Some weeks ago I posed a question. You can read all about it here. Namely, what happened to the original paintings produced from classic 'Golden Age' books and box sets. Did they still exist? And if so, where are they now?
We knew through research that many lesser pieces were returned to the original artists; both Tony Hough and Tony Ackland were kind enough to share some of these surviving pieces with us, and even let us look at a few unpublished works of art.
Today's post goes a little bit further. I am happy to say that a great many fantastic pieces of old school fantasy and science fiction art produced by GW is still safely stored in Nottingham. But not quite where you would expect. You see (as many of you will have learnt through reading yesterday's interview with Tim) that Blanche, and others, often paid for things (like rent) with their works. Tim Pollard was lucky enough to receive a great many of the pieces and has framed and preserved them to this day.
We should thank him for it.
So join me as I guide you through SOME of Tim's art collection. So sit back, relax and let that retro feeling wash over you as we explore what he has hanging on his walls.
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| Space Marines by Wayne England. This painting, in crayon and ink if memory serves, graced the front cover of White Dwarf 110 and introduced Wayne's work to GW fandom. I can remember studying this cover with great interest upon that issue's release and this particular painting has remained one of my favourites ever since. The painting harkens back to the day when there was a little more artistic license to interpreting the Astartes. |
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| Next up, the Legion of the Damned by John Blanche. This, of course, graced the packaging of the Skeleton Horde, the WHFRP supplement, The Restless Dead, as well as being used as an internal illustration. A wonderful piece that oozes character and takes us back to a simpler time when a skeleton was just that, and needed no rusty armour or shredded cloth to impress. A scary tree lurks behind. Fantastic! |
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| Ahh, the Imperial Army, also by Blanche, which was used as an internal illustration in White Dwarf and as the box art for the first set of plastic Imperial Guard. Apparently, Tim's face was going to appear on the head of the slain alien lying on the floor in the foreground, but this did not happen due to time restraints. Classic. |
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| A Necromunda battle scene, also by Blanche. This was a painting I don't think I have seen before. Was it ever published? I wonder if it was commissioned for the original version of Confrontation (which of course, started out life as the 40k RPG, before morphing into a WD published skirmish game and then being published (in a very different form) as Necromunda ) but I cannot be sure. Tim pointed out that his, Sean Masterson's (former WD scribe, Editor and contributor to Dark Future) and Sid's (ex 'Eavy Metal) faces appear on this somewhere. Can you see them? Andy Craig can also recall being given this painting by John Blanche when he was painting Necromunda miniatures. |
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| The original Terminator box set artwork. John Blanche. I need say nothing more about this one. OUTSTANDING! |
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| A second piece, again involving Space Marines with additional help from some early ork boyz, by Wayne England. I am not sure if I have seen this one before. Was it ever published? Beautiful isn't it? It always seemed to me that these pieces were part of some far larger work of art. |
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| More classic Blanche. This one was used on the front cover of White Dwarf 108 and for Adeptus Titanicus main rule book. |
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| Skaven by David Gallagher. Rather Warhammer Armies is it not? Again, I am not sure if I have seen this one elsewhere. Was it published, if so, where? |
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| An evocative piece by Ian McCraig (who also painted the FF book, the Forest of Doom) the artist who designed the Games Workshop logo - a fact that is not very well known. |
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| An un-used John Blanche cover for Sabbat's second album, Dreamweaver, featuring the faces of Tony Ackland and Bob Naismith apparently. |
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| Gloria in Excelsis by John Blance. Not a Warhammer piece but utterly breathtaking. Imagine having this hanging on YOUR wall? You'd put bars on your windows, wouldn't you? |
Well, here's hoping you have enjoyed this little artistic stroll through some of Tim's collection. Do you know anything more about any of these pieces of art that you can share with us? Which ones are your favourites and why? Are there any that you despise? And, perhaps most importantly, do you know the whereabouts of any other classic paintings for British fantasy's yesteryears?
If you do, post us a link below or get in contact with me at realmofchaos80s@yahoo.co.uk.
Cheers,
Orlygg.
