(“Loss” by Ed Howard, click on image for larger version)

I don’t mind saying that the Hugo category for Best Fan Artist had me, and in some way continues to leave me, a bit puzzled. Ostensibly the designation between “fan” and “professional” has to do with the pay received for the work being created, and yet I’ve seen many Professional Artists making recommendations for the work of peers that do not quite neatly fit that definition.

In the end, it was no less difficult to make these choices.

With the deadline for nominations fast approaching, I have decided to make this an all-inclusive post, showcasing the work of the five artists I have chosen to nominate for Best Fan Artist.

Edward Howard, whose painting “Loss” opens this post, is both a talented painter and a wonderful human being. I had the pleasure of meeting Ed and his wife, Rachel, at the inaugural Spectrum Fantastic Art Live, and again at the event last year.

That they are gracious, enthusiastic, and generous with their time is an understatement. In addition they are very supportive of each others’ career. I appreciate them both greatly.

But the Hugo Award is not given for niceness, it is given for artistic merit, and in that category Edward Howard delivers.

He is talented in both the digital and traditional realm, and seeing his paintings up close and in person is an unforgettable experience (which you too can have, just by attending Spectrum Fantastic Art Live 3!).

Many of his oil paintings have an old-world feel and they are filled with detail that rewards coming back to them again and again.

I sincerely hope that the coming year brings the work of Edward Howard to the attention of book publishers, as I would love to see his work in the Fantasy and Science Fiction section of my local bookstore. We need to see Edward Howard elevated to that Professional Artist category soon!

Whether he is painting straight up fantasy illustrations, or science fiction, or his delightful anachronistic, steampunk-styled paintings, his talent shines through.

It would make me immensely happy to see Edward Howard’s name on the short list for this award, as I feel he is deserving with the work he generated in 2013.

Euclase is a bit of an enigma when doing a cursory search online. There is little in the way of biographical information on the website other than that Euclase is a self-taught artist living in Pennsylvania.

I am making an assumption that the artist is female based solely upon this post, so please correct me if I am wrong.

As with Edward Howard, the importance from a nominations standpoint is not details about who the artist is, but about the art itself.

Euclase has some pretty amazing work out there.

The artist states, “I draw portraits of my favorite characters from movies and TV”, which sees like a tremendous understatement when you view the quality of the work.

First and foremost, I find these images stunning because of the photo-realistic quality of the work. If you visit the website and increase the image size you can see the painterly quality, but even then the level of realism is incredible.

What I like most about these works, however, is the way in which the artists separates the character from their environment. These are not your standard science fiction or fantasy paintings of beloved characters with background details filled in from the worlds they inhabit. Instead the viewer is offered a more candid portrayal of the character, a portrait capturing a moment, and emotion, a mood. The weight of a specific moment is there and it is emphasized by the negative space.

I strongly urge you to check out more of the illustrations created by Euclase. Whether pencil or digital painting, the skill is awe-inspiring.

Abigail Larson is an artist who I discovered because of her appearance on the list of artists attending Spectrum Fantastic Art Live 3.

When I clicked over to her site, I knew I had found a kindred spirit. Abigail Larson’s artist bio includes mentions of being influenced by the work of Edgar Allen Poe and Bram Stoker’s most celebrated work, Dracula. I have been a fan of both for as far back as I can remember.

The gothic stylings of her ink and watercolor creations draw me in and I am equally excited by her pieces inspired by classic horror stories as I am by pieces inspired by the works of Andersen, or the Brothers Grimm.

Her digitally colored pieces are also exciting.

There is a special something about the short stories in a collection of works by Poe or H.P. Lovecraft and those who have come after them who pay homage to their works that ignite the imagination.

I appreciate seeing the work of talented artists who are influenced by the kind of good, old-fashioned (my word), gothic stories that I have enjoyed since childhood. The kind of stories that recall the illustrated work of Edward Gorey.

I see Abigail Larson as continuing that great tradition, in ways that are uniquely her own.

While these are examples of her eligible art for the Best Fan Artist category, Abigail Larson also saw the publication of her first illustrated children’s book in 2013, entitled Sarah Faire and the House at the End of the World. I hope she’ll have copies at SFAL3 so that I can snag a copy.

Stay tuned as I will be featuring an interview with Abigail Larson, with many more art samples, in the near future.

(Click on image for larger version)

It should be no great surprise to anyone who frequents this site that I have a great love for science fictional and fantasy landscapes/cityscapes and also for space craft of any kind. Years of using (with permission) images by the great Stephan Martiniere for science fiction reading events alone are reasons for me to wax eloquent over this kind of art.

Boco, or Bram Sels, is a Belgium artist whose is doing some great work. Among other experiences he has taken instruction via The Art Department, which has ties to some of my favorite artists.

(Click on image for larger version)

I appreciate the interplay of light and darkness in both of these images, one very industrial and the other quite gothic (inspired by Vlad the Impaler).

I strongly encourage you to check out more of his work online. He has a wide variety of works that include character creations that are just as fun to look at.

John Picacio turned me on to the work of Sue Beatrice when I was looking around for artists eligible in the Fan realm for Hugo nominations.

I believe he made the comment that she cannot be human, and when you see the intricacy of these clockwork assemblages, the statement is a valid one.

Her watch sculptures are incredible. Additionally she can sculpt with clay, draw, and paint and her works in all those areas are equally as impressive.

I have always been fascinated by pocket watches. They elicit such feelings of nostalgia.

Sue Beatrice works with that nostalgia and creates clockpunk/steampunk creations that look to combine a delicate touch with a vivid imagination.

One of the unexpected benefits of spending quality time in trying to determine artists to nominate in the Best Fan Artist category is the discovery of artists like Sue Beatrice. I’m not sure if she would balk at the use of the term “assemblage” as a descriptor for her clockwork sculptures, but I mean it with the highest of praise as I consider myself a fan of creative people who find ways to repurpose the interesting, beautiful things of our past (and both old and new clock parts are certainly things of beauty) into works of art.

Those are the five artists who have been submitted on my ballot for the Hugo Award for Best Fan Artist. If anything I hope this post exposes you to artists you may not have seen before, and if you are a voter and haven’t completed your ballot, or are short of nominations for Best Fan Artist, maybe one or more of these will excite you as well.