(OctoGirls)
For today’s Friday Favorite I am showcasing the soft and sensual brush strokes of artist Audrey Kawasaki. Apart from having one of the most kick-ass names in the artistic community, Ms. Kawasaki creates some of the most uniquely moody art I have ever seen.
(Megan)
Click on the above picture. Go on–do it.
Amazing isn’t it? There is such life in the detail….such depth.
I had no intention for Friday Favorites to veer off the science fiction path any time soon. But that is the way of art. I am more controlled by a passing whim with my choices for Friday Favorites posts than I am with anything else I discuss on this blog, and when I saw the above image I was lost. I have always been a sucker for redheads, whether on film, in fiction, or in art and this painting just drew me in.
And once I am drawn in I get excited. I literally get a sort of ‘out of body’ experience when I am excited about an artist that I am going to share with you and I feel the electricity tingling through me as I sit here to type this.
The artist is Esao Andrews. And it is his work that I share with you today.
(cover image by Andrew Jones)
—Spectrum 14 ~edited by Cathy and Arnie Fenner
–published by Underwood Books, 2007
–245 pages
–5/5 stars 
Each year as All Hallow’s Eve gives way to the glorious hues of November leaves, editors Cathy and Arnie Fenner and the folks at Underwood Books release a cornucopia of color of their own: Spectrum: The Best in Contemporary Fantastic Art. This past year saw the release of Spectrum 14, arguably the best volume thus far. Each year this amazing volume of fantastic art outdoes itself in quality. There is simply no better annual book of fantastic art on the market and at less than $30 for the hardback (even less for the softcover), this book is a steal for anyone who enjoys a wide variety of fantasy and science fiction art.
By way of review and to tie in with The Sci Fi Experience, I thought I’d share just a few of the hundreds of gorgeous images in this collection. If you click on the following images, they will expand to larger versions to show better detail. You can also click on the highlighted names of the artist to go to their website.
As the title of today’s post so coyly suggests, this Friday Favorite is a combination of something old (a few of my previous favorite Friday Favorites artists) with something new (wonderful new items from said artists that have mysteriously fallen into my possession).
Okay, I guess it isn’t so mysterious. Having a comic shop within spitting distance of the house is the reason. The only mystery is why they continue to let me hang out there every Wednesday!
So, come along with me and enjoy some new pieces from a couple of great artists that you may or may not have read about previously on my site and, if you stick with it until the end, you will be able to witness how artfully (pun intended) I tie these artists into the latest R.I.P. II Challenge giveaway!
Continue reading Friday Favorites: Everything Old is New Again
(Cover image for the new Stardust hardcover)
Well, today is the day. Well, for me it is actually tomorrow, but for many of you today marks the day we have all been anticipating and–if you are like me–also dreading: The opening of the theatrical version of Stardust.
More than any other film I have looked forward to this year, I want this one to satisfy both my film-loving self and my dedication to the source material. It is a tall order and may be completely unfair of me to feel that way. I guess I’ll know (and you will too as I’ll have to share) tomorrow.
The one person who I suspect will get less credit than the others for Stardust is Charles Vess. Hopefully I’ll be proven wrong and the movie will bring him the acclaim he deserves. Despite the fact that I have already ran this Friday Favorite during the Once Upon a Time Challenge, it only seemed fitting to rerun it in honor of a man whose art channels the spirits of greats like Arthur Rackham and is truly all that is right about fairy tale art.
So once again I bring you, Charles Vess.