Gallery: Exotic Visions of Star Wars Inspire Portrait Artists
Rob Ralls01lfl-ia-42848-r
George Lucas drew inspiration for *Star Wars* from sci-fi standards like the *Flash Gordon* comic books drawn by Alex Raymond. But works by less-likely artists — such as landscape painter N.C. Wyeth and all-American illustrator Norman Rockwell — also sparked the filmmaker's imagination as he conjured the expansive world inhabited by Luke Skywalker and company. "Every artist that I’ve admired has contributed, directly or indirectly, to shaping the vision that I expressed in the *Star Wars* saga," Lucas writes in his introduction to *[Star Wars Art: Visions](http://www.abramsbooks.com/Books/Star_Wars_Art__Visions-9780810995895.html)*, an upcoming book that presents the work of 120 artists who've put their own spin on the films' mythology. Lucas and executive editor J.W. Rinzler corralled artists steeped in a wide variety of styles, commissioning them to produce the *Star Wars*–inspired works showcased in the new book. Rinzler began working on the project five years ago. "The first thing George said to me was, 'Check out [*Heavy Metal*](http://heavymetal.com/) magazine," Rinzler told Wired.com in a phone interview. "He wanted the top illustrators and people from fine arts, he wanted the guys who do Western art, people who do history paintings, aviation paintings, NASCAR Formula One racing cars. I said, 'Yeah, that could take a little bit of time.'" Some of the most striking pieces in the book reflect Lucas' personal artistic sensibility. "George likes figurative artists in the tradition of Norman Rockwell, Maxfield Parrish and the Italian Renaissance," Rinzler said. Here's an exclusive sneak peek at *Star Wars Art: Visions*, which hits stores in November for $40, with comments taken from the book by the artists who contributed each piece. Subjects range from Tusken raiders and a very formal Anakin Padawan to a nearly nude [yobana](http://starwars.wikia.com/wiki/Yobana) and multiple iterations of Darth Vader. __Above:__ Fem Trooper ----------- "I’ve always thought stormtroopers had the coolest costumes of all in the *Star Wars* galaxy," says book illustrator Scott M. Fischer. "In fact, I even had the plastic Halloween costume back in the ’70s and went trick-or-treating as one. But if I were a stormtrooper, naturally I would need the perfect partner, thus the Fem Trooper idea was born! All the coolness of the stormtrooper armor, wrapped around the sensuality of the female form ... the perfect subject to paint!" Fischer is currently working for Disney on the *Tron* franchise.
Photographer: Bryan Sheffield02lfl-ia-42917
Mos Eisley Cantina With George Lucas as the Bartender ----------------------------------------------------- Figure painter Paul G. Oxborough brought fond memories to this formal portrait. "I was 12 years old when I first saw *Star Wars*," he recalls. "I hope my piece expresses my affection for the films and lets the viewer feel as if George Lucas is 'serving up' his vision to us." Oxborough's work has been shown in Britain's National Portrait Gallery, the Scottish National Portrait Gallery and the Smithsonian's American National Portrait Gallery.
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Hoth Snow Battle (The Empire Strikes the Rebel Stronghold) ----------------------------------------------------------- "The motivation behind this painting was to effectively illustrate the conditions in the Rebel trenches as they are overrun by AT-AT walkers and swarms of snowtroopers," says South African artist Jason Askew. Askew served as an official war artist for Britain's [Staffordshire Regiment](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Staffordshire_Regiment) in Iraq.
Photographer: Bryan Sheffield04lfl-ia-43199
A Good Find: Portrait of a Tusken Raider ---------------------------------------- "The inspiration behind *A Good Find: Portrait of a Tusken Raider* is in what the sand people of [Tatooine](http://starwars.wikia.com/wiki/Tatooine) must do to survive the harsh and desolate desert climate," says New York painter Tony Curanaj. "Stylistically, I looked toward the 19th-century Orientalist painters for their meticulous and beautifully designed images of life in the desert. I was able to find a great Tusken raider costume and model robot, which enabled me to paint from life as well as from imagination." Curanaj started out as a graffiti artist and later did design work for Disney. He now teaches at the Grand Central Academy in New York City.
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Untitled -------- Montana artist Gary Carter offered no comment about this frontier-themed piece centered on protocol droid C-3PO. Carter's illustrations have appeared in publications including *Art of the West*, *Horse and Rider* and *Big Sky Journal*.
Photographer: Bryan Sheffield06lfl-ia-43224
Backyard Jedi ------------- American artist Stephen Heigh sought to create a "universal image" with Backyard Jedi, he says. "I started thinking about children playing make-believe, and how George Lucas was probably like every kid in the neighborhood, running around and seeking adventure. In those moments, children are the characters they wish to portray. It’s a simple joy of being a kid and using imagination." Heigh teaches at Moore College of Art & Design in Philadelphia.
Photographer: Bryan Sheffield07lfl-ia-45482
Rancor ------ Spanish painter Arantzazu Martinez first saw *Return of the Jedi* when she was 7 years old. "It made a lasting impression on me," she says. "Twenty-five years on, adventure, fantasy and philosophy are some of my core interests in life and work." Martinez is a fellow at the Hudson River Fellowship.
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Anakin Padawan -------------- Patricia Watwood painted this formal portrait of Anakin Skywalker because, she says, "I find this luminal stage of Anakin’s life very poignant. During his first mission, he tests the mettle of his new training by bringing down a spider droid. He is a boy and a soldier, beautiful and fierce, honorable and angry. He contains at this moment all the potential of innocence, as well as __*\[Spoiler Alert!\]*__ the darkness he will eventually embrace." Watwood studied painting at [The Water Street Atelier](http://grandcentralacademy.classicist.org/waterstreet.html) and lives in Brooklyn, New York.
Photographer: Bryan Sheffield09lfl-ia-44123-lighter-660
Incident at Mos Eisley Spaceport -------------------------------- "I wanted to explore the genre of multifigure composition while maintaining a measure of ambiguity," says New York painter Michael Grimaldi of Incident at Mos Eisley Spaceport. "By leaving the roles of protagonist and antagonist deliberately vague, I hope to relay some of the confusion in interpreting the scene." Grimaldi teaches at the Art Students League of New York and at the Janus Collaborative.
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Maverick Bounty Hunter ----------------------- With this painting, Idaho cowboy artist Nelson Boren set out to create a "character that embodied the texture of the Old West, combined with an outlaw attitude, in a *Star Wars* setting," he says. "The maverick bounty hunter is garbed in rough leather chaps, wild spurs, worn-out leather boots and rusty weapon chin guards. Juxtaposed against his traditional weather-beaten cowboy gear is a shining chrome lightsaber — a symbol of his destruction of a Jedi warrior." Boren’s watercolors can be found in U.S. galleries and private collections worldwide.
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Wanna Wanga ----------- Salt Lake City artist Ryan Wood, who had no comment about this piece, has worked on projects for Disney and Nickelodeon.
Photographer: Bryan Sheffield12lfl-ia-43206-r
Yobana ------ Realist artist Jeremy Lipking produced this portrait. "His canvases pulse with the subtle energy of a living thing," according to *Star Wars Art: Visions*.
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Exorcism of Darth Vader ----------------------- "In the battle of good versus evil," says Bronx-born artist Rudy Gutierrez, "the 'Real Force' — made up of different ancient and current cultures on Earth — unites to perform an exorcism or the removal of bad spirits, represented by the Emperor, who controls the heart and spirit of Darth Vader." Gutierrez studied at Pratt Institute. His work, exhibited worldwide, earned the Dean Cornwell Recognition Award.
Photographer: Bryan Sheffield14lfl-ia-43238
Skirmish on Endymion -------------------- Artist Michael Haynes describes the scenario depicted in Skirmish on Endymion like this: "A Twi'lek Jedi Knight has a Sith warlord on the defensive in a skirmish on Endymion, a remote desert outpost in the Pleiades. As war sweeps across the galaxy, life-and-death struggles like this occur on every scrap of interplanetary dust that can support life." Haynes' paintings of the Lewis and Clark expedition are in the collections of the U.S. Army, National Park Service and U.S. Postal Service.
