For the second time one of my works has been chosen to grace the cover of an anthology of tales by Lucy Sussex. The cover art is a version of Spellbound, a 2007 oil pastel. Although the drawing is predominately red and black, the author and publisher believed that in this particular context it might misleadingly suggest vampire or horror stories. Russell B. Farr of Triconderoga Publications was at pains to preserve what he referred to as ‘the striking vibrancy of the original’. The shade they eventually selected is exactly the blue of a series of hair ornament paintings I was making at the same time as Spellbound; they were intended as a counterbalance to the red combs. Consequently it didn’t feel as if the artwork had been too compromised. I certainly appreciated the care they took and their concern that I would happy with the result.
Currently I’m Artist in Residence at the Art Vault in Mildura, so I was unable to attend the Melbourne launch, a double disappointment, as my friend Dmetri Kakmi gave the opening address. So far I've only seen the very low resolution image pictured above. I'm very much looking forward to seeing the finished result, and of course reading Lucy's wonderful stories.
