WFC 2014

Crazy week after returning from the World Fantasy Convention in Washington, D.C. It was a terrific con, highlighted by one of the best art shows (if not the best) I've seen at a WFC in the last ten years. Hats off to Mike and Beth Zipser, and the entire art show staff for ringleading it.

To all sf/f conventions who say that paying Art Show artists their sales money upon exit is too hard or impossible to do? Talk to the Zipsers and Elizabeth Klein-Lebbink! They paid all artists immediately upon exit with no hassle whatsoever. Way to go, folks!! :)

To Peggy Rae Sapienza, Michael Walsh, Colleen Cahill and the whole WFC staff -- take a bow. HUGE applause. This was a dynamite WFC, and you all did a tremendous job!

I conducted a rousing hour of Loteria games on Saturday at the con, and it was a huge success, as it has been all year. It brought literary folk and art folk together, and we had an absolute blast. Thank you to all who came out and played! And THANK YOU to all who bought my Loteria posters at the functions across the weekend. Very appreciated.

I've already said on social media how happy I am to see so many of my friends nominated or win World Fantasy Awards this past weekend, but again -- congrats to all!! Thank you, Mary Robinette Kowal, for the kindness of the gathering late Saturday night. Best of times. :) And thank you, Jane and Howard Frank, for the kindness of the visit to your house and collection!

As far as the pictures at the top of this post -- those are tiny detail shots from my iPhone of seven of my favorite things I experienced during WFC weekend, courtesy of an unnamed offsite visit. They belong to a collection of work that I was privileged to see. Out of respect to the owner, and at his/her request, I will not divulge where I saw these, and would prefer those who know to not share that here. Not top-secret, but it's the owner's preference and I'd like to respect that.

Otherwise -- feel free to guess or discuss any or all of the artists responsible for painting these! No problem there. They inspired the heck out of me this weekend, and on that note, it's time to work again. Thank you to all of the friends that shared visits with me at WFC 2014.....it was a great weekend!

Karen Jones

A great person died last week. Her name was Karen Jones and she was my friend.

I heard the news Saturday night when I was heading out to the World Fantasy Convention Art Show Reception. Jennifer Heddle phoned me and let me know. It was a shock, to say the least. She introduced me to Karen at the World Science Fiction Convention in 2002, and they were very good friends for the better part of two decades.

Rather than dwell on Karen's death, I want her to be remembered for the good that she brought. She had an infectious smile and laugh, and for several years, a group of us including Chris Roberson, Allison Baker, Lou Anders, Paul Cornell, Jen Heddle, Alan Beatts, Jude Feldman, and Karen were a rolling 'rat pack' of sorts that banded together at more conventions than I can count (shoutout to Joe McCabe and Jess Nevins, as well). We were all building pro careers in various publishing capacities, whether it be as editors, illustrators, writers, retailers, or publishers -- all of us it seemed, except Karen.

She was a voracious reader and connoisseur of film, TV and video games, and she wasn't chasing a career in publishing. She was simply one of us. She was strong, quietly confident and true to herself. I think it was Chris that once said Karen was the smartest one amongst all of us, and it was true. I don't know what Karen's IQ was, but if one of us was officially 'genius', it was her, without a doubt. She never flaunted. She was unabashedly geek-proud, passionate about the things and people she loved. She brought joy wherever she went, and I'll always remember her for that.

She may not have been chasing a career in the arts or publishing back then, but lo and behold, in recent years, she ended up becoming the art director for Lightspeed Magazine, once again proving how diverse her talents were.

She was funny. She was brilliant. She was luminous.

You will not be forgotten, Karen.

(pictured above: (l to r) Jennifer Heddle, Karen Jones at the 2002 World Fantasy Convention)

LA CALAVERA

Presenting the final color artwork for 'La Calavera' -- the latest in my Loteria series! In English, 'La Calavera' means 'The Skull'. Those who own the 2014 John Picacio Calendar will notice that a progress version of this work is featured for the month of October. I retained the concept, but completely started over and overhauled the art from scratch. Here are the new improved pencils, created as the foundation for the revised final.

And for those who are unfamiliar with the game of Loteria, here's the Don Clemente/Pasatiempos Gallo version for this icon, and as with all of my Loteria work, this is what inspired me.

Halloween and Dia de los Muertos is right around the corner, and a ton of Alamo City Comic Con attendees asked if my 'La Calavera' would be available as a poster.

Good news -- for ONE WEEK ONLY -- it is. :) Previously, neither my 'La Luna' or 'El Corazon' Loteria posters were available for sale online.

They are now available via my website, and so is the new poster for 'La Calavera'!

Each measures 11" x 18" and is printed on thick cardstock. Only 500 posters of each will be printed, and all are signed. The 'La Luna' and 'El Corazon' posters are already in reduced supply because of heavy sale during my summer convention appearances.

Heads up -- deadline for all orders will be Wednesday, October 22nd at 8pm CST. After that, I'll close online ordering for these items and process as many orders as I can before Dia de los Muertos.

All posters will be shipped in a protective tube. Prices include shipping. Unfortunately, I can only accept continental US orders at this time. :( I'm unable to do shipping outside the US because of rising shipping rates, but also because it will take too much time to handle the customs paperwork for orders shipping outside the US. I'll be doing fulfillment on this by myself, and in order to do it efficiently, I have to make some time-saving choices for this limited campaign.

Thereafter, these posters will also be available at the following 2014 appearances:

Saturday, October 25th: DRAGON'S LAIR, San Antonio (in-store signing from 10am to 2pm)

Friday, November 7th: WORLD FANTASY CONVENTION, Washington DC (at the Mass Autographing)

November 21st to 23rd: AETHERFEST, San Antonio (poster signing details TBA)

So for all that are traveling to WFC from outside the US, that convention is a great opportunity to score posters for yourself, and probably your only chance for the foreseeable. (If you're not attending WFC, perhaps you might contact an attendee from your country who is, and ask them to acquire the posters for you?)

Thanks to all for the kind words about the Calavera concept featured in my 2014 Calendar. I hope you all enjoy the revised version as much, if not more! :)

The Facts of Life

I met Graham Joyce in 2000 at the World Fantasy Convention. He was one of my favorite writers. Still is.

I first heard his name four years earlier. It was my first visit to Michael and Linda Moorcock's house. I was there to meet Mike because I was doing my first book cover gig -- for the 30th Anniversary edition of his novel BEHOLD THE MAN. I was sitting in his studio sanctorum with Ben Ostrander and Rick Klaw, and Mike had just finished writing a review for The Guardian. The subject was a novel called REQUIEM by Graham Joyce. Mike had high praise for it, and I remember writing the name down in my sketchbook.

I bought REQUIEM shortly thereafter, and Mike was right. Graham was good. I started collecting Graham's books. I was a newbie cover artist, in the embryonic stages of building a career. When WFC came to Corpus Christi in 2000, I barely had enough money to attend, but I did, and Graham was one of the first people I wanted to meet.

For those that didn't see my Facebook post today, here's a brief recap of what happened -- but I also want to share something extraordinary that I haven't yet shared elsewhere...

Virtually no one knew who I was at that convention. I had never met Graham, and I went to see him talk. I waited until everyone exited, and showed him my portfolio. He took the time to visit with a total stranger like me, and treated me like the center of the world. A few minutes later, a bald man with dark-rimmed glasses ran up to me in a hallway, and said, "Graham Joyce just told me I needed to meet you!" And that was Lou Anders, who has been my best friend since that fateful moment. It was Graham who brought us together.

But that's not where the extraordinary ends.....

I saw Graham at the end of the con. We were parting ways. I told him about that first time that I heard about him, when Mike was reviewing his book, and when I was working on BEHOLD THE MAN. He said, "BEHOLD THE MAN?? When that one first came out, back in the day......that was the one that made me want to be a writer."

Graham said, "Did you really mean that you could show me around after the con?" I said, "Sure, man. Where do you want to go?" I figured Graham wanted to find some dinner. He said, "How far away is this place where you live?"

"About three hours," I said.

"Is Halloween good around San Antonio?"

I said, "It's alright, but in Austin, it's bonkers. Sixth Street. You'd love it."

Thirty minutes later, one of my favorite writers in the world was riding shotgun in my Saturn coupe as I sped us north to my home in San Antonio. Graham stayed at my house for two terrific Fall days, and yeah, we spent a rollicking Halloween night on Sixth Street together. Better than that though -- I took him to meet Michael Moorcock that same evening, and Graham was so happy. Mike meant the world to him, and it was one of my favorite Halloweens ever. Linda was there. So were Rick Klaw and Brandy. It was the best of times.

Years went by, and Graham was always the cool rogue and the great statesman, and he did it effortlessly. He was one of those pillars that defined a generation of the fantasy field for me and my friends. He was always there at WFC, with a word of advice about how to handle a tough situation, or a word of encouragement -- with a lot of laughs. I can't think of the World Fantasy Convention without thinking of him.

He passed away today after bravely battling lymphoma cancer. He was a friend, and one of my favorite people.

I will never forget him..