Fantasy and Science Fiction Magazine

Cover painting for Fantasy and Science Fiction Magazine Jan/Feb 2012

Fantasy and Science Fiction Magazine Jan/Feb 2012 FS&F Umbrella Men John G. McDaid

I painted the cover to the Jan/Feb 2012 issue of Fantasy and Science Fiction Magazine. The cover story Umbrella Men by author John G. McDaid wormed it’s way into my head like a pop song. His tale made me examine and question the history and “coincidental” appearance of the umbrella thought out recorded history.

There is even a website dedicated to exposing this conspiracy.

Here is a peak at the text-

When the first verdict was announced in the Rodney King case out in Simi Valley, the old man wandered the streets of New York with the Umbrella for two days straight. From East Flatbush, out through Bed-Stuy, back across the Queensborough Bridge and up to Harlem, then into the Bronx, always with his umbrella up, despite mild spring sunlight and cautious, curious stares. His feet were blistered and his arm muscles twitched in exhausted agony. But there were no riots in New York.

"There are some shadows that are only developed in darkness," the boy said to his parents. Alonso exchanged a smile with Mimi that the boy did not catch. He surprised them like this so often that it was no longer, well, a surprise. João was preternaturally intelligent for a ten-year-old, and Alonso was sure it was the Umbrella's doing...


I thoroughly enjoyed Mcdaid’s vision of the world and I look forward to reading more of his work.

Here are some of the sketches I sent to the editor Gordon Van Gelder after reading the manuscript. Gordon is a blast to work with and his instincts are always spot on.

Sketch 1 Fantasy and Science Fiction Magazine Jan/Feb 2012 FS&F Umbrella Men John G. McDaid Sketch 2Fantasy and Science Fiction Magazine Jan/Feb 2012 FS&F Umbrella Men John G. McDaid Sketch 3 Fantasy and Science Fiction Magazine Jan/Feb 2012 FS&F Umbrella Men John G. McDaid Sketch 4Fantasy and Science Fiction Magazine Jan/Feb 2012 FS&F Umbrella Men John G. McDaid


The Immortal Snake Fantasy & Science Fiction Magazine cover

Cover for The Immortal Snake from the May 2008 issue of Fantasy & Science Fiction Magazine
I put up an older painting I did for the cover of the May 2008 issue of The Magazine of Fantasy & Science Fiction. The illustration shows the characters in Rachel Pollack's Immortal Snake.
It was a tale of a near-divine ruler and the religion and beliefs that legitimize him. Great stuff!