Masters of Science Fiction and Fantasy Art

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TOMASZ MARONSKI

“You should love your work because when there is no love,

nothing will come of it.”

Colorful, surreal, lled with sinuous lines and futuristic

details, the fantastic digital imagery of Tomasz Maronski

is informed by the closely observed natural world. His

works have an essence derived from living matter that adds

to their mysterious power. Sophisticated composition

and color give his digital paintings tremendous impact.

But the most powerful thing about these works is the

imagination producing them.

Maronski is an illustrator whose work frequently decorates

the covers of science ction and fantasy books in both

his native Poland and the United States. He also creates

powerful images for European mobile phone carriers;

advertising agencies; lm and animation studios, such

as Human ARK, Platige Image, and Virtual Magic; and

computer games companies, such as Cenega, Techland,

and Uselab. Among his international clients are Imagine

FX, Digital Art Masters, Ballistic Publishing, Laser Books,

Sanctuary. Photo-Paint. Says Maronski, “This is an idea born at sea on a summer vacation. The notion is that this place was full of life before the war.

After the war, The Sanctuary is now an uninhabited place and hideout for an old magician.”

Postcard from London. Photo-Paint.

Walbrzych, Poland

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and Asimov’s Science Fiction magazine. In 2008 Maronski

received the reader’s award for best cover from Asimov’s.

“I like to reect my imagination in my art,” the artist

says. “I’ve lived in a world of fantasy as long as I can

remember. Now that I’m an illustrator, my passion has

become my profession.”

His enthusiasm for science ction and fantasy art

is obvious in the elaborately detailed worlds he creates

in every painting he does. “I love what I do,” he admits.

“To do this kind of work has been my desire and passion

for many years. I work eight hours a day, and have a

wonderful time listening to moody music and making

my paintings.”

Maronski is a longtime fan of science ction and fantasy

lm, literature, and gaming. “I like the specic atmosphere

and sophisticated reality. I also think that my imagination

and my ideas, which are represented in my art, were

inuenced by those genres.”

Originally trained in traditional art techniques, Maronski

enjoyed the expressive range and richness of oil paints.

“I painted on canvas for almost ten years,” says the artist.

“During that time I always tried to improve my technique.

I’ve always searched for the proper and unique way of

expressing either my personality or my ideas, which are

reected in the visions of my imagination.”

However, Maronski acquired digital skills when the

pressures of work became too demanding. “My adventure

with computer graphics started when I realized that

although I had the ability to create oil paintings, I didn’t

have enough time to do them and meet deadlines,”

he explains.

Postcard from London. Photo-Paint.

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Chronicles of Majipoor 1 through 3. Photo-Paint.

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