(Eddard Stark, copyright 2011, image created for 2012 A Song of Ice and Fire calendar)
John Picacio is an award-winning illustrator and quite possibly the most friendly person you will ever meet if you ever have the privilege of meeting him. I’ve corresponded with John on his website, through Facebook, and Twitter for a few years now as he is an artist whose work I admire. Late last year when I learned he would be attending the Spectrum Fantastic Art Live event in May 2012, I immediately shot him a message that I would be tracking him down when the moment arrived.
That moment arrived minutes before the doors opened at the start of the event of May 18th, when I saw John walking down the hallway outside the main venue. In a moment of boldness I called out his first name and proceeded to introduce myself with a hand outstretched. John immediately identified me as the host of this blog and brushed off the handshake for a hearty embrace. That is John all over. As I wandered the convention floor I would see John embracing fans, giving them a pat on the shoulder, devoting his full attention to them and, if my personal experiences are any judge, making their day. That brief introduction emboldened me for the remainder of the weekend as I spent time not only conversing with John, but also with artists I’ve followed for decades and others whose work was new to me at the show.
John Picacio was an ambassador for the open, friendly interactions that would come to be the hallmark for this 3-day art extravaganza. I had such a strong emotional reaction to the event that I knew I would have to blog about it in shorter increments and one of the things I hoped to do was to offer a few artists the chance to share about their own personal experiences at the show. John Picacio was the natural choice to kick this off.
Ladies and gentleman, I give you John Picacio:
(Cover illustration for James Dasher’s The 13th Reality: The Journal of Curious Letters, 2009)
Q: What was your overall impression of the Spectrum Fantastic Art Live weekend, from an artist’s perspective?
John: Well, it was a first for everyone – for Arnie and Cathy [Fenner], for the organizing team, for the exhibitors, for the local buying community. And for even the most grizzled sf/f art fans, I don’t think any of them had ever seen a gathering of artists of this scale and quality, with this much ambition behind it. For me as an artist, I knew I wanted in on this action, since the day it was first announced. I believe in the concept and ethos behind it. I like that this is a gathering that embraces all forms of sf/f art and not just certain aspects, and I also like that it’s in the middle of the country and not on one coast or the other. I think that’s really important. Sales-wise, I did really well at my booth, but sales weren’t the most important thing to me for this event. I want this thing to grow. There were huge intangible benefits from this con and most of it comes from the camaraderie of my fellow pros under one roof, even for something as simple as taking a current job I’m working on and privately showing it to a few pro artist friends and getting impromptu critiques. It was gratifying on all levels.
(Away, Chesley Award-winning cover for Asimov’s Science Fiction, September 2009)
Q: And your impression from a fan perspective?
John: It was overwhelming how much greatness was in the room. That’s what separates this con from all others – it’s not just the quality of each artist that’s there, but that so many of them from around the world show up and represent. The scale of the gathering was staggering. The common theme I heard from people as they walked around was “I only walked two aisles and there’s so much good stuff that my eyes started to glaze over and I had to take a break.” That’s how good it was, and everyone knew it, pro or fan. I heard at least one veteran comics pro say that the artists in that room all had each other’s backs, and he wasn’t used to seeing that at other shows. Pretty special.
(Salem’s Lot, interior illustration for Knowing Darkness: Artists Inspired by Stephen King, November 2009)
Q: How cool was the Spectrum 19 Awards Ceremony?
John: Amazing. I think everyone anticipated it was gonna be a cut above the usual ceremony, but Arnie and Cathy (and Lazarus, I think) put all sf/f award ceremonies on notice with that effort. Just the facility alone was jaw-dropping. That was about as deluxe and first-class of an awards event as I’ve seen anywhere.
Q: How were you and your art received by the fans? Any stories about fan interaction with you during the show?
John: My 2012 George R. R. Martin / A Song of Ice and Fire Calendar work seems to stop traffic. That’s nice to see. The funny thing is that the calendar is essentially now out-of-print, but people are still asking if they can buy copies of it. I also got to meet the great Jim Vadeboncoeur – one of the prime art historians of genre and sf/f. I’ve learned a lot from his articles about artists and art history, and it was fun to meet him in person.
Q: I heard many artists over the weekend compare the Spectrum Fantastic Art Live experience to the way the San Diego Comic Con used to be. Is that an apt comparison, and how so?
John: I think guys like Vadeboncoeur would know better than me. My first SDCC as a fan was 1992. That was 50,000 people over four days – much larger than Spectrum Live. But yeah, I’d say the level of accessibility that every artist offered to all comers was as good as you could ever ask, especially at an event of this scale.
(Cover illustration for Fast Forward 2, edited by Lou Anders, October 2008)
Q: Why is it important to the Science Fiction and Fantasy art community to have an event like this?
John: I think the fact that this event celebrates art above all else is the most important thing – not the movie studio, the author, the agent, the publisher, the elite collector, the comic book, the licensed property – but the art itself and the artist, across all media, not just a select few. There was a high number of art directors at this event too. And they were all accessible. No other trade convention I’ve seen draws that many art directors from all media in one place, with that much accessibility. Many of the same might attend SDCC, but good luck accessing them there, when you’re swimming against the tide of 160,000 of your closest friends.
Q: Were there any interactions with artists that were a complete surprise to you? Any fanboy moments?
John: I think watching Mike Mignola meet Michael Whelan for the first time was what this show was all about. They’re two artists that could not be more different from each other, but there was mutual respect both ways because this con had no walls, and again, was all about the art, and left all the other trappings behind.
Q: Did you meet anyone new whose art you really connected with?
John: Sure. There were several. I think the one that really jumped out to me was Bruce Holwerda. That guy’s paintings were a revelation. The stuff really hit me like a ton of bricks.
(Cover illustration for Admiralty: The Collected Short Works of Poul Anderson (Vol. 4), February 2011)
Q: In a conversation with Michael Whelan, he mentioned that he was unsure how sales would be an event with a large artist attendance because “artists don’t buy other artist’s work”. Have you found this to be the case, and if so why do you think that is?
John: Michael’s probably saying that we’re not gonna make a living at a con, depending on our fellow artists to buy our work, and if that is the case, then we’re gonna be in trouble. LOL And I agree with him there. That wasn’t the case at this con though. It was a huge start toward a more ambitious vision than anyone’s previously attempted, and it’ll work in the long run. There was a buying community that showed out to support this, but it’ll take more to succeed next time. I have no doubt that this event can thrive in Kansas City though. I love how centrally-located this town is. The facilities were top-notch. The fans are passionate. The next step is reaching beyond the local art-buying community. I think as word of the amazingness of this event spreads, the more people from far beyond KC will make sure they don’t miss this if it happens again. There’s too much quality behind this con and within this con for it to fail, if it decides to persist.
(Cover illustration for Muse of Fire by Dan Simmons, January 2009)
Q: Who are artists that you would like to see on the list for next year’s Spectrum Fantastic Art Live?
John: Most of the biggies in America were there, and the ones that weren’t, likely had previous commitments. I can think of Europeans like Sergio Toppi, Massimo Carnevale, or Alan Lee, but the thing to remember is this wasn’t an invite-only convention. This event took on all comers, first-come, first-serve. And when you look at every booth in that hall, it was world-class everywhere you looked. There were no hacks. That’s a statement all by itself.
Q: What is it going to take to get you back here to Kansas City for the next Spectrum Fantastic Art Live?
John: Name the date, the place, the time.
Q: Are there any projects that you are currently working on that you can share with us?
John: I’m currently finishing a cover for Brenda Cooper’s next novel THE CREATIVE FIRE as well as doing a cover and endpapers for the limited edition of Dan Simmons’ THE FALL OF HYPERION. I’m also working on some large bodies of personal work that I’ll hopefully be revealing a bit more about, by the end of the year.
Q: Where can fans next find you?
John: Holler at me on Twitter or Facebook, and of course always at www.johnpicacio.com.
Thank you so much, John! I appreciate you taking the time to share your thoughts on this unforgettable experience. It was a great pleasure interacting with you in person and I hope we can have a repeat of the experience here in Kansas City in the future.
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JOHN PICACIO is a World Fantasy Award-winning illustrator of science fiction, fantasy, and horror. His artwork is noted for its diversity and range, often combining traditional drawing and painting with digital finishes, as well as exploring methods such as hand-made assemblages. His works have illustrated the covers of books by Michael Moorcock, Harlan Ellison, Robert Silverberg, L.E. Modesitt, Jr., Dan Simmons, Joe R. Lansdale, Jeffrey Ford, Frederik Pohl, James Tiptree, Jr., Mark Chadbourn, and many more. He has produced cover artwork for franchises such as STAR TREK and the X-MEN.
His accolades include the Locus Award, four Chesley Awards, and two International Horror Guild Awards, all in the Artist category. He has been nominated eight consecutive years for the Hugo Award in the Best Professional Artist category (2005-2012), as well as a nomination for Best Related Book in 2007 (for COVER STORY: THE ART OF JOHN PICACIO). His illustrations have often been featured in the pages of SPECTRUM: THE BEST IN CONTEMPORARY FANTASTIC ART. He and his wife Traci live in San Antonio, TX
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Author bio information from www.johnpicacio.com. Images used with permission.
you host such great interviews Carl! I enjoyed the read, and lingered over the artwork–phenomenal work! as I said the other day, because I still appreciate it, thank you for sharing the experience of the artwork and awards show and meeting the artists during this marvelous weekend. Just hearing about the camaraderie and the sincerity of the gathering–I hope this becomes an annual event for you.
This one was easy, listening to John and other artists, and fans, talk about the experience while we were there meant that the questions practically wrote themselves. I hope it becomes an annual event as well. I saw on Facebook the original committee for this is getting together tonight for drinks. I offered to buy their first round as a bribe for next year! I’m not kidding either, lol!
John’s art is fun, I hope you’ll visit his site and see the rest of his portfolio. I hadn’t looked at it in awhile and I saw some Star Trek covers on there that I don’t have, which means more wishlist items.
I hadn’t seen much of Picacio’s art before, but these are some really neat illustrations! I particularly like “Away.” Great interview!
Away is great! Wish I had a copy of that issue of Asimov’s.
Great artist, great choice, great interview. I’m beginning to really regret not considering flying in, but I fly only in the dire of circumstances. Still, I’n very tempted for next year. Just in case, I better start putting together a war chest. Thanks again for this series of posts, and to John for participating.
Glad you enjoyed it Richard. I tell you what, if it happens again…WHEN it happens again, you fly on in and we’ll hang out. You can stay here OR we could all chip in on the hotel and be right down there where all the action is!
Great interview Carl!
I too had the pleasure of meeting John for the first time at SAL. I can only echo Carl’s words as to how gracious John was with his time to me and all his fans. It was also great for me to discover so much more of John’s work that I hadn’t seen before. I really have to buy one of his art books now. 🙂 I also didn’t know John had done any Star Trek work now I will now be hunting that down as well. I also asked John to sign a Neil Gaiman piece he did years ago which I believe he got a kick from as well as I believe he hadn’t had any one bring him that particular piece in awhile. It was for an audio recording of 5 Neil Gaiman short stories which Neil put out over a decade ago that I had purchased way back then because I loved the cover and Neil’s work. I was uneducated as to who John was way back then I just knew I loved the piece. So that made it extra special for me to have him sign it for me now. I will also add that I’m a HUGE George RR Martin fan and I love the work John did on this year’s Song of Ice and Fire calendar. He did an incredible job of capturing the spirit of the characters.
I will say it was fun seeing how excited John and all the artists were about the event equally as much as us fans were. There was an incredible amount of passion for art over those 3 days that it was just so much fun to be in the middle of I wish you all could have been there. Whenever they decide to host SAL 2 if you can find a why to be then do so if at all possible. You wont regret it. 🙂
In closing I will say, John, it was great meeting you at the convention and I look forward to seeing you again one day. Also my daughter thinks that you were awesome! Thanks for being so kind to her. Art is her passion which made it so great for me to be able to share such an incredible event with her. Take care!!!
It was great to see Ashley be able to interact with the artists and John was indeed very kind to her which was fun to watch.
Echo the thoughts on the calendar. Am glad Jerry found us both copies of it. We should have gotten them signed! 🙂
I thought it was so great that you stumbled upon that Gaiman CD when you were down in your basement that weekend of the show. I hadn’t seen that particular Gaiman audio collection. The cover was fun and was a blast from the past for John.
Crucible Kirk was one of the ST covers I was interested in, and it looks like, in his Portfolio on his site, that he has done several DS9 novel covers, so you’ve probably read some of them.
His “Game of Thrones” calendar is great. I wish I’d gotten a copy.
Your wish is my command! Hope you enjoy it John. I was so happy for him when he got this gig and am glad that he has received so much positive attention for it.