Subversive Cult of the Vampire Squid

Oil on masonite. 2005. Revised 2007.

This is the first fantasy-themed painting I ever completed.
When my wife and I lived in California I occasionally heard of Latter-day Saints referred to as a “cult.” I wondered what people had in their heads when they said this, and this image is what popped into my mind…a magic-user who has enchanted a bunch of fish that could fly through the air.
The model for this was our cashier at Macey’s grocery store in Provo. So, the logical deduction is: if you need a model for a painting then go to Macey’s.
The fish, well, I’ll probably just have to blame James Christensen for those…
The first version of this painting was published as the cover to the BYU fantasy/science fiction magazine Leading Edge in October of 2005. At the time I painted it I didn’t yet know technically how to accomplish the appearance I was going for. I was using brushes that were way too big for this kind of detail, and the magic-user looked all wrong. So I did what any artist would do—I faked it, and finished it anyway.
Working for the Leading Edge has been a great experience. If you’re a BYU student and like sci-fi fantasy writing and/or art I highly recommend working for them. You won’t get rich, but the experience is like gold in your hands.
Oh, and last year I learned in one of my religion classes that the L.D.S. religion does in fact match the definition of a “cult.” Go figure.

Technique:
During my internship with fantasy artist Daniel R. Horne in New Jersey I learned to use watercolor brushes when working with oil paints. The internship was a wonderful experience, and was in part funded by the Oscarson Discovery Grant.
The painting is mostly design driven. I was lucky enough to run into Gregory Manchess in San Diego when I had done the preliminary study, and he advised me on how to approach the final. Mostly, I really had to watch the relationships of my values. Rather than looking to nature I decided to try “emotional” coloring, where I painted the way I felt about the design rather than try to ground it in reality.