Artistic Influences

     I am an art whore. Not in the traditional "What is the meaning of this piece" sense, but more in the "This is fucking gorgeous and I want to plaster it all over my wall and desktop" sense. My artistic tastes tend to run towards fantasy/sci-fi and I love very much ornate decoration and large free-flowing patches of color. I've only had time to list a few of my favorites below, but more are definitely to come.

Yoshitaka Amano

Amano-San's art is wonderfully unique. He not only did character design for several of Squaresoft's Final Fantasy games, but is also responsible for Vampire Hunter D, and a stunning collaboration with Neil Gaiman on The Dream Hunters. He has a command of color and patterns that takes my breath away.

Micheal Whelan

This guy is my GOD. He is the ultimate fantasy/sci-fi illustrator, and if you're an avid reader, you've probably seen countless pieces of his work adorning some of the best books of the century. He has won the HUGO award for Best Sci-Fi Artist 14 times and nearly all of my own art has been influenced by his style. I had the pleasure of meeting him at WorldCon 2001 and getting two prints signed by him. I really do worship this man.

Luis Royo

Sexual, yes. Amazing, even more so. Royo protrays my favorite genres of fantasy, sci-fi, cyberpunk, and goth in the most beautiful and alluring ways. His women are some of the most captivating paintings I've ever seen and there's a deep sensuality to his work that gives me the shivers.

Boris Vallejo

No, it's NOT pr0n! It always surprises me when people put Vallejo's work into that category. Yes, his work mainly involves scantily-clad babes in medieval postures and the occasional sex0r, but that is much like my work as well, and nobody has ever accused me of making pr0n. He is an incredible artist who pays enormous attention to detail and has painted some of the most gorgeous human bodies ever seen on canvas.

Coming soon: Gustave Moreau, Dave McKean, Alphonse Mucha, Dali (how could I forget), and H.R. Giger

Back to Obsessions