Randy R. Gallegos FAD Entry

Artist Index	Randy R. Gallegos

News 'Til Now

Excerpt from Green Meese Studio Vol. 1, No. 4, Winter 1996:
By now, many of you have received (and the rest will soon purchase) the Duelist #9. Well, friends, I hope you'll share in my elation at making the Featured Artist!! I received the call from the Art Director, Amy Weber, at the beginning of October, and was absolutely stunned. I joined the Magic: the Gathering group later than any artist previously featured, and had only produced nine pieces for the game so far. While I had done some Vampire: the Eternal Struggle (VTES) and Netrunner, it didn't add up to anywhere near what I thought it would take to reach this point. The schedule would be tough. Liddle did I know how much.

I had roughly a two month period to produce two large paintings and a small one for the in-store display. No sweat. I had, at about the same time, decided that I was able to quit my day job, and did so. Compounded by the week before's commission to do work for the second VTES expansion, Ancient Hearts, the first week of October was one of the best weeks of my life. ....

Q & A

A gentleman called a few months back thanking me for the newsletter (I got many such calls and letters, thank you). He also had a question about my artistic style. He found it hard to say what the Randy Style was and wondered why. As many of you may wonder the same, I thought I'd go into detail about it. I'd also suggest reading the Duelist for other thoughts.

Artists in this genre can often be categorized easily. There is the fluid linework and gem-like colors of Quinton Hoover, Anson Maddock's characterized faces, often with his signature features -- full lips, sexy eyes sometimes colorless. Mark Tedin has a knack for organic flesh-like textures. Drew Tucker's hazy, blurred watercolors, all just on the line of insanity. I don't think I that instantly recognizable "touch" -- which may be a Bad Thing. Certainly when looking at say a dozen pieces, the tie isn't so noticeable....

First, while I greatly respect all the artists above, I don't feel the same need to do things with a certain style intentionally. In my opinion this can be limiting, and this genre is one of infinite possibilities. In my work, I strive to make each piece a unique story or emotion. The titles of pieces are so far from each other, that I feel it would be an injustice if, for instance, you could easily swap my illustration of Middle-Earth's "Glorfindel II" for, say, Ice Age's "Conquer". I strive to make each piece of mine unique, hopefully adding my own concerns as well.

These things I will say carry over piece to piece:

Rich Colors. I never use color from the tube and stay away from bottle dyes because I really like the deep colors in old master paintings. I layer in such a way that colors show through top colors.
Strong Lighting. Most of my pieces do something not all artists' do consistently. In my work, you always know where the light is coming from. I try to use light dramatically in all my work, and have developed a reputation for it already.
Realism. While I hope I never become a photorealist, I do like my work to look as if it could really exist, and yet make it undoubtedly a painting. It's a delicate line the old masters used to toe. You never had a doubt that a Leonardo was a painting, yet those figures weren't comic-like. They could live and breathe despite being on a canvas.
A Degree of Seriousness. I don't take myself too seriously, but I don't feel properly equipped to create humorous or "sexy" imagery. I would much prefer to paint sensually (as in "Infuse", than to be overtly sexual. It's not my cup of tea.

I think that if you apply these things to my work, you'll find them to be pretty consistently true.