Greg and I will be at the World Fantasy Convention this year. I'm looking forward to this even more than usual. The artists line up is fantastic. Two artist guests, John Jude Palencar and Gary Gianni. Plus, Greg, Charles Vess, John Picacio, Mike Dringenberg, Gary Lippincot and others. And, the Franks from Worlds of Wonder and the Fenners from Spectrum. It should be a particularly rich art environment. I am not scheduled for any panels but I hope to attend the following:
Fri 1:30 PM-2:30 PM: John Jude Palencar
Fri 4:30 PM-5:30 PM: Interpreting REH's Fiction in Art:
Artists who have illustrated Robert E. Howard and other heroic fantasy present and discuss their work. What are the appeals and challenges of working with Howard's worlds and characters? (Gianni, Palencar, Picacio)
Sat 11:00 AM-Noon: Gary Gianni
Sat 3:30 PM-4:30 PM: Contemporary Art and Fantasy Book Covers
Does a successful 21st century fantasy cover necessarily have to be representational? What influences the degree of representation in a cover? (Anders, Gianni, Givens, Palencar, Vess)
Sun 2:30 PM-3:30 PM: Art in the New Millennium: What is an Original?
With computer technology and a new generation of good artists using these tools, what constitutes an original? (Dringenberg, Palencar, Picacio, Snellings-Clark)
In celebration of Robert E. Howard, the image above is from Greg's recent paintings for Conquering Sword of Conan. He'll have some of these paintings on display in the art show.