Wednesday, November 26, 2008

A Tardy Illuxcon Report

I exhibited the painting above at Illuxcon. It’s a book cover for “Stonefather” by Orson Scott Card published by Subterranean Press. It’s a cleverly written story that has the feeling of a fable but with a gentle humor you wouldn’t expect. I got a chance to do a few pen & inks for this book as well. I looked it up and it seems the book is sold out already. Below is one of a few doodles I did at Illuxcon. I'm putting them between paragraphs:As far as I know I’ve always liked fantasy and science fiction. Over the years it has only gained in meaning for me. This is due to a greater appreciation for science and for literature. So at first when I heard of Illuxcon it seemed wrong to separate the art from the literature. After all I like keeping the science in the science fiction and I like to read.The thing that most appealed to me about Illuxcon was the chance to meet many artists I’ve never met before. And I did meet some but not as many as I would’ve liked to. Nonetheless, you can see a few pictures from that event on my photo-blog Shutterbuggy Kidd. I’m a bit strange in that it usually doesn’t occur to me to take a picture of someone unless they’re doing something interesting -- I need to be prompted.The idea of bringing artists and people interested in art together was a great success. Illuxcon was small in size but large in content and I think it will continue to grow in all directions.There were two highlights of the convention for me, one that I thought was funny and another that I thought was a lot of fun. The first night there was a small party and because so many people didn’t know each other the hosts suggested we write our names on stickers and wear them. Pretending to be an illiterate artist I drew an airship on mine. Well into the party a young woman was talking to my friend Omar Rayyan, looked at my name badge and exclaimed, “Are you Gnemo?!!” I felt a certain childish pride that I could be recognized by a drawing.The other thing I enjoyed greatly was doing demos with Michael Whelan, Bob Eggleton and Matt Stewart. That was a total blast. Above is a painting Michael started and I made something of a story around by making him or her embarrassed at being caught naked. Modesty does not become him. Below is a demon Michael started, Bob worked on and I turned into a painter I call “Bob.”And finally, below is a painting I call "Untamed Muse." I started this one and Michael worked on it.

10 Comments:

Blogger tlchang said...

Thanks for the convention report. I was sad not to make it (maybe next year - are you going back?) but it sounds like a good time was had by all. :-)

12:05 AM  
Blogger Mark Reep said...

Great painting. Your environments and architectural elements are always a wonderful combination of whimsy and grandeur. So much good stuff in there, and you make all the work look fun and flowing and effortless.

How the %*#! do you manage that, exactly? :)

Thanks for stopping by- Glad you're finding time for Kiddography again.

All the best!

10:28 AM  
Blogger C.B. Canga said...

amazing work tom.

love the dream like quality to all you work. i admire illustrators that can do that.

12:44 PM  
Blogger Unknown said...

Great pics of Illuxcon and I love the ink drawings. It was a real treat to see some of your works in person. They look great in reproduction but they are jewels in person.

12:39 AM  
Blogger Jared Shear said...

The "Stonefather" cover is really great Tomm. I love how the painting lets the view take his time, winding his way up and exploring the city.

Almost missed the face......but I found it.

9:29 AM  
Blogger Tom Kidd said...

Tara, Illuxcon was small. It's not like the San Diego Comicon but it was concentrated with people with the same interests. I went to Comicon once and it was simply too much. There’s only so much excitement/stimulation/people I can take or even remember. Such things always end up being a blur for me.

Mark, I'm always amazed by your art. It truly is transporting. The only way I can see my own work is through someone else’s eyes. All my work looks plain to me, no surprises. No matter what I do they always come out that way. About halfway through every painting I’m fumbling around blindly looking for what’s wrong but I can never find it. This gives me an idea -- wearing glasses or using drugs that distort my vision while I paint. That’ll probably only give me a headache or further brain damage though.

C.B., Thanks. I never really thought about that but I see it in your work too. Mark’s art certainly has that quality too.

Thanks Scott, I really wish I’d worked a bit harder to talk to all the artists there. It was great to see that big painting of yours in person and I got to see your paintings at the IO Gallery shortly after that -- pretty cool! I like looking at paintings very close up. There’s a lot to see in the brush strokes. I’m the guy the museum guards are always eyeing as I stand an inch from some masterpiece looking intently.

Jared, I showed the book cover for Stonefather to group of artists in town and my friend, Charlie Gehm (an extraordinary romance cover artist), asked if he was seeing The Old Man in the Mountain. That was just what I was going for, as if the rocks had accidentally formed a figure. I thought I’d made it too obvious but maybe I did it right. Thanks.

11:25 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

What a beaut, Tom (Stonefather). I'm blown away.

And not just because I like stone faces.

9:07 PM  
Blogger Lloyd Harvey said...

Your work is truly awe inspiring. I love it!

11:42 AM  
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