Some more paintings...then a break...

The Dragons of Manhatten-cover art to a book by John Grant, coming this year!(SOLD)

The Green Glade (oils, 8x10 SOLD)

I did the top image as a cover painting,rather on short time for a British publisher for John Grant, who I collaborated with on DRAGONHENGE and THE STARDRAGONS. It's for sale but ask on the price on that one.( UPDATE-sold it.)

Below is a painting of the day, done for Midsouthcon's artshow, in Memphis, Tennessee, where I'll be coming up this weekend. If you're in the area-stop by!! So not much new will appear here for a week anyway, so enjoy!

Some Cool News!!!!

Well, it's public-I'm a Hugo Nominee for Best Professional Artist. They will be presented at DENVENTION-The 66th World SF Con in Denver, Colorado this summer. The Hugos are always fun-win or lose- or even presenting them, and, believe me, flattering just to be *thought* of to possibly recieve one. The other nominees are all people I stand in awe of- John Picacio, John Harris(about time!), Shaun Tan, Stephan Martiniere and Phil Foglio. The rules changed slightly for the better, and now the nominee has to have at least 3 published works in some form or another on or in a professional publication in that previous year. I had a bunch over last year, and so for ease of access, you can see them all, here, on a new blogsite created just solely for viewing works without the hassle of sifting through other stuff:

http://bobeggletonart2007.blogspot.com/

His Space Odyssey...

Just found out Arthur C. Clarke died...SF has lost another giant, but, being 90, it was not unexpected.....

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/23697230/

His work was important to me, because 2001: A SPACE ODYSSEY was a benchmark in terms of what got me into SF in the first place. He shared a screenwriter credit with Stanley Kubrick on the film, which, oddly is 40 years old this coming April!

Makes me want to go out and hurl a bone into the air in his honor...

Dragons to the picture...

The Coast, with Dragons,After Church(8x10,oils SOLD)
This one is something I did in December, based on a Fredric Edwin Church painting of the MAine Coast, and looking at it again, I realized it would look better with some dragons swooping down as seagulls would.

Ad Astra!

I did this as a small painting, something to take to Lunacon for sales in the "lower" budget arena. Thing is, it'll be part of the Heinlein book I did the other piece for, and, I liked this composition so much, that I want to make it as a large 24x36 inch painting!! Enjoy!

Update: I sold this at Lunacon, but more to come....

10.000 B.C.

Yes, you've seen this painting before, but it's appropriate to the topic! And, my wife and I are working on a book that employs mammoths as a central part of the story.

I saw 10,000 B.C. and it's ALOT of fun. Doesn't ask much from the audience but so what, it has MAMMOTHS in it...or "Mannocks" as they are called. The locations are stunning as are the FX works which include the total realization of wooly mammoths. It's not a new concept in films but Roland Emmerich has a penchant for re-inventing genres anyway, save for the 1998 GODZILLA adaptation which was a misfire from the get-go. He does "epics" quite well and this is no exception. Borrowing a dash from his "Stargate" roots, he returns to the concept of an ancient culture ruled by a demigod-like being, a kidnapped woman and her starcrossed lover. Has dashes of "Conan" and all that Hyborean Age stuff and a calling back to some films of yore that haven't been seen in awhile:

ONE MILLION YEARS B.C. (1966) in which you only had to know three words-"Tumak", "Loana" and of course "AKITA!" which is an all-purpose word that can mean "Help!" "Success!", "Thanks" or, as my buddy Joe Bob Briggs observes "Sex". But who was caring about the dialogue? Most of us were caressing the sight of Ray Harryhausen's amazing stop motion dinosaurs and oogling the sight of Rachel Welch in a fur bikini. Or was it the other way around?Whatever, it's a fun if, implausible prehistoric romp that made dinosaur geeks and Creationist nuts equally happy. A rare thing indeed.

PREHISTORIC WOMEN(1966) Martine Beswick and her gal pals run around in sets that were used from ONE MILLION YEARS previously, so that Hammer could squeeze a bit more out of what were at the time, expensive sets to make. This one, a modern hunting party in Africa winds up in making a wrong turn into a lost ravine and into the clutches of amazonian prehistoric girls who'd either make love to them or kill them and they wouldn't care. Ah, such is the life.

WHEN DINOSAURS RULED THE EARTH(1970) Ah, more "Akita!", this time with a more advanced society involved in Paganism, Sun worship and...more DINOSAURS! This time it was Victoria Vetri prancing around and, Jim Danforth animated dinosaurs including the unforgettable "Dano-saur" which was completely made up but had personality that the CG dinos of today can only wish for. (Pssst-Warner Bros-put this one on DVD-Akita!!)

CREATURES THE WORLD FORGOT(1971) The official "third" entry in Hammer's "prehistoric saga" that's so obscure it's a film that the world...forgot. More cave people and this time not even the budget for dinosaurs, only a big rubber snake. Oh I get it! "AKITA!"(sex, in this context).

THE LAND THAT TIME FORGOT(1975) We did alot of "forgetting" in the 70's! I even forgot to include this one so I came back and added this. A WW1 German U Boat with British/Americans who have seized control, becomes lost in the south Atlantic and finds a lost continent with dinosaurs and cave people. For the time it was pretty goofy fun stuff-that moved along at a fair clip-and was based on an Edgar Rice Burroughs book. Also it had some great miniature work.

THE PEOPLE THAT TIME FORGOT(1977) A very forgetful decade! Sequel to the former has a rescue party going to the same continent and finding metal-age bad guys who have Frazetta paintings on the drapes of their sacrificial chamber!!

AT THE EARTH'S CORE(1978) Based again on a Burroughs book. Good cast with Peter Cushing and Doug McClure and hordes weird prehistoric monsters and...slave girls/guys. Two words worth the price admission during our 70's pre-pubescense: Caroline Munro.

QUEST FOR FIRE(1981) More mammoths(elephants in disguise) and more cave people. This one benefitted from a truly "different" feel to it thanks to it's director and some good location shooting in Canada. A friend of mine at the time, worked on the dentures for the cast. He gave a "making of" slideshow at a local church that, unbeknownst to him were all Fundies. To say the least, they were a tad confused...

CLAN OF THE CAVE BEAR(1986) with Daryll Hannah running around with face paint as a cro mag lady. The film was a total bomb and, after a short theatrical run went straight to cable and VHS(remember those?). Shows you that a bestselling book into a big movie do not always work well.

New paintings...

In Space, You Can't Forget The Cat(oil, 18x24)


"O'Leary and The Dinosaurs"(17x24 oil)

Man am I tired out. Three major paintings in as many weeks. All pretty involved.

You've seen the Heinlein, so here, the top one is for an Andre Norton combo book. Has a space going cat in it. I wanted to make a cool nebula or some space galaxy in the background to punch it up with color-it is a cover so it's main job is to look cool. I like to put alot of diagonal lines, and "tilted" visuals happening in cover paintings which lends a feeling of action and chaos taking place. It contrasts nicely with the often horizonal typefaces. The bottom is one for a Keith Laumer book which had a dinosaur scene in it, and, well, you know me and dinosaurs...enjoy these while I enjoy some Sergio Leone "Dollar" westerns tonight on TCM!!!

Take The Long Way Home...

"Does it feel that you life's become a catastrophe? Oh, it has to be for you to grow, boy. When you look through the years and see what you could have been oh, what might have been, if you'd had more time."

Heard these lyrics in a song by Supertramp, one of my favorite "vintage" groups and the music rings so true today at about the same time I learned about Patrick Swayze's possible terminal cancer diagnosis. It reminds me to make more art for me, not just commissioned work. It also should tell everyone, do what they dream. Don't let the idiocy of politics get in the way.

Just some thoughts...

Not too much to report...

Been hip deep in finishing some work. I did something like 3 covers in about 3 weeks and, this includes some small paintings, and writing an article for IMAGINE FX magazine in the UK, and doing some internet biz. This weekend is becoming a warranted bit of time off to see some movies and so on. In the meantime, I have a drawing in the new issue of IMAGINE FX which is the Frazetta Birthday issue which they asked 80 artists to contribute a homage, or something that's inspired in some way by Frank Frazetta. Also has a great article about Frazetta by Arnie Fenner and touches on some of his techique. Worth getting overall! Should be out in the US sometime in March.

RAH-a quick portrait

Heinlein Portrait(9x12, oils SOLD.) For the Subterreanean Press book, John Scalzi and I will be signing it. SO for the sig page I did this painting of R.A. Heinlein himself. It'll most probably be reproed in sepia or duo tone as the sig pages always are and perhaps used elsewhere in the book. We'll see how it all goes. But it gave me a chance to knock out a quick portrait of RAH. Since going back to oils, I really like doing portraits so I am taking each chance I can to do so. We're all working hard to make these Heinlein script volumes(#2 is next year) as special as we can since they appear they will be the last unpublished works of RAH which will see publication.

Still More Things They DON'T Teach You In Art School(Pt 4)

More of my musings based on real life and the school of hard knocks rather than pricey art schools...

1) Compromise is part of business. Alot of teachers, schools espouse this idea of "no compromising" your "ideals" or your "vision". Oh la dee-da. It's one thing to have your artistic vision and, indeed some people truly will see eye to eye with you. It's another thing to tell someone what they are going to get, when in fact, they'd like something else, or at least, some imput into your ideas and then acting like a prima donna when they suggest some of their ideas that would make the wanted vision perhaps better. The simple fact is, they're paying for it. Usually, I find, with a little wiggle room on your part, you'll find out they have wiggle room on their part. It's all part of the process of doing business-give and take. One example is the client I am doing a dinosaur book for. Their off-the-table-no-budging rule was that the illustrations had to be manipulated photos combined with art. There was no getting around this. However, once I came up with the rather simple way of doing this, the problem was solved, and everything else was easy. And now, I'm having alot of fun doing these paintings, making them work to stock photos, and the client is just over the moon with the result and, they announced recently how much they trust us to "just give it your best".

2) Check your ego at the door. This is part of #1, truthfully but it needed to be it's own point. Working in the film biz, on both Jimmy Neutron and, The Ant Bully, as a conceptual designer, I went in knowing that my ideas would be subject to being rejected, re-worked and done over completely (and some were approved on the spot!), working with a team of designers and artists, all very talented. But our egos aren't important. In this case it was the director's vision that was what was needed to be attained. He's a visual guy, but, doesn't draw. So he hires artists draw and to take pot-shots at adding visual life to his words,and with a little direction on his part the film starts coming together. But don't be shocked when the director takes your visions and hands it to the next guy and tells him to do his own version of it or a "new take" on it. Because in the end, it may look like 2 artist's concepts worked into one idea-the director's. That's how any films work. It should never look like any one artist, but one unique vision of alot of artists all stirred in together.

3) Fine Art is Commercial Art. Any art that someone buys, is "commercial". Any commission is "commercial". This is just a real truth. If someone digs a hole in the ground, fills it with dog crap and then puts straw over it, calls it an "installment" and "it can't have a price put on it", then fine, if you believe that, there's a bridge in Brooklyn that's for sale too. Don't be afraid to admit that any portrait, landscape or whatever, is "Commercial". Besides, I have never been one who believes "Installments" are art. Stunts maybe...art...nah. Recently I had a gallery show in Seattle as part of a group and, my stuff sold out. I've had people say to me "By putting a price on your work, don't you feel this is selling out? I thought the statement redundant, and I said "Indeed, I put prices on everything and...they sold out. Your problem?"

That's it for now. Anything more as it comes, I'll post....