AWAY FROM HERE

Unveiled -- here's my cover illustration for this September's issue of ASIMOV'S SCIENCE FICTION. It's based on the issue's lead story, Lisa Goldstein's "Away From Here." She was recently a Nebula Award finalist, and her new story is terrific. It's about hotels, wanderlust, and passing strangers.

A quirk in the story (no spoilers) inspired not only the subject, but also my compositional solution. A bit of art history: Coles Phillips was a popular American illustrator of the 1910's and 20's. His work was all the rage in advertising. He's famous for his "Fadeaway Lady" illustrations (see left) where he juxtaposed foreground and background elements of the same color. The results caused readers to look twice and complete the pictures with their imaginations.

It was fun to see how much I could subtract from an image and still have it "read." Thanks to art director Victoria Green for the encouragement, and to La Julia and Traci for helping me find magic where others might only find the mundane.