My expected look back at the weekend that was Spectrum Fantastic Art Live 3 is late on arrival, not because I have only just come out of a genre-art-induced coma (not a bad guess), but because I promptly left my home last Monday after too-few hours of sleep to spend the week celebrating a quarter century of marriage to a truly remarkable woman.
Now that I am back, and the yard/garden has been put in some semblance of order, it is high time to reflect on what was a truly fantastic weekend, all hyperbole aside.
A year of hard work by a small but dedicated team culminated in the arrival of hundreds of talented artists here in Kansas City for the May 9-11th weekend. After months of planning, and the execution of numerous ideas to get the word out, the weekend came and went in a whirlwind of creative energy.
Those who have attended a Spectrum Fantastic Art Live event will attest to the fact that, in comparison with the experience of actually being there, words pale. As I walked around Friday prior to the show opening, my friend’s sixteen year old daughter Lydia exclaimed, “I just want to go home and draw!”.
I think that pretty much sums up the palpable spark that infuses the air when you have this much talent gathered together under one roof. I felt the same way that she did, and I am not an artist.
Before I go on to share the jumble of thoughts and memories I took away from SFAL3, and of course share the goodies that I brought home, I want to take a moment to thank Arnie and Cathy Fenner, Arlo Burnett, Amanda Butler, Lazarus Potter and Shena Wolf for trusting Jeff A. Smith and me to be a part of this. Last year at this time we were two guys kicking ideas back and forth about how we might do a better job here locally to get the word out about this show for which we were, and are, so passionately devoted. You took a chance on us and let us voice, and try out, all manner of suggestions.
We are both so grateful to have been a part of this year’s show. Wow! It was a lot of hard work and we enjoyed every minute of it, we truly did. “Thank you” seems so inadequate, but please know that it is heartfelt.
And thank you Jeff for your partnership in this venture, for the inspiring collaboration, and for all your dedication during the weekend to make sure the panels went off as smoothly as possible.
(All photos, with the exception of those showing the treasures I brought home, are the property of Spectrum Fantastic Art Live)
Wow! The third outing of Spectrum Fantastic Art Live was amazing! Jeff and I had the honor of monitoring the various panels that were scheduled for the weekend, and I can tell you first hand, if you did not attend them, you missed out.
For three years in a row now I have had the same experience: there is so much going on that it is hard to take it all in. That feeling was amplified because of our responsibilities with the panels. Being able to help ensure that the artists and panel attendees had the best experience possible added another dimension to the proceedings that increased the pleasure exponentially. The people who volunteer to make events like this successful have the common desire of wanting to give each exhibitor and each attendee an unforgettable experience…for all the best reasons. While there were the expected technical difficulties that arose, I would like to think we achieved our aims.
There was a strong educational component to this year’s programming and among the most popular were the series of bootcamps hosted by Lauren Panepinto and Marc Sheff. I was pleased to be able to tell Marc in person how much his post about exercise on the Muddy Colors site inspired me. John Picacio introduced me to Lauren Panepinto last year during the pre-show set up and I’ve enjoyed following her on Facebook this past year. It was great fun to see her and talk with her at the show. She does such a great job with her art direction responsibilities at Orbit Books.
I made sure to take some time to talk to one of my perennial favorites, Mark Schulz. I recently reviewed his book Carbon for SF Signal. His lush inks and pulp-inspired images have been among my favorites for many years and I make sure to try to catch him every year to tell him how much I appreciate what he does. Mark did a live inking/painting demonstration as part of the event and it was great to see such an enthusiastic response to his work and the way he achieves his effects.
John Fleskes, of Flesk Publications, had a big presence at the show with numerous artists present at the Flesk booth. As the man who was handed the torch for the Spectrum annual art book, John was very involved in both the promotion of the show prior to its arrival and the Spectrum 21 Awards Ceremony at the Midland Theater on Saturday night. I’ll post more about that in a separate post, complete with the announcement of the two winners for the You Be The Judge contest. John Fleskes is the nicest guy you’ll ever meet and his dedication to genre art is apparent both by spending any amount of time at all talking to him about art or if you have the good fortune of owning any of the books his company publishes.
I owe artist Jeremy Aaron Moore a public apology. Despite a promise to stop by his booth I never did manage to do so, nor did I get by to see Abigail Larson, although I had the joy of meeting her at the Spectrum 21 Awards Ceremony. There was so much going on, and so much to see…which (pardon me using my marketing voice) is why you need to be there all three days to have any chance of getting the full effect.
I’ve enjoyed interacting with the Creative Director of Tor Books, Irene Gallo, for many years now and it was wonderful to see her at Spectrum Fantastic Art Live 3. I had the privilege of staffing the panel room when she gave her “Day in the Life of an Art Director” panel and I learned some really interesting things, particularly in the way Tor Books has looked at commissioning art for re-releases of books, or for ebook versions of previously published works…fascinating!
On Thursday evening, prior to the show, Jeff and I joined Lazarus Potter and artist Ed Howard and his wife Rachel Crane on a local radio show hosted by John Todd. It was great fun! I met Ed and Rachel during the inaugural Spectrum Fantastic Art Live and look forward to seeing them every year.
Ed Howard’s oils are incredible, as I’ve posted about before, and this year he brought some pastels with him. I snagged this one, “Earth”, at the earliest possible moment.
I’m thrilled to have come home with an Ed Howard original.
Last year I bought my first ever original painting, a small helmet painting by artist Gregory Manchess. Last year they went like lightning and I felt fortunate to get one. This year one of my prime objectives was to see if I could get another one.
As we helped set up prior to the show, I noticed a fairly steady group of people vying to get a peak at the selection of mini-Manchesses. I was doing a good deal of hovering myself, making sure my multiple trips through the hall on business conveniently went past Greg’s booth.
I was hoping to get one of the astronauts this year and I am pleased to say that I was successful. Isn’t it great? His selection of helmets this year were really beautiful. Several lucky people went home with treasures this year.
One of the most consistent things overheard from first-timers at SFAL is that the artists are so nice and friendly. It is true, and Gregory Manchess is one of the kindest. It is an honor to have had him in attendance in Kansas City these last three years.
One of the artists who came to my attention because of the annual Spectrum: The Best in Contemporary Fantastic Art volumes is Bill Carman. His art is whimsical and fun and each piece seems to tell an interesting story.
I was following his blog during the ramp-up to the show and was anticipating the small originals he was bringing along with him to Kansas City. I had three goals that I hoped to achieve in the midst of giving my utmost to make this show special, and that was to get something from Edward Howard, Gregory Manchess, and Bill Carman.
This is the treasure I bought from Bill. You can see a series of in-progress images on his site here.
I love the idea of a fearsome beast like this having to eat his meat through a metal straw.
Bill Carman was a recipient of a Gold Award in the Institutional Category for his painting, Shared Eyewear. It is one of my favorites and I was so happy for him when it was announced at the ceremony.
Prior to the show John Picacio offered original drawings based on select Loteria images and La Luna is one I am really drawn to. I purchased one and mentioned that he could save on some shipping by just bringing it to the show with him.
I never dreamed in so doing that I would get to see him actually fine-tuning the image in person. That makes this already special piece that much more memorable.
John was instrumental in the process that lead to Jeff and I having a chance to pitch some ideas and volunteer our time to Arnie and Cathy Fenner after last year’s Spectrum Fantastic Art Live and we are eternally grateful.
It was wonderful to be able to spend time with John again. We had a couple of good meals, conversed with some mutual friends that John had introduced us to in previous years, and generally had a really nice time. John is another very gracious artist and I appreciate the time he took to critique the art of the daughter of a friend of mine.
As always, thanks John!
One thing about spending so much time behind the scenes–I didn’t take home near the quantity of items I have in the past. But the quality was excellent! I also managed to snag both volumes of Tanpopo from Camilla d’Errico and Mary and I bought a couple of the Sherlock Holmes card sets from Jackson Robinson. All of his card sets were so interesting, I wanted each one.
Spectrum Fantastic Art Live 3 was built upon the foundation of the previous years and the result was something truly special. I know that I have a tendency to be far too effusive in my praise and for that I do apologize. It is simply who I am and I do mean it and so much more. I do feel honored to have been a part of the show and am ready to do it all over again.
I am inspired and elated to have experienced some of the very best fantastic art the world has to offer. If we do it again, I expect you to be there.
I know I am not and will not be alone in sharing the SFAL3 experience, so keep an eye on this site for links to additional posts:
Christina Hess
Arnie Fenner
John Fleskes
Kelley McMorris
Wylie Beckert
Serena Malyon
Having only stumbled across your blog a handful of weeks ago (via Abigail Larson’s facebook page, who I’d just found thanks to a friend when you interviewed her – yay for happy random connections!), I rejoiced in learning about all of these artists while also lamenting that there was no way I could manage to attend this event on such short notice. If you do it again, I most definitely aim to be there. I’d also like to thank you for your content in general. I found your blog at a time when I’ve been yearning for new inspiration, artists, and authors. I’ve not yet been disappointed by a single post (… that feels like such an understatement!) and I mean to scour what you’ve shared in the past, as well. Your posts are my favorite e-mail update. Thank you!!
Thanks for the kind words, Kelly. I’m so glad Abigail Larson’s interview brought you around.
I’m glad you are enjoying the content here and I welcome your participation..even if you are disappointed by a post, I hope you’ll chime in about it.
I hope to keep introducing people to artists and authors that will inspire them.
And I do hope there is an SFAL 4 and that we are able to say “hello” in person there next May!
“I just want to go home and draw!” Awww, so sweet! That is the best! I wish I could have attended Spectrum when I was 15.
I posted my own writeup of the show at my blog: http://kmcmorris.blogspot.com/2014/05/lessons-learned-from-spectrum-fal-2014.html
Wylie Beckert also wrote a good summary of the show:
http://www.wyliebeckert.com/index.php?subaction=showfull&id=1400105760&archive=&start_from=&ucat=&show=sketchblog
I’m so glad you enjoyed the show, Kelley, and thank you so much for the two links. I’ve added them above and will be sharing them as well.
I’m not a huge con-goer in general ($$$, and I’m a little reclusive), but this one is pretty likely to happen next year – I’ve already laid the ground work (i.e. mentioned it to my wife). What’s a general range of how much you might expect to pay to bring home some art? I can’t imagine myself going without this as part of my plan.
Thanks for the post(s)!
It depends on whether or not you are wanting originals or prints. Many of the artists have high quality prints for very reasonable prices (as I can attest to from buying MANY over the past few years) and originals can range anywhere from sketches for less than $100 on up to original oil paintings in the thousands…and let me tell you, those are a treat to see up close and in person.
I bought a lovely Christina Hess pencil sketch year one for $40, for example.
It is good to save money for an event like this, because you will want to bring stuff home! 🙂
I have a feeling that a lot of prints will be bought, and maybe some pennies saved for a non-print, maybe? One can dream!
I enjoyed your terrific write-up of SPECTRUM FANTASTIC ART! Amazing artists producing eye-popping artwork…it doesn’t get much better than that! And congratulations om 25 years of wedded bliss!
Thanks George, it certainly doesn’t feel like 25 years, and that is, I imagine, a good thing.
This was such an unbelievable weekend, after many months of work, all of which feels so worth it that I’m ready to dive right back in.
Lyda did exactly as she stated above. She spent much of Friday evening in her room drawing.
Thank you Carl for letting her help John get set up Friday morning. Lydia really enjoyed getting to meet him. She also loved getting to meet Camilla d’Errico, who is her favorite artist. On top of that she was even able to get an original piece of Camilla’s work. That’s something she will treasure forever, I’m sure.
I had a blast and really hope that next year I get to spend more time at the event. There is so much to do that just one day isn’t enough.
That is so cool. I’m so glad you let her skip school for the day to help. It was a great experience for her at this point in her maturation process as an artist.
One day is truly not enough, that is for certain. Three days is not enough!!! So glad you all came out on Saturday and spent the day and got to attend the awards ceremony.
Wow, Carl, what a great adventure this has been for you! I personally want to thank you — not only for all the hard work you did in putting the show together but in making the journey available to the rest of us who couldn’t be there through your copious posts. I have had such a great time being introduced to so many artists whose work I had never seen before. Great stuff! Thanks again for all you did to make the art and artists available on your site.
You are welcome, Midori. It is an honor to be able to do my part in this way. I get a kick out of making those introductions, out of being a conduit for artists of whatever kind (art, literature, music…) to find fans and vice versa.
Sounds like you had a terrific and busy time! You picked up some great art and made more friends. Good on, you. Thanks for sharing.
If we get word early enough on #4, maybe you and Barbara can somehow swing a chance to attend. I think you would both enjoy it so much.
Great write-up on the convention, I’m glad to know that even after 3 years of going its still a magical experience. This was my first time attending (and exhibiting) and, as you said, I was gobsmacked by how kind and generous everyone was. I’ve never felt a part of an illustration community until now.
Thank you for all of your hard work, the con was really something special. I hope I get to go back next year and say hi!
p.s I hope you dont mind, but I linked to your write-up in my own blog post about SFAL.
http://smalyon.wordpress.com/2014/05/19/golden-embers-and-sfal/
It was special, I agree. The combination of that much great art and that many enthusiastic fans and artists is such a rush. I’m so happy that you enjoyed your experience and would love to come back to it. Community is so important, and I’m happy you made those connections.
I don’t mind you linking at all, and I put a link to your post up at the end of mine too.
Well said Carl. I was honored to be a part of Spectrum Live this year again and am already anticipating next year.
Thanks Bill! And thanks for bringing original work to the show to sell. I’m thrilled with the gem I took home. Glad to hear you will be at the next one.