Masters of Science Fiction and Fantasy Art

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page 70 MASTERS of SCIENCE FICTION and FANTASY ART

COMBINED TRADITIONAL and DIGITAL TOOLS page 71

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GREG SPALENKA

“I work very hard at conceptualizing. In this day and age of

visual bombardment I want to create something new and not

use so much borrowed interest. The norm in this business is

the obvious, the literal, and the cliché. There are too many

editors and marketing people making decisions about art.”

As artists go, Greg Spalenka is a bit of a paradox. He

uses such low-tech materials as packing tape, found

objects, and scratches in paint, then reworks them using

sophisticated digital effects. He creates images of both

sublime spiritual beauty and hard-edged science ction

machinery. The artist, a spiritually engaged transcenden-

talist, is also a business professional who keeps a sharp

eye on the bottom line when it comes to financial

compensation and artistic freedom.

Spalenka began his award-winning career in 1982, after

graduating from Art Center College of Design in Pasa-

dena, California, with a BFA. He moved to New York

City and began a twenty-six-year journey illustrating for

the United States’ most prominent publishers of books,

magazines, and newspapers before turning his profes-

sional attention to lms, music, lecturing, and fantastic art.

Spalenka’s print clients include the New York Times, Wall

Street Journal, Rolling Stone, Time, Newsweek, Ms., Psychol-

ogy Today, The Atlantic, Sports Illustrated, Harpers, Fortune,

Business Week, Mother Jones, and Playboy magazines. His

artwork has appeared on the covers of books published

by HarperCollins, Scholastic, Viking Penguin, Random

House, Simon & Schuster, Holiday House, Tor Avon, and

Farrar, Straus and Giroux.

The recipient of gold and silver Society of Illustrator

medals, gold and silver awards from Spectrum: The Best

in Contemporary Fantastic Art, as well as recognition in

Communications Art Annual, American Illustration Annual,

and Print Magazine Regional Design Annual, Spalenka has

extensively exhibited his work in the United States and

Hypnotised. Mixed media/digital. Concept design for Prince Caspian: Voyage

of the Dawn Treader. Image © Walden Media, Fox.

Big Gun. Digital. Concept design in collaboration with Ian Miller for the animated film Escape from Planet Earth. Image © Rainmaker Entertainment.

Woodland Hills, California, USA

(23434) Job No:01-23425 Title:RP-Masters of Science Fiction&Fantasy Art

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(23434) Job No:01-23425 Title:RP-Masters of Science Fiction&Fantasy Art

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(23434) Job No:01-23425 Title:RP-Masters of Science Fiction&Fantasy Art

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Japan. He has also lectured and run workshops throughout

the country. Much of his deeply textured artwork is

drenched with light that emanates a palpable spirituality

and lingers long in the mind’s eye. “I attempt to attain a

sense of the sacred in all my art,” Spalenka says. “Even if the

subject is dark, there is always a little light to balance it.”

As a concept designer he’s worked on ve feature CG

animated and live action lms, including The Ant Bully,

The Golden Compass, Escape from Planet Earth, Kamlu,

and most recently the third Narnia lm, The Voyage of the

Dawn Treader. He has also provided art and design for

the game Warcraft.

Spalenka’s work combines traditional hand skills and

digital effects while building layers of imagery, texture,

and meaning. He is guided by both concept and intu-

ition. The artist begins his process with photos, images

drawn on illustration board, and collaged elements. After

these are assembled and sealed with an acrylic medium,

he paints on top of them with acrylics, sometimes ap-

plying the paint by hand and moving it around. Next he

distresses the paint with sandpaper and metal scrapers

and again uses acrylics to seal the nal results.

Big Gun. Digital. Concept design in collaboration with Ian Miller for the animated film Escape from Planet Earth. Image © Rainmaker Entertainment.

Dufflepod. Mixed media/digital. Concept design for the film The Voyage of the

Dawn Treader. Image © Walden Media, Fox.

(23434) Job No:01-23425 Title:RP-Masters of Science Fiction&Fantasy Art

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(23434) Job No:01-23425 Title:RP-Masters of Science Fiction&Fantasy Art

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