Yes, I know we’ve been lazy and not posted one for April or May but we have been incredibly busy for this time of year.  Even the world cup doesn’t seem to have slowed us down this time, which is very surprising given that most of our stock relates to football in precisely the same way that chocolate retailers relate to brain surgery

For this month we have chosen a picture by renowned artist Stuart Dilley.  Well, when I say renowned, you have to be in the know, since most of his work is done under licence for a major clothing manufacturer and you’ve probably been wearing his designs without even realising it.  I’m not sure this picture wuill give you much of a clue either as he is very versatile in the way he produces different artistic effects for different subjects.

Nimue's Grove by Stuart Dilley

A fabulous painting by Stuart Dilley available as a large or standard sized signed print.  If you click on the image you’ll go to Stuart Dilley’s section on our ecommerce site and see more of his work.  There are many different versions of stpries about Nimue.  The legend of Merlin and Nimue is an intriguing tale that entails love, spells, and death told through various stories in literature.  The Lady of the Lake is usually referred to by various spellings of the names Nimue or Vivienne.   The Lady of the Lake is the name of several related characters who play parts in the legends of King Arthur.

Frank Frazetta passed away on 10th May 2010.  The end of an era and the passing of one of the most talented and influential artists the world of fantasy art has ever seen.  Listing the names of those who quote Frank Frazetta as an influence would be a long job.  No doubt the passing away of his wife Ellie last year had a debilitating effect on him and he has not been well for a long time.   Much of the time during the seventies and eighties Frank Frazetta was fighting an undiagnosed thyroid condition that robbed him of much of his vitality and inspiration.  When it was diagnosed and treated much later it still progressed to the point of making it virtually impossible for him to paint with his right hand.  As one might have expected, Frank Frazetta bravely carried on, defiantly painting with his left hand instead! 

Since Frank Frazetta’s wife Ellie Frazetta died in 2009 there has been a bitter feud going on amongst the siblings that was finally settled out of court earlier this year.  Hopefully, the resulting agreements will make Frank Frazetta’s art easier to obtain.   Let us hope that his legacy will live on and that, as he always hoped, his art will never be forgotten.  If you have fond memories of your first introduction to Frank Frazetta’s art or any comments on his career or style then why not click the button and leave your contribution.

Tamara Newman is a new fantasy artist and illustrator who has already had a few pieces published in magazines and is looking to have a show in Glastonbury next year and some on originals on display in a gallery in Cirencester.  She supplies prints and art cards of her work to four shops at present but has no licence deals as yet.  However, she does have just short of 500 members on her Facebook page that you’ll find here (as long as you don’t use Internet Explorer as that seems to default to the homepage for facebook!).

A fabulous opportunity to meet Chris down and see more of his fabulous work.  Click on Exhibitions and Workshops in the left margin to get the full details.