1/ As you were growing up can you describe any early influences that drew you to the arts�
it was seeing something on t.v or whether it was your imagination that got the better of you?
I�m amazed how many talented people were deeply influenced by film or television. For example, Mikhail Barishnikov saw "The Red Shoes" when he was a child and knew he wanted to be a ballet dancer.
As a child I�d watch SF and fantasy TV shows, and I�d sit and draw for hours afterwards, or I�d go into the backyard and make things. TV and films certainly fueled my imagination, without doubt. I also loved movies about artists, although I was often troubled by the fact that they always seemed to die tragically.
2/ When was your work first seen in print, and what publication was it for?
Hmm. I think it was artwork for the Sydney University Science Fiction Club journal Enigma. I did my first illustration for that when I was about fourteen. I was also doing covers and artwork for the school newspaper around that time. I entered numerous art competitions as a child and had some entries reproduced in newspapers.
3/With some of your artworks ranging from Sci-Fi to Fantasy, do you have a preference of a
genre that you particularly enjoy creating?
I�ve always had a deep fascination with fantasy and science fiction. I loved the cover art on the books I read as a teenager. I thought artists like Chris Foss and Bruce Pennington were great. I also love all those huge heroic paintings by Gerricault, Vermeer, Raphael, David, Delacroix. I have preferences although I work across genres and styles. My subjects range from militaria to portraits, from photo-realism to abstraction, but I do enjoy fantasy and SF.
4/ What continues to inspire you about this type of illustration?
Currently, it�s the variety of style and technique that is acceptable when interpreting the genres, the high level of finish, detail, and artistic integrity. Also the imaginative nature of genre work is an attraction. I try and capture the spirit of the material, without resorting to narrative representations of scenes or characters.
5/ With much of your work being done in Acrylics, what other sources of media /art materials
do you like to work with?
I love oils, which are much easier to use now with the development of alkyd mediums like Liquin. I also like to sculpt in clay. Some of my covers have been mixed media, and they can be fun.
6/ Thus do you use Computer programs ,such as Illustrator or Photoshop to aid your works. If not
why?
I used an early paint program called Delux Paint when I was doing artwork for a computer game company - very low res. stuff - 16 colours, then 256 colours. That was really tough. But I don�t have call for computer graphics anymore. I still enjoy the tactile properties or physical painting, although I really should do something about upping my Photoshop skills. I find the computer eats up so much time. I�d like to get into 3D modeling on the computer. Some of that stuff is amazing.
7/ How much freedom do you get with your work? Must you stick to the manuscripts given or is
it a collaborative process between you and the author/client or publication you are working for?
Depends. I try to always read a manuscript - that grants me a great deal of freedom, since I get to pick the most interesting images to me. I do like discussing cover ideas with the authors, less so with publishers, and not at all with marketing departments.
8/ How has your illustrative style developed and expanded?
It�s constantly evolving and changing. My covers are looking more and more like "fine art", whatever that means. I get so few covers these days�so I try and make them very different, and interesting to me. I don�t think any two of my covers look alike (other than covers done for series).
9/ With any project do you rely on memory, take photographs or do any particular research?
All of the above. If it�s a piece of military hardware, I research as extensively as I can. I assemble as many images as I can find and often read the history surrounding the event I�m illustrating.
Sometimes it can be difficult. I did a large painting in oils of the Japanese battleship Yamato, and I had to resort to 2D plans since so few photos existed, and those that did were blurry distance shots.
But even fantasy and SF art require substantial references. I take a lot of photos, especially of models who pose for me. It means they don�t have to stand around for ages, I have all the lighting worked out, and I also take close ups of hands and specific details. It speeds the process up.
10/ What sizes are your works normally?
Can vary dramatically, but usually the standard size illustration board.
11/ Obviously depending on the scale of the project, how long does it usually take you to complete
projects?
From a couple hours to a couple of days through to four weeks. Usually one to two weeks. I�m currently working on a huge mural project, six huge paintings of classic steam trains, the largest being 16 ft X 4 ft. (over 4 meters x 1.5 meters!) Each painting is taking nearly two months.
12/ Have you favourite clients or publications that you creatively enjoy working for?
Nope, although I like working for small press publications because they give me the most freedom. The pay sucks though. It�s a tradeoff. Less money but more artistic freedom/satisfaction.
13/ Who and what are your biggest influences, if any?
This is tough. So many! I was really influenced by Chesley Bonestell, a fabulous artist who did matte paintings for motion pictures, but is probably best known for his scientifically accurate space scapes. I also
love the French artist Jean August Dominique Ingres. I�m still deeply fascinated with the Pre-Raphaelites.
Film design and animation, particularly Japanese anime, are inspirational on many levels.