As I mentioned last week, I’m hoping to change things up a little with the art blogs, and offer more than just a “piece of the week”. I’ll be featuring artists sometimes that you may be familiar with, if not in name than in work.
This week, I’m going to talk about Michael Deas (www.michaeldeas.com), an artist who has done some fantastic work. Many of those in the horror community have seen his cover of Richard Matheson’s Hell House, or of one of the editions of Anne Rice’s Interview with the Vampire. Nearly everyone has seen his iconic Columbia Pictures logo as well.
Deas has been featured in many of the award compenums, including Spectrum and the Society of Illustrators. One of my personal favorite images is the Hell House cover, which is striking. It has a certain darkness to it that’s hard to capture, and the chills it invokes are just what an artist is looking for in such a cover. At the same time, Deas is able to convey lightness in a work, almost an iconic imagery at times that’s truly opposite of the darkness he can also create.
His work has been featured in many different types of projects, not just in genre work. Many of his portraits can be seen on U.S. Stamps, including Hollywood stars, former presidents, historical characters and more. He brings each character to life, seemingly not just a picture of a moment in time, but of the essence of the person.
Deas also has an eye for humor, as can be seen in some of his magazine work. He also worked on a calendar for restaurant chain Chick-Fila, featuring “Cows in History”.
Overall, I think Deas brings a heart to his work, and offers many pieces that just need to be seen to be appreciated.
Opinions?
Russ
