Gettin' our zombie on in Columbus

We're going to be Artist Guest of Honor at Marcon in Columbus OH this weekend so you really need to get your asses out for this event. Abyss Walker author Shane Moore will be there as well as Sam Flegal and T.B. Gallery. I'll be doing an autograph session on Saturday morning (but I will sign stuff all weekend long if you want) and a Quick Draw session that afternoon and wrapping up the day with portfolio reviews early that evening. Sunday I'll be taking part in a panel called Monster vs. Monster...  The annual zombie walk will be taking place at Goodale Park at 5pm too. There's gonna be more zombies in Columbus than you can shake a stick at!

Imagicon, suckas!

We're headed down to Birmingham AL for Imagicon. Guests include Larry Elmore, Sam Flegal, Bobby Nash, Jim O'Rear, Daniel Emery Taylor, Chris O'Donnell impersonator Cherokee Hall, James Hill, Sean Taylor, Lou Anders, Buck Rogers and that hot brunette with the blue eyes.

I'm taking part in several panels including WebSite Development, Art Business Basics, Protect Your Art on the Web and an undisclosed horror track with Daniel Emery Taylor and Jim O'Rear that doesn't seem to be on any of the schedules...hmmm....

It's gonna be the most fun you can have with your hands outside of your pockets!

Death of a legend

As most of you know Frank Frazetta passed away last week and now it is Ronnie James Dio. Luckily these two had long, full lives and I hope they got to say what they came to say. Yet it is still hard to let go of your heroes.

Like 99.99% of artists in the horror, fantasy or sci-fi genres, especially in the over 30 generation, I was inspired by Frazetta. Growing up in the 70s I was witness to the maturation of comics. Publishers had figured out the way around the Comics Code was to put out magazines. The art on and between these covers was like none that had been seen before. Gogos, Frazetta, Larkin, etc. They created comic art that was more than comic art. It was fine art for people that didn't like fine art. Masterpieces we could enjoy. And in the days before the internet it was impossible to get the inside scoop on the creators. Everything was in its own context. And the artists were these mysterious shadowy figures that lived in caves or castles and wore hooded robes...Or so I thought.

Frazetta inspired me artistically. But he was not the one I wanted to emulate. Even though his work had a subliminal influence on me there were others that I wanted to emulate. It was until the early part of this century that Frazetta's paint stained hand truly guided me to the path I needed to be on.

I came across an article on a website that told of how at some point the Frazettas, Frank and Ellie, got tired of publishers selling prints of his work and keeping the bulk of the profits. Ellie took things into her own hands and started up a publishing company just to handle Frank's reproductions. It also told how Ellie had taken control of Frank's career acting as agent and business manager and hoe successful their venture was. That's where the big loud "click" came in.

For years I had struggled as an artist, trying to break in through the tried and true venues. Reading this story made me realize that as an artist I didn't need anyone to make my career for me. I didn't need that lucky break. I'd make that lucky break myself! If I wanted it done right I had to do it myself. And then my wife stepped up to act as business manager and things have been great ever since.

The Frazettas showed me that as an artist I needed to take a more active part in my career. That no one gave a rat's ass about my career than me and my family and that's who should be in charge.

My career owes a lot to Frank and Ellie. Not because he showed me how art should be done but because they showed me how my career should be done. I think others should take a moment and look past the art at the people behind it. That is the legacy that could possibly be lost for future generations. Decades from now the art will overshadow these creators and entrepreneurs behind the dragons and swords and scantily clad ladies. We should hold on to it while it is still here.

Frank and Ellie will be missed are being missed.

What's been goin' on

Haven't updated in a little while so i thought I'd give a run down. The St. Louis show, Con-Tamination, was pretty freakin' awesome! Tons of friends were there. Got to meet fans new and old. Plus that is Abyss Walker author Shane Moore's stompin' ground so there were a lot of folks there that were familiar with my work through him. We went to City Museum with Dick Starr, his wife Heidi and Johnny Bopp on Saturday night. All I can say is that if you're in the area you must go to this place!

Some storms came through the area Friday and Saturday nights but nothing major. But some of the folks at the show live in Nashville and we began hearing the first reports of flooding. We didn't know how bad it was until Monday. It was on Tuesday that I started to hear that my hometown of Olive Hill KY was hit hard as well. But then the reports kept getting worse and worse until the realization that this was the worst flooding there for decades. Every building downtown was apparently flooded and many many people lost everything. All the homes, history and hard work that the waters washed away in both towns is heart wrenching!

Thanks for the birthday wishes. If you didn't know about the birthday don't sweat it. It's not something I announce. Had a good birthday with the family. Except for the fact that my (once) favorite restaurant, The Pub, is now on my shit list! The last three times I have tried to eat there they have been closed. Apparently they aren't open for lunch until 3, they close at 9 and on May 5 they are closed because they rent out the place for a charity. Odd hours and closed to the public in the middle of the week? I'll take my business elsewhere.

My gallery show in Covington at Swayne on Main was pretty good. Threat of bad weather kept people away I think. I hope. I'm also getting a sneaking suspicion that people that are fans of my stuff and stuff like my stuff don't visit galleries. If this is true you guys have to come out and support our gallery shows. The more successful these shows are the more it shows the powers that be that art is more that flowers and landscapes and abstractions!

Nice wedding of some friends on Saturday. Congrats Claire and Brian. It was great when the father of the bride gave a D&D reference in his speech!

Cool news: Confirmed our first show outside the USA! We'll be Artist Guest of Honor and SFContario in Ontario in November. We are really excited about this. Along with out Guest of Honor spot in Seattle at ZomBcon this fall is going to be rockin!!

This weekend we'll be headed to Illinois for the wedding of our friends Shane Moore and Tracy. This may be the wedding of the year so we'll have pictures to share!

After that our next shows are Imagicon in Birmingham AL and MarCon in Columbus OH. Hope to see you at one...or both of the shows!

Zombifying Mainstrasse

A quick note: I will be displaying art for Covington KY's First Friday Gallery Hop. I'll be at Swayne on Main on Mainstrasse! I think we'll be putting the banner up so keep yer eyes peeled for the ginormous Zombie Sam! Festivites start around 6:30.