Existing comment:
From myths, legends, fairytales and folklore to modern science fiction and fantasy sagas with complex worlds and accounts of future or hypothetical societies, imaginative literature has the ability to lead readers anywhere the mid is capable of going. Through this medium we may explore diverse philosophies, social structures, and other "Big Ideas" while imagining how they might be applied to our own lives.
Illustrators of imaginative literature play an incredibly important role as a mediator between the story and the reader. With their technical training, knowledge of art history, and practical considerations, such as how the image will accommodate text if it is intended to be a cover, the illustrator keeps their feet planted firmly in reality. Meanwhile, their minds traverse the wilds of the imagination, searching for the single image that adequately represents an entire story, conjuring new landscapes, and developing new modes of representation. For this reason, if one considers the author of speculative fiction the creator, archivist, and broadcaster of these realms and tales, the illustrator must be a shaman -- serving as a guide, telling us where to pause and revealing how things are; and performing miracles -- bringing to life unnatural creatures and worlds, and opening portals into imaginary realms through which we may freely step. |