Who is Barron Storey you ask? Simple put, he is one of the most influential illustrators of our time. His work has graced the covers of Time Magazine , he did the first official rendering of the Space Shuttle for NASA, and his classes at The Academy of Art in San Francisco have turned out hundreds of illustrators who understand the true nature of being an "artist".
My first introduction to Storey's work was through his 1996 Watch Annual in 1996. I can vividly remember seeing it in a comic shop in PIttsburgh on my first trip there. At the time I was (and still am) quite the Dave McKean junkie, and when I saw his name on the cover I had to grab it right away. I not only blown away by Storey's art, but amazed by the obvious influence it had on McKean.
That one book became a huge turning point for me in the way I created art. I knew of his now legendary Marat/Sade Journal that was printed in 1993 (and out of print almost immediately) but could not get my hands on it for quite a few years. My mom happened upon a copy and gave it to me as a Christmas gift in 2003. It is one of the most treasured books in my collection, and I only take it out on a rare occasion to share with a friend, or to remind me what it is to be an artist.
I learned earlier this year from a blog entry on Neil Gaiman's page that there was going to be a NEW journal by Barron Storey. I was so excited I do believe my head almost exploded.
I took a look at the quite spectacular Graphic Novel Art Blog that was written by the gentleman that was publishing the new journal. The older entries were glimpses into the art, and publishing of the book. The art was simply phenomenal, and I placed an immediate pre-order for the book. I watch with anticipation as the days became closer to publication, and witnessed the cover being made, and the final inspection. It was making me giddy as if I was a child who somehow happened upon Santa's workshop, and saw my gifts being made.
The journal arrived just a couple of days ago, and I must say that it far exceeded my expectations. If you are a comic fan, art lover, an artist yourself I cannot stress how much you will love this book. It needs to be in your collection, and studied ,and appreciated and talked about. The standard edition of the journal is $49.00 and is available now. There are even talks of re-printing the Marat/Sade Journals which means an entire new generation of artists can have the book, and not worry about having to pay in excess of $150.00 for it!
Enjoy, and by all means tell your friends about this amazing work!
2 comments:
I ran across Storey's work in an issue of HEavy Metal prior to the publishing of Marat/Sade/ In 1996 I happened upon a copy of Marat Sade at a comic store and bought it. Like you, this is a treasured book. There was also a great Storey excert called The Boy Racer in another issue of Heavy Metal...great stuff.
Barron, To this day still amazes, inspire and guides my aesthetics ways. It was a pleasure to have him as not only my Ilustration Major Advisor, but also a teacher countless times between 1999-2002 His journals are ridiculous, akin to that of someone with OCD, religiously filling a page every day. His resume of past works are tremendous. I have a 2nd print Edition of "Lord of the Flies." and Various 1970's National Geographic Magazines with his famous "Amazon Rainforest" Depiction. I have now moved on froM California COllege of arts, and have kept in touch with Barron over the years, mostly at San Jose State where he teaches yet another Illustration class. He's a one of a kind, insightful, unique and a mind boggling individual one cant help to be intrigued.
I owe alot to this day.
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