About me
Science-Fiction and fantasy artwork has fascinated me from an early age, not to mention countless books, films, music and television serials – and it continues to fascinate and inspire me, from my first ventures into computer-aided
artwork in the early nineties, to finally putting digital pen to pad in 2008, that influence has
come full circle as I work on various pieces of artwork designed to take the viewer on a journey
into other worlds and beyond.
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With my painting, Awakening |
Although I have worked as a professional graphic designer since 1997, my real artistic interest has always remained in science-fiction and fantasy art.
I grew up in awe of two things – the first was a huge print hanging on the wall at home – it was like a window into another world. I'd listen to Jean Michel Jarre's Oxygène album and stare out through this portal across a vast alien terrain. I could almost feel the heat radiating out of the painting.
It was mysteriously signed "Hardy" in the corner. It wasn't until over twenty years later, that I found out more about this mysterious Hardy chap and the rest of his work, which still inspires me today. In 2007, I was finally able to put a name to both the artist and painting – Stellar Radiance, by David A. Hardy.
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Stellar Radiance, © David A. Hardy/AstroArt |
The second item of importance was the most incredible book of art, called Space Wars, Worlds and Weapons, originally published in 1977 (left). Every page was adorned with paintings by artists such as Chris Foss, Michael Whelan, Chris Moore, Jim Burns, Tim White, Boris Vallejio and David A. Hardy although (back then, I hadn't made the connection between the images in this book and Stellar Radiance… or maybe I just didn't read the credits at the end!).
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Space Wars, Worlds and Weapons |
The imagery in Space Wars, Worlds and Weapons took me on an intergalactic tour, as it's title suggested, into space and other worlds. Any page was an instant source of fascination, and still is. It may have sadly lost it's dust jacket somewhere along the way, but I still love that book – it encompasses everything that was fantastic, visionary and iconic about space and fantasy art of the 1970s, which for me remains just as exciting and inspirational today.
I didn't start reading SF novels until the summer of 2001. The first book I read was Arthur C. Clarke's The City and the Stars – and it had a profound effect on me! Reading something with such vision and ambition especially for the time it was written, just blew me away. And so did the cover painting; a fantastic cityscape by Chris Moore. I originally picked the book up purely on the strength of the cover, which remains one of my favourite paintings. A large, signed Chris Moore print of that cover now hangs in my studio for constant inspiration.
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Chris Moore's artwork for Arthur C. Clarke's The City and the Stars |
Aside from a lifelong adoration of Doctor Who and classic science-fiction films such as Metropolis, Logan's Run and Westworld, there's also no denying the influence of authors such as Arthur C. Clarke, Philip K. Dick, H.G. Wells, Brian Aldiss and John Wyndham.
I also find a great deal of artistic inspiration from music, and rarely paint without it. Artists such as Peter Gabriel, David Bowie, John Foxx, Gary Numan, Jean Michel Jarre and Mike Oldfield to name but a few, provide a regular soundtrack to my work.
What I aspire to achieve in my artwork is something that evokes a similar feeling and atmosphere as the work of those space art greats of the 1970s and 80s, but at the same time something distinctive and timeless.
My most comfortable medium is environment art pieces which place the viewer in the heart of the scene.
I currently work in Photoshop CS5 with an A4-sized Intuos tablet. I started out with a Bamboo but soon found I needed to expand! My preferred medium is digital, although many of my pieces start out as a rough pencil sketch, which I’ll scan and then work over. I try to avoid working in too many layers where possible, as the challenge for me is always to recreate the feeling of working on a single layer as if it were a real painting – although I much prefer digital – it comes without the mess!
While this website focuses mainly on my science-fiction and fantasy artwork, you'll also find examples of my other work, from abstract paintings to cartoon illustrations.
