Morte d'Arthur
"Sir King, I closed mine eyelids, lest the gems
Should blind my purpose, for I never saw,
Nor shall see, here or elsewhere, till I die,
Not tho' I live three lives of mortal men,
So great a miracle as yonder hilt.
Then with both hands I flung him, wheeling him;
But when I look'd again, behold an arm,
Clothed in white samite, mystic, wonderful,
That caught him by the hilt, and brandish'd him
Three times, and drew him under in the mere."
Morte D'Arthur, by Lord Alfred Tennyson
Awake in the Night Land
I just finished reading this novella and had to start drawing.
The story takes place millions of years into mankind's future, long after the sun goes dark. Humanity lives in a seven mile high tower called The Last Redoubt, besieged there by the countless monsters, giants, behemoths, and unnamed horrors that lurk in the night. Travel outside the redoubt is almost always a death sentence; anyone doing so is either a fool or a hero. Here, the protagonist of the story makes his way through the smoke stacks and lava fields. His only protection is stealth, his cleverly made armor, and his Diskos, a spinning axe blade charged with earth current that both slashes and stuns. The light in the far distance comes from the redoubt, the only safe place in the world.
Transhuman and subhuman cover
When I was asked to create a cover for John C. Wright's new collection of essays, I immediately jumped at the chance. Wright has been hailed by a number of commentators as one of the greatest living S/F authors, so any chance to associate my work with his wasn't something I was prepared to refuse. I had quite a bit of freedom on this one, however I was encouraged to use classical architecture and art as a reference. My goal was to use ancient art to communicate Wright's view of a sinister transhuman future.
The first sketch was selected, and from there it was a matter of perfecting the pose and anatomy of the statue, as well as adding a touch of art deco per the art director's request. I'm happy with the result, and the author seems to be too, which to me equates to sucess.
The first sketch was selected, and from there it was a matter of perfecting the pose and anatomy of the statue, as well as adding a touch of art deco per the art director's request. I'm happy with the result, and the author seems to be too, which to me equates to sucess.
The Christmas Tree Elf
In 2013, I started work with author Valentine Sheldon on a children's book about the origin of Christmas trees and Christmas Tree Elves. With 26 full color paintings, it was a massive project to say the least. Valentine's imagination and keen eye for detail made the project a joy and a challenge to work on, and I learned a lot from the experience. The result was The Christmas Tree Elf.
Here are some of my favorite paintings from it:
Reviews have been overwhelmingly positive:
We also won a Feathered Quill Book Award, winning Silver in the Best Children's Illustrated Book category.
It was an honor to work on this project and see the positive response from readers and reviewers. Illustrating children's books is great fun, and I wouldn't hesitate to do another.
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