One of the artists I had the pleasure of meeting at the first Spectrum Fantastic Art Live event was a local, Missouri’s own Scott Quick. At that time Scott had fairly recently began a webcomic called Camden Bottoms, a traditional strip series inspired by the small town he grew up in, featuring various interesting characters who are just that…real characters. Scott Quick sat at his booth drawing, examples of his work on postcards and bookmarks showcasing he could bring these various creatures to life with his pens and ink.

The characters who inhabit Camden Bottoms are a hoot to get to know. They each have their own unique personalities that shine through both in Scott Quick’s drawings and the scenarios he puts them through. Although I recommend reading all the strips from start to finish, you might want to start with the full story featured in “The Wreck of the Medusa”. There is a moment with a cricket bat that had my boyhood self laughing with sadistic satisfaction. On the Camden Bottoms site you can click ‘Archives’ and scroll down to start any storyline you wish, then use the ‘next’ button below the strip to navigate. New strips come out on Wednesdays and Sundays, so you have a nice backlog to enjoy and can get new story moments twice a week!

I grew up in a small town myself, a fan of the various comic strips that ran in our daily newspaper. It didn’t take long to connect with Scott Quick or his work and it is a pleasure for me to introduce you to him and his creation. Before the interview begins, here is a thumbnail of the artist lifted from his website:

“Raised on a diet of Slim-Jims and comic books, R. Scott Quick spent much of his childhood visiting his grandparents in Camden, Missouri. In 1996, he attended the Joe Kubert School of Cartoon and Graphic Art in Dover, New Jersey, after which he scratched a career out of video game animation. At the turn of the century, he was treated for what psychiatrists believe may be the first case of In Barra Vite, or chronic embarrassment over one’s very existence.

Retired from animation, Quick now draws this strip from a sanitarium just outside of Saint Louis, Missouri, visited frequently by his dutiful wife and son.”

Continue reading An Interview with Scott Quick →

(All images copyright Edward Howard)

At the inaugural Spectrum Fantastic Art Live last May I had the pleasure of meeting artist Edward Howard and his lovely wife, Rachel Crane. When my friend Jeff and I first arrived at his booth, Edward was not there and his wife showed us around, very apparently proud of her husband’s work. She was very sweet and kind, and Edward Howard turned out to be equally as kind when he arrived and we were able to visit with him (the first, but not last, such visit that weekend).

Edward Howard’s paintings have an Old Master’s quality to them, especially when you see them in person. There was such a dark richness to the quality of the paintings and the closer you got to them even more interesting details were revealed. There was often more to take in than just one viewing would allow. In some of his painting his wife Rachel was his model and you could tell that those were very special pieces to both of them. And honestly they are among his very best work.

I emailed him soon after the event to set up an interview, which had to be postponed for the early summer while he and his wife returned to Kansas to help relatives with the harvest (anyone who thinks artists don’t work hard? Think again!). Time then got away from me, as poor as an excuse as that is, and suddenly it seemed like the best idea would be to bring this out prior to Spectrum Fantastic Art Live 2. And that is just what we did. Take a moment with me now to enjoy Edward Howard’s art and his personal insights, and then click on the link at the end to visit his site and see these images in a much larger format so that you can enjoy the exquisite detail.

Continue reading An Interview with Edward Howard →

(All images copyright Michael Whelan)

There is no other artist whose work has been as prominent in the course of my life than Michael Whelan. When I think back to my earliest remembrances of discovering science fiction and fantasy it is Michael Whelan’s cover illustrations for Second Foundation and Foundation’s Edge (both by Isaac Asimov) that are etched on my brain. Michael Whelan’s art made me want to read books, those books, to discover the stories that inspired the images. His work continues to do that to this day. Over the course of the last few years I have set about collecting a number of books whose Whelan covers haunt (in the very best way) my childhood, adolescence, and early adulthood. “Sense of wonder” captures it perfectly, and that feeling of awe that his work evokes has only grown stronger over the years. I know that many of you feel the same way.

When Arlo Burnett, Event Manager for Spectrum Fantastic Art Live, emailed a few weeks back and asked if I would be interested in doing any promotion for SFAL2, I jumped at the chance and asked if I could possibly interview some of the guests scheduled to attend. Given how busy these artists are with their work and appearances and the rapidly approaching event date I hoped, but did not expect, that many would have time to participate. You can only imagine how thrilled I was to see Michael Whelan’s response. I was able to converse with him at last year’s inaugural Spectrum Fantastic Art Live event which was a pleasure I will always cherish, as is the honor of his participation in this interview.

Without further ado, allow me to introduce Michael Whelan via the bio present on the Spectrum Fantastic Art Live 2 artist page:

Michael Whelan has been working as a science fiction and fantasy illustrator for nearly four decades. He was the first living artist to be inducted into the Science Fiction Hall of Fame.

He has been published in many art collections, including “Michael Whelan’s Works of Wonder” and “The Art of Michael Whelan: Scenes/Visions.”

I highly recommend a visit to Michael Whelan’s website, which has many examples of his iconic art as well as more detailed biographical information and his personal Artist Statement. It will be time well spent.

Continue reading An Interview with Michael Whelan →

(Image credit)

Donato Giancola said it best last year, and as I look at the image painted by artist Gregory Manchess and hear Donato’s words reverberating in my head, it all comes back to me. For I too was there. And it was an unforgettable experience.

In less than two weeks the event that rocked the fantastical art world returns to Kansas City, Missouri–Spectrum Fantastic Art Live 2–and if there is ANY way that you can manage to get here, you need to do so.

200+ artists, unfettered access to beautiful artwork and some of the genuinely nicest creative people you will ever meet, inspiring panels, the Oscar-style Spectrum 20 awards ceremony, and lots of reasonably priced swag for you to take home with you. All for only $40 for a 3-day weekend or $20 for a one-day pass. When I think back to what my $40 allowed me to participate in last year it is enough to bring tears to my eyes. The experience was INCREDIBLE.

The cool thing about the $40 option is that it gets you an extra preview day on Friday, May 17th. Five hours of VIP access to the artists and their work plus the after-event party. There will be fewer people there on Friday and it will be very special, I assure you.

Continue reading Spectrum Fantastic Art Live 2 →