(Island #1, Cover image by Michael Whelan)

(-all images taken from the artists’ respective websites for use in promoting this book and their individual websites and artwork. Call for Entries image taken from Spectrum website)

Though I read this for the first time in 2008, I could not think of a better way to inaugurate the Friday Favorites posts for 2009 than to do a brief review of the best art book to come out last year, Spectrum 15: The Best in Contemporary Fantastic Art, edited by Cathy and Arnie Fenner.

Year after year the Fenners pull together a panel of artists and people in the industry and they converge upon Kansas City to pick the entries for the latest volume of Spectrum. For 15 years now the Fenners have been putting together the most amazing collection of fantastic art illustration and though it seems like it would be impossible to do, they manage to top themselves every year.

Spectrum 15 is no exception. This large, high quality art book is filled with hundreds of pages containing hundreds upon hundreds of examples of amazing art from many different categories. It is a thrill every year when the latest issue of Spectrum comes out. For the past 3 years my friend Jeff and I have cracked into our copies together, pouring through it page by page and commenting on the various pieces. It is a real treat and one of the highlights of every year. By way of review, and to whet your appetite for future Friday Favorites, I am including a random sampling of images from Spectrum 15. These are all images that I like, but they do not even come close to representing the variety of images contained in this volume.

(Cosmonaut, image by Andrew Bawidamann)

Andrew Bawidamann has been included in the past several volumes and his art is consistently vibrant and fun. Andrew’s work hearkens back to the pinup art that graced WWII planes. I love that 1940’s look and feel in his work. The Cosmonaut image featured in this year’s Spectrum is one of my favorites of his work, in large part due to the fact that I am particularly fond of the color orange.

(Icetrain, image by Dylan Cole)

Dylan Cole‘s entry in Spectrum this year stands out as one of my favorites in the book. It reminds me of the work of one of my personal favorite cover illustrators, Stephan Martinierre, especially his cover for Larry Niven’s book The Draco Tavern. I think it mostly has to do with the snow. I highly encourage you to click on his name above and check out the Matte Painting section, under the heading Other Projects. The second image on the top is a much larger version of Icetrain and it is fantastic. The first image is another in the series that I also really enjoy.

(Colombine, image by Melanie Delon)

Melanie Delon has three stunning images in Spectrum 15 and her website gives examples of many more. Melanie is a real talent in the digital medium and one I will be keeping my eye on. I hope to snag one of her art portfolios and/or postcard books sometime in the coming year. I am amazed when artists of any medium can capture texture and Melanie does a phenomenal job at that, particularly on the fabric in this image. Just amazing.

(Books, image by Matt Dalluhn)

This is the first time I remember seeing the work of Matt Dalluhn and I found this image particularly fun, especially given the fact that so many of us are avid readers. The combination of books and trees, two of my great loves, meant that this image leaped out at me when I was perusing Spectrum for examples for this post. I love the idea of this girl escaping the city into other worlds. The juxtaposition of the objects of nature and books against the cityscape behind and below is great. I really enjoy what this image is saying.

(A Lonely Heart, image by Alon Chou)

Another fantastic example of art that really captures texture well. Alon Chou has some absolutely incredible work on his site. Richly detailed, great use of light…he is very talented.

(Confessions of a Part-Time Sorceress, image by Craig Phillips)

Craig Phillips is an artist who has done quite a bit of cover work that I’ve seen and I always enjoy it. His work reminds me of a cross between that of Ted Naifeh and Tara McPherson. This is the cover to the book Confessions of a Part-Time Sorceress, which looks like a very fun book. I’ve picked it up several times at the bookstore and am already resigned to the fact that at some point it will be coming home with me. Check out his site for more examples of his work, including book cover illustration. My absolute favorites are the ‘Hell’ books by Rosemary Clemente Moore.

(Pepper Robot II, image by Artgerm)

Stanley ‘Artgerm’ Lau has a site with a gallery full of fun, gorgeously colored manga-style art. I really enjoyed looking at his stuff and this particular image has a nice science fiction feel to it. Girls and robots…I’ve talked about their power over me before! I am powerless to resist! 😉 Pepper Robot II looks much better on Artgerm’s site as you can click on the image to see a much bigger version.

(Cornua Lunae, sculpture by Virginie Ropars)

The Spectrum series always has a section on sculpture/3 dimensional art. Often the category is one of my least favorite simply because there are a variety of unsettling pieces or pieces that I just don’t like. But thankfully there are always a few that make me stand up and take notice. Virginie Ropars is one of the highlights. Her dolls are incredibly detailed and this particular one, from her dark works line, is an example of the kind of dark, urban fantasy art that I really enjoy. I am amazed when sculptures can capture this kind of detail in their work and her pieces are incredible.

(Night, image by John Blumen)

I was drawn to this image by John Blumen as much for the moon in the background as the masquerade theme of the work. Both are things that I enjoy in art and this is a stunning image. The owl reminds me of Labyrinth. The fact of the matter is that I am drawn to this image because of any number of associations it conjures up for me. The fact that Blumen has illustrated a very beautiful woman is also not lost on me.

(Spectrum 15 Call for Entries poster, image by Marc Gabanna)

Marc Gabbana created the Call for Entries poster for Spectrum 15 and it is a marvelous image. I love this symbol rendered in a science fictional manner. It is just great. Love the colors, the light, the whole idea of the birth of creativity that the image speaks of. This image is much more fun to look at in the Spectrum book itself because it takes up a full page. Unfortunately I could not produce the image any larger to show just how cool it is. So buy the book!!! Or you could just follow this link, but buy the book anyway!

(City Without Ends, image by Stephan Martiniere)

I mentioned above that Stephan Martiniere is one of my favorite book cover illustrators. He uses the digital medium and creates works that are akin in spirit to the painted works of master illustrators John Harris and John Berkey. Martiniere has been incredibly prolific over the past several years and if I gave in to my whims and bought every book that has one of his works gracing the cover I would easily have a year’s worth of reading or more. At the very least it feels that way. As it is I have purchased several books because of the Martiniere covers. They are that good! This image is interesting because in look and color it deviates slightly from what I would consider the standard Martiniere look and yet it retains the essence of his previous work. I am always impressed when I see a new Martiniere image.

(Arctic Express 2008, image by Raphael Lacoste)

I thought I would end this very minor sampling of the content of Spectrum 15 with this image by Raphael Lacoste. It is a fabulous image that perfectly represents the ending of 2008 and our journey into 2009. It also makes a nice finish for this post. Lacoste’s work, including his photography, is amazing and I highly encourage you to check out his site. As with the other artists featured here, it will be time well spent.

Spectrum 15 is an amazing collection of various styles and mediums of art. If you were only going to pick up one art book you could never go wrong with a volume of Spectrum. The last 4 years in particular have been phenomenal with each volume doing the impossible and topping the previous volume. I have enormous respect for Cathy and Arnie Fenner and for the judges they gather to choose the entries. They consistently surprise me with awe-inspiring art and the quality of the book that they deliver is unmatched. I personally prefer the hardcover editions, but the paperback editions are of very high quality as well and are a true steal for their price range. These are books that I personally go back to again and again for entertainment and inspiration. I could not recommend anything with more confidence than I can the Spectrum art series. If you are a fan of this sort of illustration it is an annual must purchase.

Have a wonderful first weekend of 2009 and welcome back to the Friday Favorites series.