The finalists have been announced, and lo and behold I’m amongst the five nominees for Best Artist. Wow, wow, wow. Les Edwards, Edward Miller, Dean Harkness, and Vincent Chong are my fellow finalists. I’m honored to be in their company.

Overall, there’s some terrific and worthy work throughout the categories. MonkeyBrain Books got their first British Fantasy Award nom with Kim Newman’s THE MAN FROM THE DIOGENES CLUB amongst the finalists for Best Collection. I’m pleased to see that. Congrats to Chris, Allison, and Kim! It’s a terrific read, and I had fun illustrating and designing the cover.

The Association of Science Fiction & Fantasy Artists has released their list of the 22nd Annual Chesley Awards Nominees. Current ASFA members can of course download the Final Ballot here, and vote by August 10th. For anyone else who’s curious, the whole rundown’s posted below. Some really terrific work on the ballot, and I’m honored to have two of my cover illustrations amongst the nominated. These were posted earlier this month when ASFA released their Chesley Preliminary List, but here they are again.

In the Best Cover Illustration — Paperback Book category, here’s my cover for Walter M. Miller, Jr.’s classic A CANTICLE FOR LEIBOWITZ (Eos).

And in the Best Cover Illustration — Magazine category, here’s my cover for INTERZONE #204 (May/June 2006).

Special shoutout to Pyr’s Lou Anders. His sheer versatility as Pyr’s Editorial Director and Jack-of-All-Trades has now been officially exposed to the world, as he’s recognized with a Chesley nom for Best Art Director. How many editors have a Chesley nom for Art Director on their resume?? To all of my fellow nominees, I’m honored to be amongst you. Here’s the full list:

Best Cover Illustration — Hardback Book
* Stephan Martiniere, “River of Gods”, by Ian McDonald, Pyr, Mar 2006
* Jon Foster, “The Demon and the City”, by Liz Williams, Night Shade Books, Aug 2006
* Donato Giancola, “The Thirteenth House”, by Sharon Shinn, Ace, Mar 2006
* Todd Lockwood, “Temeraire: In the Service of the King”, by Naomi Novik, SFBC, 2006
* James A. Owen, “Here, There Be Dragons (Chronicles of the Imaginarium Geographica)” by James A. Owen, Simon & Schuster, Sept 2006

Best Cover Illustration — Paperback Book
* John Picacio, “A Canticle for Leibowitz”, by Walter M. Miller, Eos, May 2006
* Daniel Dos Santos, “Moon Called”, by Patricia Briggs, Ace, Feb 2006
* Vince Natale, “Queen of Attolia”, by Megan Whalen Turner, Eos, Jan 2006

Best Cover Illustration — Magazine
* Steven Gilberts, “Dark Wisdom: the Magazine of Dark Fiction”, Winter 2006
* Renee LeCompte, “Fantasy Magazine”, Summer 2006
* John Picacio, “Interzone” #204, May/June 2006
* r.k.post, “Dragon” #336, January 2006

Best Interior Illustration
* Tony Di Terlizzi, “Care and Feeding of Sprites”, by Holly Black & Tony Di Terlizzi
* Omar Rayyan, “Cricket Magazine”
* Yvonne Gilbert, “The Ice Dragon”, by George R.R. Martin, Starscape, Oct 2006
* Justin Sweet, “Kull: Exile of Atlantis” by Robert E. Howard, Del Rey, Oct 2006
* Ruth Thompson & Lawrence Allen Williams, “The Book Angels” by Todd Jordan, Sterling 2006
* Michael Kaluta, “The Orphan’s Tales: In the Night Garden” by Catherynne M. Valente, Spectra, Oct 2006
* James A. Owen, “Here, There Be Dragons (Chronicles of the Imaginarium Geographica)”, by James A. Owen, Simon & Schuster, Sept 2006

Best Color Work — Unpublished
* Jim Burns, “Dryad of the Oak”, acrylic
* Donato Giancola, “Tristan and Isolde”, oil
* Stephen Hickman, “Galadriel’s Harp”
* Michael Whelan, “Retrospection”, acrylic
* Benita Winckler, “Changing”, digital

Best Monochrome — Unpublished
* Donato Giancola, “Red Sonya”, pencil & chalk
* Stephanie Pui-Man Law, “Plum Blossoms”, ink
* Alex McVey, “Love Bites”, pencil
* Tom Fleming, “Spring”, pencil
* Joe Bellafatto, “The Great Temptation: Angel of Death”

Best Three Dimensional Art
* Laura Reynolds, “Ice Dragon”, mixed
* Gabriel Marquez, “Cthulhu V2”, porcelain
* Scott Webb, “Head over Heels”, polymert clay
* Forest Rogers, “Sea Maid’s Music”, clay and misc.
* Luke Eldridge, “Gargoyle Descending”, wire

Best Gaming Related Illustration
* Carl Critchlow “An Ill Wind Blows”
* Ralph Horsley “Thri-Keen”
* Todd Lockwood, “Dragons of Fearum”
* Richard Sardinha,”Coils of Set”
* Eva Widerman, “Seed of Undead”
* Paul & Michael Bielaczyc, “Knightly Order of Ansalom”

Best Product Illustration
* Douglas Fitch, production design for LA Opera’s,”Hansel and Gretel”
* Nathan Crowley, architectural design for the movie, “The Lake House”
* Eugenio Caballero and William Stout, production designer and conceptual designer for the movie “Pan’s Labyrinth”

Award for Artistic Achievement
* Stephan Martiniere
* John Jude Palencar
* Kinuko Y. Craft
* John Howe
* Alan Lee

Best Art Director
* Irene Gallo, Tor Books
* Matt Adelsperger, Wizards of the Coast
* Lou Anders, Pyr
* David Stevenson, Del Rey
* Jeremy Jarvis, Wizards of the Coast
* Judith Murello, Berkley Publishing Group
* Nicolas Sica, Bookspan (SFBC)
* Justin Stewart, Apex Magazine

Just opened today’s snailmail and pulled out these nifty certificates recognizing my two 2007 Hugo nominations. Is it me or does anything official look sexier with Japanese script? Simultaneous reality crash: I’ll be in Yokohama for Worldcon a month from now. It’s already around the corner, isn’t it? Where has the year gone….friendly PSA to any folks who want to vote in the Hugos but haven’t yet….according to Nippon 2007, all final Hugo ballots must be received by midnight (2359hrs), Pacific Standard Time tomorrow night (Tuesday, July 31, 2007). Some terrific nominees in all of the categories, so let your voice be heard.

I wish I could read Italian. Silvio Sosio and the good folks over at Delos Books sent me copies of ROBOT 51, the latest issue of their cool digest-sized sf/fantasy magazine. It features cover art by me, which you may recognize as the cover for Lou Anders‘ critically-acclaimed anthology LIVE WITHOUT A NET (Roc). I’m careful about second-rights usage of my illustration work, and this particular illustration is especially near and dear to me. However, Lou gave his blessing (since it was a non-North American usage) and then ROBOT kindly provided a prominent credit on the back cover mentioning Lou and the illustration’s first appearance on the cover of LWAN. This issue features fiction by Robert Silverberg and Paul Di Filippo, and interviews with Danny Boyle (SUNSHINE) and Ray Bradbury. It’s a sweet-looking, little package. Again, if I could only read Italian…

In the aforementioned issue of DEATH RAY (#2), they previewed one of the brand-new interior illustrations I’ve just finished for the much-anticipated Del Rey trade paperback release, ELRIC: THE STEALER OF SOULS by Michael Moorcock (February 2008 release). DEATH RAY used the illustration as a field background and I thought they did a clever job with it. So without further ado, here’s that illustration. This is the first full-pager from ELRIC: THE STEALER OF SOULS. Medium: Pencil on cold-press illustration board.

SF has a new mag and it’s called DEATH RAY. The cover to the second issue is pictured left, and it’s got a terrific interview with Michael Moorcock. Lots of great insights from Mike as usual. Nice quote from him here: “We have to keep struggling in order to maintain justice — the Balance. The price of freedom is to quote again, eternal vigilance. My next book, THE METATEMPORAL DETECTIVE (due in October from Pyr), might otherwise be different from anything I’ve done before, but ultimately that’s the same message it offers.”

I’ve got some quick thoughts re: DEATH RAY as a whole. Think BLENDER MAGAZINE for science fiction…young, street-wise, and free-ranging. What’s most exciting is it has solid feature content related to literary sf, even though the vast majority is weighted toward current TV and cinema. Maybe too much TV and cinema for my tastes. I suspect that media heft is what will keep this magazine alive on the newsstands though, and judging by the past magazines Blackfish Publishing‘s Matt Bielby has started (SFX; TOTAL FILM; PLAYSTATION 2 MAGAZINE), he probably knows that full well. The magazine claims itself as the place “where science fiction lives” and if so, it would be fun to see more of the subversive neighborhoods and maybe slightly less of the flashy, cinematic boulevards that are so well-visited. Maybe as the magazine finds its stability, it can open more of its pages to more content about sf literature, publishing, and art, and maybe even some original storytelling material. That’s still where INTERZONE is best — and clearly DEATH RAY is staking out different territory. The field has room for both, and I think DEATH RAY is off to a dynamite start. More highlights: I love the diversity of sf coverage across all media. It took me a while to get used to the visual busyness of the layouts, but I’ll happily trade that for the sheer abundance of thoughtful, informed content these guys pack into an issue. Guy Haley’s a great interviewer and I’ll look for more from him. What I love most about DEATH RAY is its personality and raw energy across all of the features. It’s a labor of love, not unlike the best fanzines, and if it remains that way, DEATH RAY will be a juggernaut for years to come.

I just turned in the final cover work for Michael Moorcock’s THE METATEMPORAL DETECTIVE. This will be a hardcover release from Pyr, and it’ll be in bookstores this October. Pyr mastermind Lou Anders just posted a nice detailed writeup about the book over at Pyr’s blog. Check it out. The book chronicles the adventures of Seaton Begg and his arch-nemesis Count Zodiac the Albino (perhaps better known as the legendary Elric of Melnibone).

Funny thing happened at my wedding in March, about ten minutes before I got married: I was discussing the front cover with Mike, and he offered a comment that inspired me to create a separate piece of spine art for the book. So for your persual, above is the finished cover with art and design by me, as well as the final illustration sans type, and below, the spine art featuring Rose Von Bek. The spine art is designed to wrap partially around to the back cover.

This was a lot of fun, and it’s always a pleasure to work on a Moorcock book. Now back to work over here…off to do more interiors for another Moorcock masterwork, the forthcoming Del Rey release ELRIC: THE STEALER OF SOULS…

The Association of Science Fiction & Fantasy Artists (ASFA)’s 2007 Chesley Awards Suggestions List is here. The awards will be handed out in Yokohama, Japan at this year’s Worldcon.

Thrilled to see Lou Anders of Pyr listed amongst the possible contenders for Best Art Director, along with Irene Gallo of Tor Books and Matt Adelsperger of Wizards of the Coast. Lou’s job title at Pyr is “Editorial Director,” but he sheperds the cover art process as well and from the get-go, he’s developed a diverse and provocative lineup of cover art for Pyr. Very glad to see him getting some acknowledgement in this department.

Two of my cover illustrations are included on this year’s list. In the Best Cover Illustration — Paperback Book category, there’s my cover for Walter M. Miller, Jr.’s classic A CANTICLE FOR LEIBOWITZ (Eos).

And in the Best Cover Illustration — Magazine category, there’s my cover for INTERZONE #204 (May/June 2006).

Overall, some outstanding work in all of the Chesley categories this year! Check it out.

Wow, where does the time go? Conestoga 11, Oklahoma’s largest literary sf/fantasy con, fast approaches (July 20-22, in Tulsa). Laurell K. Hamilton is the Author Guest of Honor; Elizabeth Moon is Toastmaster; Richard and Michelle Zellich are the Fan Guests of Honor, and Eric Flint is the Special Guest of Honor. I’m the Artist Guest of Honor. The Conestoga con committee has been really on the ball, so it’s gonna be good times.

Here’s my panel schedule as it currently stands, and of course, I’ll be in the Art Show…hope to see you there!

Book Covers in the 21st Century
Fri: 04:30 PM / Salon F (1 hr)
What works and what doesn’t on the bookstore shelves? Panelists may bring copies of their own works or others and discuss what they think works or doesn’t and what the future holds for cover illustration in sf/fantasy/crossover lit.
Moderator: Picacio, John
Participants: Bradley, Peter; Weisskopf, Toni; Hamilton, Laurell K.

Art in the Digital Age
Sat: 10:00 AM / Salon H (1 hr)
There’s not really a question anymore about whether digital art can be fine art, all you have to do is look at Artist GOH John Picacio’s work. So we’ll ask how people have adapted their techniques in the digital age, and how much digital options have impacted their work.
Moderator: Anderson, David Lee
Participants: Picacio, John; Bradley, Peter

Artist GoH Presentation
Winner of the 2007 Locus Award for Best Artist and finalist for the International Horror Guild Award in the Artist category, John Picacio creates stunning covers and illustrations, and we’re pleased to have him join us. Come see why the convention committee was gobsmacked.
Sat: 03:00 PM / Salon E (1 hr)
Moderator: Picacio, John

Story Illustration Workshop
Sun 10:00 AM / Salon H (2 hrs)
Writers of the Future winner Matt Champine will be our guinea pig. He’ll bring a short story and our artists will talk about the process they go through in illustrating a work of fiction. Then, we’ll see if it works.
Moderator: Picacio, John
Participants: Bradley, Peter; Anderson, David Lee; Stein, Allison; Gannon, Amanda; Champine, Matt

Saturday was already a great day with the Locus Award win, but it was made even more so (if that’s possible) when I heard I’m a finalist for the International Horror Guild Award in the Artist category! In my case, my IHG nomination is because of COVER STORY: THE ART OF JOHN PICACIO. This is great because in my mind it’s a shared recognition for myself and MonkeyBrain Books (Allison Baker and Chris Roberson). Thanks to all, and I’m very grateful for the recognition. All the better to share it with friends like MonkeyBrain.

Shoutout to my all of my fellow IHG nominees (complete list here), but especially to those who are in this year’s Artist category.

Aeron Alfrey.
Exhibits from the Imaginary Museum

Camille Rose Garcia.
Camille Rose Garcia: Subterranean Death Clash, Jonathan Levine Gallery, New York

Chris Mars.
Chris Mars: Subderma, Jonathan Levine Gallery, New York

J.K. Potter.
Cover and illustrations: A Soul in a Bottle by Tim Powers (Subterranean)

Quite a diverse mix of approaches and visions, and an honor to be listed amongst them.

me. Wow! My return trip home from the Locus Awards/Science Fiction Museum & Hall of Fame Induction Weekend was loaded with airport delays and snafus, but that still couldn’t dampen the joy I still feel over this honor. I’m home now, and sincerely grateful to all of the Locus readers who made this possible, especially considering that more folks vote in this poll than the Hugos or the Nebulas. That’s incredibly humbling, and I’m really blown away by this whole thing. Thank you so much. I’ll just keep working over here, and keep trying to get better.

It’s really late right now and I’m dead-tired….a few photos from the last couple of days….
The Science Fiction Museum and Hall of Fame located near the Space Needle in Seattle….site of the SFM Induction Ceremony where Ed Emshwiller, Gene Wolfe, Gene Roddenberry, and Ridley Scott were inducted into the Hall of Fame this weekend

Super-cool signage near the entry to the Science Fiction Hall of Fame

Me saying a few words about the greatness of Ed Emshwiller as he gets inducted into the Hall of Fame (photo courtesy of Christopher Carey)

Eileen Gunn and me, post-ceremony, in front of the SFM’s Hall of Fame wall….Eileen represented the Emshwillers in accepting Ed’s HOF induction (photo courtesy of Leslie Howle)

And there it is….the 2007 Locus Award for Best Artist. Wow. Try this list on for size…this is the list of past Artist winners in the Locus Awards’ 37-year history….Leo & Diane Dillon, Frank Kelly Freas, Rick Sternbach, Boris Vallejo, Bob Eggleton, Michael Whelan….and now me. I think the best thing I can do at this point is go get some sleep and get back to work. Again — sincere thanks to everyone out there, and I’m so incredibly proud to be part of this year’s list of Locus Award Winners. 🙂