Paper Tiger Fantasy Art Gallery edited by Paul Barnett

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Paper Tiger Fantasy Art Gallery edited by Paul Barnett
pub: Paper Tiger. 144 page softcover. Price: Ł14.95(UK), $21.95(US) and $33.95(Canada). ISBN: 1-85585-957-2.

check out website: www.papertiger.co.uk

I only really read book release schedules to help me to anticipate the distribution of workload. As our reviewers read everything they’re sent we can end up being a little behind on heavy months.

I remember this book was supposed to be released in April and remembered we hadn’t received a copy. A quick email to Paper Tiger and was told it was coming out in June (thanks Anne) and I had a copy within the week. Just in time for this month’s review column in fact. So here we are then in the present.

Unlike many of Paper Tiger’s books, this one is really text intensive, featuring the first 25 artist interviews ran on their website column, The Paper Snarl, from 1999-2000. Of the 25 artists, 11 have seen print by Paper Tiger.

I couldn’t help wondering if Paper Tiger commissioning editor Paul Barnett isn’t sizing the others up as potential book material? One only has to compare the art from those Paper Tiger have published to those he hasn’t to realise this is an ideal sampler to test the water.

The interviews follow a pretty much standard format of how the artist starting painting (or in some cases, sculpturing), any formal training, career and whether they were going to use computer graphic software if they weren’t already.

Under normal circumstances, I would probably have spread such a book over a couple weeks between everything else than read in a couple doses.

Saying that, the repetition areas is reasonably disguised to prevent boredom. It’s helped enormously that each artist has different opinions and thoughts and weren’t afraid to express them.

The list is like a who’s who of SF artists: Tom Abba, Brom, Jim Burns, Ciruelo Cabral, Judith Clute, Steve Crisp, Joe de Vito, Vincent Di Fate, Bob Eggleton, Fangorn, Kelly Freas, Fred Gambino, John Harris, Jael, Ron Miller, Chris Moore, Martina Pilcerova, Marc Potts, Lisa Snellings, Nick Stathopoulos, Anne Sudworh, Ron Tiner, Ron Walotsky and AB Word.

Many of whom, especially where their books are concerned, I’ve covered in this column already. If I was out to pick the artists yet to have books then Cabrel, Crisp, Fangorn, Pilcerovan and Stathopoulos deserve such an honour. The others are mainly sculptors and in the case of Tiner, have books out elsewhere.

The only two main criticisms I have are to do with presentation than content. Having the artists listed spread from front to back cover leaves open the possibility some people will think the list doesn’t include their favourites on the front.

It would also have been nice to have included a small photo of each artist to acquaint the reader with the people behind their paintings and sculpture.

If you have a passion for Science Fiction artists, then you’ll be buying this book to have a hardcopy version of said interviews you’ve been reading on their website. As many of these people attend SF conventions, this book will also serve as a guide to their work.

More so, as at the back, there’s a complete list of their websites and book releases making it an essential book to own. So what are you waiting for??

GF Willmetts

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