In Memoriam Mario writes:


You may not recognize his name or face but you know his artwork.

John Berkey, one of America's greatest illustrators, passed away on April 29, 2008. He was born in 1932. An extraordinary and popular artist, Berkey was named to the Society of Illustrators Hall of Fame which includes titans of American art such as Norman Rockwell, N.C. Wyeth, Frederick Remington, and John James Audubon. I bought many sci-fi paperbacks simply because I loved Berkey's magnificent cover art. Even though he was known for his spaceships, his poster for the Dino De Laurentiis King Kong remake (1976) may be Berkey's most famous artwork.

But Berkey was most regarded for his haunting and amazing impressionistic paintings of spaceships such as these:








Berkey lived a full and accomplished life but it's sad that he's passed on. There will be no more fantastic John Berkey spaceships to amaze us.

On a personal and more cheery note, the audio rights were sold for my first three books.

Don't forget the signing that Jeanne and I will be doing this Thursday, May 15, noon to 2PM at the Barnes & Noble at 555 East Arapahoe Road, Greenwood Village, CO, 80112.  ¶ posted by Mario @ 7:36 PM