<![CDATA[io9: Jewels Of Apator]]> http://ganja.gawkerassets.com/assets/base/img/thumbs140x140/io9.com.png <![CDATA[io9: Jewels Of Apator]]> http://io9.com/tag/jewels of apator http://io9.com/tag/jewels of apator <![CDATA[Drool Over Our Alien and Predator Centerfolds, and Win Free Books!]]> Regardless of your preference for the drooly one or the clicky one, the Predator and Aliens franchises have entered the pop culture hall of fame. They've get the creep-out factor, the scare, and SF thrills from glimpses of the Predator home world and insight into Alien queen psychology. Both universes continue to expand through comics and novels, creating opportunities for some very talented artists like Stephen Youll and Dave Gibbons. Check out the gallery we’ve put together (major thanks to Dark Horse) — and find out how to win a free copy of Jeff's brand-new Predator book! More »
]]> http://io9.com/index.php?op=postcommentfeed&postId=5071219&view=rss&microfeed=true <![CDATA[Frank Wu: Kinetic, Surreal Fun]]> Welcome back to Jewels of Apator, Ann & Jeff VanderMeer's column about the intersection of art and the fantastic. Three-time Hugo Award winner Frank Wu isn’t much interested in boring old reality — that’s clear from his kinetic, psychedelically surreal artwork, which uses bold, sometimes delightfully lurid, color choices and an aggressive approach to subject matter. Wu never met pulp or pop culture he didn’t like, and this provides the basic fodder for his energetic, ever-roving vision. From his stunning Elvissaurus to a rendering of Cthulhu that uses a vibrant selection of greens-and-pinks, Wu has a restless eye that requires conveying the idea of motion, of life, as you can see from our gallery below. More »
]]> http://io9.com/index.php?op=postcommentfeed&postId=5057790&view=rss&microfeed=true <![CDATA[Aaron Jasinski: Retro SF Meets the Future]]> Welcome back to Jewels of Apator, Ann & Jeff VanderMeer's column about the intersection of art and the fantastic. Aaron Jasinski is a great example of the next generation of creators, slipping easily from song writing and production, including game work for clients including Microsoft and Oberon, to art and illustration. In this new era of cross-pollination more and more of the divisions between different types of media, and even different types of influences, are falling away. Whether it's work for shows like "Lost in Space" or his wonderful "Starcatcher" painting, created for a show at the Dorothy Circus Gallery in Rome Italy, his SF art has a kind of charming retro feel. It's the future brought forward from the 1950s, but without a Jetsons vibe-which might just mean that Jasinski buys into the idea of playfulness more than some. Jasinski tells us:
I grew up in a musical family. Music tends to be a natural and easy subject for me to include in my visual artist. Beyond subject matter, I think music influences my art in how I try to express the color, rhythm, and pattern in some of my paintings. Music is the most abstract art form, yet most of it is so easily accessible and emotion-relevant to us humans. I'd like to capture that in paint.
Technology and fantasy can be the same thing in Jasinski's work, the confluence expressing his unique sense of humor:
I love technology and gadgets. I do a lot of music using my computers and other electronic devices. I think this interest does filter into my art but in a sort of juvenile way. I try to use the modern world or even the ‘future' as a source of puns... and humor in case you don't find [the] puns very funny.
"Rise Above Your Station," in which angels carry an astronaut above a mob of either cheering or dangerous robots, provides a good example of Jasinski's approach. It has a whimsical aspect, and it makes you laugh, but it's also a somewhat unsettling, strange image. In terms of SF influences of the literary kind, Jasinski's are fairly conservative:
I would have to Isaac Asimov is probably my favorite science fiction novelist. I especially like his "Robot' novels and how he uses a science fiction background to explore a lot of interesting philosophical ideas about freedom, choice, and what it means to be human.. But for SF art, "It could only be Syd Mead. That guy is a genius from another world. I wish I could draw like him.
As for what separates SF from Fantasy, Jasinski says, tongue firmly in cheek:
Science Fiction is geeky. Fantasy is nerdy. I think I am a bit more geek than nerd...
In his other life as a musician, Jasinski is a member of the Remix Artist Collective (RAC), who "create re-interpretative rock/electronica/dance remixes for musical artists" in a way known for its emotion and playfulness. The RAC has done remixes for bands like The Shins, Robbers on High Street, Block Party, and Tokyo Police Club. None of the four members of RAC, including Jasinski, have ever met each other-another sign of the changing dynamic in the creative world. Currently, Jasinski is working on a piece for a Star Wars art book and a solo show coming up in 2009. You can check out his art and his music here on his site. More »
]]> http://io9.com/index.php?op=postcommentfeed&postId=5051889&view=rss&microfeed=true <![CDATA[Bob Eggleton: The Texture of Monsters]]> Welcome back to Jewels of Apator, Ann and Jeff VanderMeer's biweekly column about the intersection of art and the fantastic. Bob Eggleton has created so many book covers, interior art, monster art, and miscellaneous projects that it's hard to keep track of his total output. And that's not even including film work for Jimmy Neutron Boy Genius, The Ant Bully, and the forthcoming Invasia. One constant across all of his projects, though, is a unique tactile sensibility. Eggleton's art has texture. When he paints the Creature from the Black Lagoon, you can feel the wattles. When he paints Godzilla, you can smell his breath. An amazing commitment to detail, along with an understanding or empathy for his subject matter, seems to fuel this ability. For Eggleton, though, this approach didn't come easy. More »
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