Happy Birthday Gregory Gallo

I'm missing my old friend Greg Gallo today and thinking about him on his birthday. I worked for Greg at WG Studios in Queens NY in the 1990's for a number of years. We were family. The studio was just that - a studio apartment that was long and narrow with a single bathroom. It was a smoke filled place and there was a pool table, tv, and lots of books. We worked from 11 - 7 every day which was a schedule that I liked. This was to accommodate Greg's painting schedule (he liked to sleep in). Greg was a kind of scary and intense guy with a thick Long Island accent who had red hair and a red beard. That intensity was what made him such a great artist. He was the first "real" artist I ever met. The man created almost non-stop for as long as I knew him. He designed all the art for the business which was mostly licensing for apparel companies. Each day, he'd give me a few assignments - he'd quickly sketch out what he wanted the finished piece to look like and then send me on my way - so he could get back to painting!

Greg painted all day long (he'd usually have a movie playing in the background or a great album (he introduced me to Joni Mitchell's Hissing of Summer Lawns). At 7 pm, he would sometimes send me on a beer run so he could start his long night. :) Greg was constantly experimenting with different painting styles and he liked to do a "series" of paintings. Sometimes they were very detailed and a single painting could take days or longer. At other times he could knock out five pieces in a single night! It was always fun coming in the next day to see what he had done.

Though I found him intense and intimidating, I loved him. Greg was really a loving Italian guy who cared about the people he worked with and the bigger world in which we lived. He was always thinking about nature and the environment and how we fit into it. This was reflected in his art where he would often incorporate the earth, animals, people and spirits. He told me I was in one of his paintings once but would never tell me which one exactly!

I managed to acquire a few of his pieces when I worked there. The first was from my favorite series that he had done. Each piece was very detailed and took many days to finish. He worked on several at the same time and I remember that he put himself and his girlfriend (future wife) into a couple of the pieces. I so loved them that I offered him a few hundred dollars for one (which was a lot back then). He agreed and sold it to me though he tried to get it back from me later. I wouldn't part with it and it is hanging in my home today! I used to kid him that I couldn't give it back because that was my retirement. :) Another time, I came into work one morning and there was a big 4ft x 4ft canvas that just blew me away. I gushed over it and Greg said "give me a dollar", which I did, and it was mine! That's the kind of guy he was...

Click here to see his some of his paintings: GALLO

The Power That Preserves - Original Painting - Darrell K. Sweet

(click for larger image) A journey of over a decade has come to an end!  I finally found one of the Darrell K. Sweet covers to one my favorite fantasy novels! I started collecting original comic art in around 2003 and started thinking about the original art for The Chronicles of Thomas Covenant the Unbeliever.  Originally a trilogy of books, and later followed up by sequels, these books really spoke to me when I read them in my adolescence.  I was a big Dungeons and Dragons player (for those old enough to remember), and when I saw the book covers they brought to life that fantasy world which existed in my mind.

When I stated blogging in 2007, I posted a request for information about where the original paintings for the covers might be (here).  I searched ebay, spoke with other collectors of sci-fi and fantasy art, spoke with art dealers, and networked with anyone who I thought could shed some light on where they might be.  Nobody seemed to know.  I spoke with the artist’s former agent who inquired with Mr. Sweet if he recalled where they ended up.  It turned out to be a dead end; he could not recall because they were sold so long ago (Mr. Sweet has since passed away).

As time passed, I would often contemplate the notion that I might never see one of the originals. Were they buried deep in someone’s private collection?  Perhaps in Europe or Asia?  Were they destroyed in a flood or fire?  Did someone who didn’t know what they were accidentally discard them?  I wondered all these things.  I got to the point that I would have been happy just to know they still existed.  But fate had something better in store!  After years of searching, I was able to find this painting and make it my own!  In light of all that history, this piece has a very special place in my collection – I treasure it.

For those who have read the novel, this painting may be the best of the original trilogy in that it features so many important characters and story elements– the hero (or fool?) Thomas Covenant with his “half hand”, the giant Saltheart Foamfollower, Bannor of the Bloodgaurd, and High Lord Elena (and perhaps a Raver).  In the background we see the Colossus of the Fall.  In the foreground we see the Staff of Law, and most importantly, a certain white gold ring.  :)

Original paperback:

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