![](\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/johnpicacio.com\/onthefront\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/09\/1freas1.jpg\")
<\/a><\/div>\n<\/a><\/div>\n<\/a><\/div>\n<\/a><\/div>\n<\/a><\/div>\n<\/a><\/div>\n<\/a><\/div>\nLeo and Diane Dillon<\/b>: I love this one \u2014 the wraparound cover art for Harlan Ellison\u2019s DEATHBIRD STORIES. The Dillons are the only art team to be recognized with a pro artist Hugo thus far. I like this quote from Diane: \u201cWe could look at ourselves as one artist rather than two individuals, and that third artist was doing something neither one of us would do. We let it flow the way it flows when an artist is working by themselves and a color goes down that they didn\u2019t quite expect and that affects the next colors they use, and it seems to have a life of its own.\u201d They won the Hugo in this category in 1971. Rick Sternbach<\/b>: He did production work for the first STAR TREK motion picture back in the \u201970s, and that\u2019s where I\u2019m most familiar with his work. However, he also did a range of sf book art. \u201cMoonbow\u201d (above) is my favorite. He won two Hugo Awards, in 1977 and 1978.<\/p>\n Vincent Di Fate<\/b>: There\u2019s something unmistakable about the way Di Fate lays down his hard edges against softer textures. I love his ships and spacescapes. This one is from later in his career (2002?), but he won the Hugo Award back in 1979.<\/p>\n Michael Whelan<\/b>: He\u2019s one of the ultimate artist\u2019s artists. And this is one of my favorites of his \u2014 the cover art for Joan D. Vinge\u2019s THE SNOW QUEEN. A couple of years ago, he brought this original to Boskone. I stared at the lace on that arm for a solid five minutes \u2014 without blinking. LOL When I think of the ambassadors of the sf\/f field, Michael will always be one of the greatest \u2014 as an artist and as a person \u2014 and that includes all authors and creators, bar none. He\u2019s won the most pro artist Hugos \u2014 thirteen \u2014 1980, 1981, 1982, 1983, 1984, 1985, 1986, 1988, 1989, 1991, 1992, 2000, and 2002.<\/p>\n Jim Burns<\/b>: I fell in love with this image the moment I first saw it a couple of decades ago \u2014 Burns\u2019 classic cover for Ray Bradbury\u2019s THE ILLUSTRATED MAN. If I had to make a list of top-20 favorite sf artworks of all-time, this would be in there. Jim has won three Hugos in this category \u2014 1987, 1995, and 2005.<\/p>\n Don Maitz<\/b>: Whenever rum drinkers chug a bottle of Captain Morgan, they get up-close and personal with Don\u2019s art. However, works like \u201cDeath of the Last Dragon\u201d are where he shines brightest, in my opinion. This is one of my favorites of his. He\u2019s won two Hugo Awards in this category \u2014 1990 and 1993.<\/p>\n Bob Eggleton<\/b>: And here\u2019s a dragon of a completely different mode. Yes, Bob\u2019s known for these as well as his Lumley covers, his Godzillas, his Cthulhu art, and his love of pulp, amongst other things. But when I look at an Eggleton, I see the craft of brushstrokes and accretions that are dripping with emotion, and with the pure love of someone who\u2019s never stopped being a fan. And that\u2019s why he\u2019s a master pro. Bob has eight Hugos in this category \u2014 1994, 1996, 1997, 1998, 1999, 2001, 2003, and 2004.<\/p>\n Donato Giancola<\/b>: Along with Whelan, I consider Donato one of the great artist\u2019s artists, and one of the best of all pro artists I\u2019ve ever met. I love how he handles himself as an artist and as a pro, and this cover artwork for Kathleen Bryan\u2019s THE GOLDEN ROSE is one of my favorites of his. I was flabbergasted when Donato lost seven consecutive years for the Hugo from 1999 to 2005, until he finally won his first Hugo, on his eighth nomination in 2006. (And yes, now I know a bit of how he felt \u2014 that math does sound eerily familiar, come to think of it. ;)) He now has three in this category \u2014 along with the 2007 and 2009 rockets.<\/p>\n Stephan Martiniere<\/b>: As far as I\u2019m concerned, he\u2019s the master of the futuristic cityscape. This is his cover art for Ian McDonald\u2019s RIVER OF GODS. There are many artists that do this type of imagery so well, but I can\u2019t think of any more transcendent than Stephan. Even as some traditionalists and collectors decry the evolution and impact of digital art, Stephan has done what the great artists do in all media throughout history \u2014 he has pushed the vocabulary of art forward, and that achievement goes beyond arguments over pencils, paints or pixels. He won the Hugo Award in 2008.<\/p>\n
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