipDrive"

I have many, many friends who are cat lovers, and some friends who are cat breeders as well. I have done a lot of art for cat-related purposes such as logos or show awards or T-shirts. This was a portrait of a champion Maine Coon named "Marcus Brutus," which I did on commission for a cat breeder.

I post this majestic Maine Coon image in memory of another majestic Maine Coon, "ZipDrive," who left this world just a few days ago. He was the beloved cat of my friends in Lawrence, Kansas, and he will be greatly missed. I never met him in person, but I saw many endearing photos. I offer this tribute to the departed ZipDrive, long may his memory endure.

"Marcus Brutus" is black ink on illustration board, about 6" x 7", 2003.

Abstract Nametag Miniature

This nametag miniature was commissioned by Jacqueline Lichtenberg, one of the authors whom Galen represented as an agent for Scott Meredith Literary Agency.

She was to give it as a gift to Galen. The design is a colorful "linear-abstraction" suggesting a sunset over the sea. The circular logo with the SM initials of the Scott Meredith agency is done in gold metallic paint in the blue "sky." The name was pressed into the design using white adhesive "press-type," a graphic medium which has almost disappeared with the use of digital lettering.

In those days I did plot and create geometric abstractions, but only in miniature sizes. I only started making them in larger sizes in the early 2000s. They are much appreciated by my more sophisticated patrons and art friends, but they seem to be un-sellable, whether at a convention or in a gallery. Thus I have a stack of them, some of them framed, gathering dust and taking up space in my cluttered quarters. They're too "accessible" for the "serious" avant-garde crowd, and too abstract for the fantasy fans. I shouldn't say this to potential art buyers, but I don't love doing these abstractions. I find them tedious. I really want to paint kitschy, tawdry fantasy pictures with dragons, castles, warriors, mechas, spaceships, monsters, and babes, in digital form which takes up no space and can easily be printed. But don't worry, fans, something will always keep me from abasing myself in that fashion.

Russell Galen's nametag is, uh, ink, watercolor, and metallic paint on Faboo Fabriano paper, 3 1/2" x 2 1/4", December 1986.

Snakeydoodle

I haven't done one of my "natural history" photoshop doodles in quite some time, so here's one. Twilight, and the jungle is rustling as the emerald snake slithers down in search of dinner and a glass of Cabernet Franc.

Photoshop, about 7" x 9", December 3-4, 2011.

Elizabethan Fan Portrait Miniatures

Jean and Geoffrey were a married couple when I knew them in the mid-80s. They lived in Berkeley, California and were active in Darkover and other fan circles. They came east to DarkoverCon and that's where I first met them. They asked me to do their nametag miniature portraits as Elizabethan noblemen who were Catholic holdouts, not willing to convert to the Anglican Church. Jean holds her prayerbook, and Geoffrey, titled "The Queen's Scholar," holds an open book of theology.

Jean and Geoff, like so many other couples I depicted, are no longer together. Jean, who is the daughter of a fairly well-known writer, became a writer herself. I have heard nothing from Geoff since the time of these miniature portraits.

Portraits are ink and watercolor on Fabriano paper, 2 1/4" x 3 1/2", January 1986.

Idyllic Leesburg Porch

Even though it's almost winter, I can visit summer anytime I want by looking at this leafy, idyllic porch in pleasant old Leesburg. Am I ready for my rocking chair yet? I'm not sure the good people of Leesburg would want to hear the ambient electronic music issuing from my sound system. Nor would they want to look upon my horror fantasy art, should I manage to produce any. But nobody doesn't love pretty buildings. I like this one myself, it's one of my favorites so far. I'll try to place this in the same gallery that accepted its siblings.

I hope that's enough buildings for now. I'd really like to do something else. I also have commissions to work on. Stash my watercolors and bring out the "heavy artillery" - acrylic paint and my airbrush cannon.

Leesburg porch is ink and watercolor on Fabriano paper, 7" x 10", November 2011. Clickonthepic for a larger view.

Illustration for Visiting Anne McCaffrey

Since I won the "Dragondrums" art contest, I was entitled to visit Anne McCaffrey in Ireland. If you visit someone, you have to bring them a gift, but what could I possibly bring to the Dragon Mistress? Art, of course; original art that no one else would have. I put together this folksy illustration of McCaffrey's popular character "Menolly," and portrayed her with her nine friendly fire lizards. I borrowed the style from Russian illustrator Ivan Bilibin, though I didn't do a very good job imitating him. I also made a nametag miniature for McCaffrey, also with a portrait of Menolly on it.

When I got to Ireland and finally visited the author, I presented these pieces to her, and it seemed to me that her reaction was rather indifferent. Some of that was tiredness, as she had just returned from New Zealand, but also, she had a collection of hundreds of pieces of art that fans and artists had done for her. Mine was just another for the stack. She had at least one of the original covers done by the famous Mike Whelan. As I recounted in a previous post, I got to see a lot of art that she had put up on her walls.

Now that she is gone, I wonder what happened to the art. It could just pass to her descendants, including her son Todd who is carrying on the writing. But what happens to an art collection once the owner dies? If it is of no monetary value, does it just get thrown out if no one else wants it? Is it sold as a lot along with other unwanted possessions? I would imagine that fans of McCaffrey would be glad to buy up the art collection, one by one, including mine, if it ever had to be sold off. Most likely, I will never know what happens to this piece.

This is a personal matter for me. My mother, an artist all her life, has amassed hundreds and hundreds of original works which she has rarely if ever tried to sell (she doesn't believe that fine art should be "marketed", or didn't have the energy to do the marketing). They fill not only a studio but a room of my parents' house. Mother is 90 years old and sooner or later I will face the matter of disposing of (or storing) this art collection. As for my own art, I don't keep it if I can at all help it go somewhere else.

"Menolly and Fire Lizards" is ink and gouache on illustration board, 11" x 14", summer 1980. Click on the pic for a larger view, at least the border is kind of nice.