“I was wondering how… from where we began we got to this dark place.”
—Eleanor
“One step at a time, my dear. One step at a time.”
—Henry II
— paraphrase from THE LION IN WINTER
My read pile as always overfloweth, as does my to watch pile, but here’s at least one recent purchase I’ve been able to get to.
OUT OF THE FORESTS: THE ART OF PAUL BONNER- If you, like me, try to always pick up the latest volume of Cathy and Arnie Fenner’s yearly, lauded and laudable, art anthology, SPECTRUM THE YEAR’S BEST FANTASY AND SCIENCE FICTION you know that every few years an especially talented artist rises, phoenix like, above the pack.
I’ve been following the long running series, about to begin its 17th consecutive year, for most of those years, and while it is always chock full of great artists, I’m generally content to get my art-fix from the work on display in the pages of SPECTRUM.
Only a select few of those artists, in going on 17 years, have hit me with such impact, that I immediately knew, SPECTRUM wasn’t enough, I needed to own an art-book by this person (this excludes established names such as Frazetta, and Jusko and Vallejo, etc. whose work I was familiar with and a collector of, long before SPECTRUM, no I’m discussing for the most part the relative new discovery that SPECTRUM is known for giving exposure to).
Names like Donato Giancola, and John Jude Palencar I was introduced to by SPECTRUM, and immediately I knew I wanted more. These guys were the bright and shining art stars of a brand new day, and it was clear in every line and every stroke.
The latest such ‘discovery’ Paul Bonner, has stood out for me in the last few SPECTRUMS, with his muscular reworkings of middle earth dreams, and dark castle nightmareS.
For me, his images and visions, are the ones that stay with me, long after I have put down the latest volume of SPECTRUM.
The good people at Titan Books, no fool they, realizing exceptional talent when they see it have released the pointedly titled, and gorgeously produced OUT OF THE FORESTS:THE ART OF PAUL BONNER.
Titan Books has a reputation for quality product, and TAOPB is no exception. From cover to cover it’s an essential and must have exploration of the rich and wonderful work of Paul Bonner.
I’ll not do a disservice to Paul Bonner or myself by trying to give you a play by play of what you’ll see in the pages of the book, or a dissection of the art of Paul Bonner except to say, his work fits quite nicely between the world of Caravaggio and the Hildebrandts.
Beautiful realism, married to stunning fantasy. Highly Recommended! Nuff said. Go, see, Buy!
A+.
Heroic Times 