Image © Mark Wheatley.

Two more items given to me at the con. Last year Mark had several examples of his fine digital paintings available as prints. This year there’s an entire 8-by-10-inch collection, and it’s delightful. Mark uses the digital medium to add softness and a painterly quality I’ve not seen in his work before. At times reminds me of N.C. Wyeth. At other times he goes for more detail in places, allowing the image to blur in others, focusing the eye on key details without allowing the entire image to become too photographic. There’s a wide variety of subjects here, from Wheatley’s own creations to those of Edgar Rice Burroughs, pulp characters, and even Captain Action. It’s a nice showcase, and is available from Mark for $20. If you can’t catch up to him at a con, contact him on Facebook or through Insight Studios.

Image © Flesk Publications and the respective artists.

FLESK PRIME is a sampler of the work of five artists published by John Fleskes, and it goes without saying it’s a handsome book on top quality paper in a nice 8.5-by-11-inch hardcover format. Flesk’s production values are top notch, and the artists featured are each given a bio page with photo and a gallery of 11 pages showcasing their work. I’m familiar with and already love the art of Gary Gianni, Mark Schultz and William Stout, but the paintings of Craig Elliott and Petar Meseldzija are new to me, and both are equally appealing. I was familiar with nearly all the work of Gianni included, but found many new visual delights in the sections of Stout and Schultz. This is a great showcase, and a nice art book that would grace anyone’s shelf. It’s available from Flesk Publications for $24.95 on their website.