(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.
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(Atomic Adventure, click image for larger version)
I have been a fan of Glen Orbik for a long time. His works are most often seen on noirish novels and comics and his style is a nostalgic throwback to the days when pulp artists reigned supreme.
(Little Red, click image for larger version)
Nguyen’s art is fantastic. I highly encourage you to check out his site and his blog. His best works are an amalgam of anime and fine art influences and they are gorgeously rendered with rich, warm color.
(Machinery, Freedom, and Visual Literature; click for larger version)
The factory series by Jeffrey Scott contain some very interesting images. I like the steampunk aesthetic of these images with their aged appearance. His site is not safe for work.
(Devil’s Tango, click for larger version)
Cliff Nielson has long been a Spectrum favorite. It never fails that there are several images in every volume of Spectrum by Mr. Nielson that really catch my eye. I loved this staircase and the eerie, whispy quality of the spirit floating up the stairs.
(Titans of Chaos, click for larger version)
Scott Fischer’s work is terrific and his illustrations for John C. Wright’s Chaos trilogy are among my favorites. I love the texture that can be seen when you look at the larger version of this image.
(Forest Mage, click for larger version)
I have heard nothing but praise for the works of Robin Hobb, but I must admit that this image, the cover for Forest Mage, is the main thing that has made me want to read her works. I just have to have a copy of this book.
(Unfinished Business, click for larger version)
The best praise I can give Mr. Gibbs is to encourage you to visit his site. His mixed media work is captivating. Go now!
(Terrosel, click for larger version)
Isn’t this a wonderful image? Joy Ang is another Spectrum discovery and I find her work to be very distinct. A visit to her site makes for rewarding viewing.
(Mainspring, click for larger version)
This is not the first time I have promoted the work of Stephan Martiniere. He is one of my absolute favorite book illustrators working today. His work reminds me of the oils of John Harris and John Berkey, done in the digital landscape. I have purchased many a book because of Martiniere covers and I will no doubt continue this trend in the future.
(Queen of Diamonds, click for larger version)
Ryan Wood is someone whose work I just discovered through Spectrum and he is an artist that I have taken an instant liking to. Traveling through his blog is like walking through a wonderland of rich imagery. Check it out.
(Nine Tail Fox, click for larger image)
Jon Foster has been a featured Friday Favorite in the past for good reason. He is another artist whose cover illustrations have put a significant dent in my pocketbook. The Fenners and Underwood Books published R/Evolutions: The Art of Jon Foster last year and it is another artbook that is well worth the pittance that it costs to purchase.
(Eurydice Before Death, click for larger version)
Rebecca Guay has a nice classical style and her work has often graced the pages of Spectrum. I think this is my favorite image of all the ones I’ve seen in the past.
(Poise, click for larger version)
Ms. Prothero is an artist whose work reminds me of Jean, Ang, and Foster. Yet she has her own unique style and I am beginning to recognize it when I see it in books, magazines, and online. This is a wonderfully fun image, isn’t it?
(Haunted #3, click for larger version)
Joao Ruas is a new discovery for me this Spectrum and this image captivated me. The subject matter is so much fun and I love the style of the art.
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Those of you who have been with me from the start may have recognized the triple moon image next to the rating for this book. The tri-moon was part of the header for this blog in its many early incarnations and is something that I continue to associate with Stainless Steel Droppings. I have decided to do something to differentiate between books I give a 5 out of 5 stars rating to. There are 5/5 books that deserve that rating. They are well written, a great experience to read, and simply should be read. Then there are those books that captivate you, that tug on your heartstrings or take your imagination hostage. Those are the books whose words haunt you days after you finish reading them and whose images dominate your daydreams. The tri-moon designation is for those books. I went back and gave Speaker for the Dead a Tri-moon designation. It was that kind of experience for me. And Spectrum 14 is as well. It is certainly worthy of extra praise as it is a must-own book in my opinion.
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I hope you’ve enjoyed a return to art on Stainless Steel Droppings. I have many exciting Friday Favorites planned, including one of a very personal nature featuring the artwork of a local friend. Stay tuned, and have a wonderful weekend everyone!
Delighted to see the return of this feature!
It’s great to see the return of Friday Favorites!
Scott Fischer’s work reminds me a little of one of my favorite artists – Michael Parkes – who, whilst he doesn’t do book cover art, still does amazing art. If you are not aware of his stuff you can check him out here:
http://www.michaelparkes.com/parkes/mpposter.php3?&art=mp
I have a few of his prints. The first I ever bought was “The Juggler”. It was the first picture I think ever made me stop as I was going past a store and take a second look at it. I had to have it and, as I was a student at the time, I made a deal with the store owner that I would pay for it in installments!!
It still gets comments from people who look at it today – from beautiful to sinister. There’s just something about it for me.
Another great post Carl, I love Jeffrey Scott’s stuff.
excellent 🙂
I saw Hoang Nguyen’s work on deviantArt once and then he disappeared, good to know he found a home with the pros, his work is amazing.
Homie Bear: He has a really nice website. I’ve bought a couple of prints of his work and his art book. My only complaint about his art book, which is a really nice book, is that he hasn’t done enough of the more high quality work to fill a book yet and I’m not a fan of his Rob Liefield style comicbook work.
Rebecca: Glad you enjoyed it.
Stuart: Michael Parkes is fantastic! And thanks for the link. Nothing wrong with paying in installments to get something you really treasure.
Dan, Neth: Glad to be back. FF is actually one of my…err…favorite things to do it just takes alot of work and I work a double shift on Thursday. That means that sleep sometimes outranks art. Where are my priorities?!?!
All: I just popped over to Christophe Vacher’s site and saw that he directed the animated portion of Enchanted. How cool is that?
Yeah! Friday Favorite’s are back.What a great way to end the week!
I’m so glad that you started Friday Favorites again! It was one of my favorite things about your blog when I first started reading it and this was a great post to return with. I was going to comment on individual artists that you posted but I’m in love with way too many of these images. I really have to get this book. I still don’t have any of the Spectrum books. The cover for this one is incredible. It caught my eye the first time I saw it. Hmmm….since this isn’t a novel persay, it wouldn’t count against my resolution, right? 😉
Love the tri-moon feature too! It fits perfectly with your blog and is quite distinctive. You do a great job with keeping this thing cohesive 😉
I love your art posts. 🙂
Wow…so much to take in…I could spend hours on this post…can’t imagine how much time I could lose in the book. I just have to thank you for continuing to open my eyes! (Though my bank account isn’t feeling nearly as grateful.)
Debi: It is sooo easy to get lost in the volumes of Spectrum. I pull them out several times a year just to enjoy the art and each time I discover illustrations that strike me differently than the first time I saw them.
CdnReader: Thank you! 🙂
Chris: Yes, you need to pick this up. It is a perfect introduction to the Spectrum series. I think this volume and last years, #13, are the cream of the crop and I believe you would love them both. I forgot to mention that each volume contains a Year in Review introduction in which Arnie Fenner revisits interesting things that happened in books, comics, film, etc. Each and every time I read of interesting things I have never heard of and want to pick up. This year’s is particularly exciting because he takes someone to task over the ridiculous divisions between ‘fine art’ and ‘illustration’. Get it! And thanks!
Jeff: Thank you, I knew you would approve.
A good cover only makes me long for the book. Now I have even more on my long list — but I love the genre so that’s a good thing.
I can’t decide if I find “Machinery, Freedom, and Visual Literature” sexy or disturbing. Or both.
If you’ve seen any of the other images from this series on his site, Wayne, I’d have to suggest ‘both’ as the most appropriate answer. 🙂
JenClair: I know the feeling. 🙂
I still need to grab some of the Spectrum books. I think that needs to go on my list for must buys for 2008 – I did look for some of them last year, but never got round to buying.
Absolutely love “Little Red”, “Devil’s Tango” and “Queen of Diamonds”. Fantastic images. Oh and “Mainspring”. Really like the style of each picture.
Great Friday Favourite Carl, as ever. I’ve missed them in the last few months…makes me feel kind of warm and fuzzy to read this post… I’m silly, I know!
Wow! The art in this book is really mind blowing! Thanks for sharing this with us. :] This is definitely a book I have to check out sometime. You are really lucky to get a hold of this.
I have an old edition of spectrum and they are something else. I also have a number of individual art books, like of Frank Frazetta and Boris Vallejo and a few others It’s amazing what they do and Spectrum is good because they give you samples of many artists that you might not have seen or heard of before.
I feel a change in my desktop coming 🙂 I’ve had a Philip Straub pic there for a while but some of those websites you’ve linked to are just great.
Those are amazing! Thanks so much for sharing, Carl. I think my favourites are Little Red, Queen of Diamonds, Devil’s Tango, Terrosel, and I’d better stop now before I name them
Wow! So cool to be mentioned on your site – and to be mentioned amongst such great work – thank you for your kind words!
No, thank you Christopher. Your work is inspiring and incredible. Congrats on the Spectrum inclusion. Hope to see more of your work in next year’s volume!
art O.D.
i have fallen off my chair.
That is the idea, JP! You should get the book and that would really knock you for a loop!
oh dear… its still too much.
well, i think this year, at last, after coveting these spectrum books for years but always thinking them too much of an extravagance, this year i will purchase one!
You might want to see what condition the used ones listed on Amazon.co.uk are and go that route.
You might want to see what condition the used ones listed on Amazon.co.uk are and go that route.
Wow, thanks for the preview. I was looking for the Ninetails image somewhere!