I am a self taught freelance artist based in Nottingham in central England. I carry out a variety of commissions from book covers, posters and CD covers to graphic design, specialising in high quality airbrush work. I carry out regular work for Astronomy Magazine, Astronomy Now, New Scientists and Modern Astronomer. I have always been into astronomy, fantasy and science fiction. What I like about space art is that you can go anywhere in the mind’s eye, opening new doors to the visual imagination. Most of my paintings depict the future of the human race and science nature. I was influenced as a teenager by such masters as Chester Bonestell, Salvador Dali, H.R. Giger, Adolf Schaller, Don Dixon, John Allison and Glenn Brown. Being a huge fan of the film 2001: A space odyssey (1968), I love the 1970s retro futuristic look. This got me into science fiction and science fact. I am also a big fan of the late Carl Sagan. His TV show about the cosmos made me into the artist I am today; just the right stuff to experiment with. My dream was to meet Carl but sadly he got very ill and passed away. Despite this, his wife saw some of my artwork on some book covers and contacted me about a book Carl was working on when he died. She asked me to do a book cover for the new book titled Carl Sagan’s Cosmic Connection When I start a new painting I spray the canvas jet black and then I draw the design of the painting in white with three or four different airbrushes. Next I put in the very bright colours, highlights and shadows and when satisfied I finish the work with protective varnish giving the painting a glass finish. I prefer to use acrylic inks and liquitex paint as this gives a very high performance when working in the airbrush medium. The airbrushes I use are paasch v/vv and vjb as they have a greater flexibility in the regulation of colour and air without work stoppage. I also use the DeVilbliss which is a lightweight gravity feed spray gun suitable for big paintings. My favourite airbrush is the ABL Turbo, a specialised instrument for fine line detail work. The fine needle is ideal for achieving extremely fine lines with no over spray and is therefore perfect for intricate detail. My paintings have been shown in various museums and galleries around the UK. The serpentine gallery in London has exhibited some of my paintings. My work has been used for book covers for authors like Heather Couper and Nigel Henbest. My art has also been used for CD covers, inside books, magazines and posters; most of my art has been around the world. acsvisions.co.uk/
Posted on: Thu, 04 Jul 2013 13:29:27 +0000