{"id":203,"date":"2009-04-02T14:52:00","date_gmt":"2009-04-02T14:52:00","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/johnpicacio.com\/onthefront\/2009\/04\/02\/whelan-paul-09-hall-of-famers\/"},"modified":"2014-12-14T18:46:23","modified_gmt":"2014-12-14T18:46:23","slug":"whelan-paul-09-hall-of-famers","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/johnpicacio.com\/onthefront\/2009\/04\/02\/whelan-paul-09-hall-of-famers\/","title":{"rendered":"Whelan & Paul \/ ’09 Hall of Famers!"},"content":{"rendered":"

<\/p> $\"\"$ <\/a>Really pleased to hear via Locus Online<\/a> that Michael Whelan<\/a> & Frank R. Paul<\/a> are amongst the four new Science Fiction Museum Hall of Famers<\/a>, along with Connie Willis<\/a> and Edward L. Ferman<\/a>. It\u2019s great to see not one, but two, of the best sf artists ever amongst this year\u2019s inductees. Whelan\u2019s reputation as one of the greatest illustrators in the history of sf\/fantasy is well-known. Paul is perhaps lesser known to folks who don\u2019t draw and paint sf for a living because Paul was the first major science fiction illustrator, and his visionary work happened in the 20\u2019s and 30\u2019s. (Pictured above: one of his seminal AMAZING STORIES covers.) Hugo-winner Frank Wu<\/a> sums up Paul\u2019s greatness:\n

\u201cAt a time when most Americans didn\u2019t even have a telephone, he was painting space stations, robots and aliens from other planets. In an era when Lindbergh made headlines by flying across the Atlantic, Paul envisioned starships plowing across the galaxy. Indeed, he was the guest of honor at the first world science fiction convention, and he was the first person to ever make a living drawing spaceships. What could be cooler than that? The first science fiction image Arthur C. Clarke ever saw was a Frank R. Paul painting. Same for Forrest J. Ackerman and Ray Bradbury. Indeed, his work has inspired countless multitudes to write and dream and explore.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

$\"\"$ <\/a>Whelan\u2019s greatness as an artist and influence on modern sf\/fantasy art is legendary. Most of his recent work is personal gallery efforts (stunning and ever-evolving<\/a>), while his book cover days are largely behind him. What might not be as well-known is his huge generosity toward fellow illustrators and toward the field itself. His attention to visual detail is unparalleled, but he pays the same attention to detail to how he treats people. Example \u2014 in 2005, I was at the World Horror Convention in NYC and at the time, I\u2019d just received my first Hugo nomination. Even though we\u2019d never met, Whelan walked up, shook my hand and congratulated me. He didn\u2019t have to do that, but the fact he\u2019d even take the time to do so, meant a lot. As if that weren\u2019t enough, he later asked if we could have breakfast the next morning and even drove me and Traci to the airport right after, so that we didn\u2019t have to take a shuttle. Small gestures. Tiny details. But how rarely does someone you barely know do something like that? How rarely do each of us invest time, kindness, and detail on a stranger? Whelan\u2019s the ultimate class act, and when I think about how I want to treat people on my best days, he\u2019s the example. It\u2019s a great day because he\u2019s now officially recognized as what we all knew he already is \u2014 an all-time great (who ain\u2019t done yet), and officially now, an SFM Hall-of-Famer. \ud83d\ude42 Congrats to all four inductees, and especially to you, Michael.<\/p>\n<\/body>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"