James Hill Artwork: March 2015

This weekend I had the honor of getting to talk more with Sarah Ann Taylor Frazetta, the granddaughter of the Master Frank Frazetta. If you don't know who Mr. Frazetta is, turn around and run, don't walk, run to your nearest library and research this 20th century modern fantasy art illustration painter. Because of him, he lead the way for countless wanna be artists to follow in his footsteps to become one of the greatest fantasy art illustrators in the world. His influence is seen everywhere from books, to magazines, comics, graphic novels, movies, television and just about everywhere you look. He had a distinctive style of painting people, animals and situations that not only drew your attention instantly, you couldn't look away from each painting. Here is his official link that has been created to carry on his legacy by his daughter Holly and his granddaughters. http://frazettagirls.com Take a look at his work if you don't know about him as you will very soon if you are from a younger generation thanks to Fire and Ice being recreated by Robert Rodriguez and you will see why he is the master of modern fantasy art that inspired Boris and Julie Vallejo, the Hildebrant brothers, Bernie Wrigtson, Simon Beasley and many, many more artists that all owe a bit of their style to Frank and his creations. The more you looked at his work, the more you saw in his pieces. He was a mufti-dimensional artist that could draw anything and anyone with his charismatic enthusiasm. He drew women and men as they really were, not some fantastical or comical impossibly shaped "perfect" woman, but a real woman, with muscles, fat, tendons, bones and movement that could attract any man and most women for that matter. His men were the definition of true bad-ass titans, alpha males that looked like they could conquer any world, and his women were strong and powerful. He is also the first Fantasy illustrator that broke the mold and division bell between the fine art world and the Fantasy world. Death Dealer has now sold for over $1,000,000 and his originals are quickly skyrocketing in value.

Because I spent time this weekend getting to know Sarah, Frank's Granddaughter more, and just looking over extensively his latest release book called Frazetta II, I'm inspired to write this article which now leads a great friend of mine I met many years ago named Allegra to ask about her being a good muse for people. When people, including famous comic and graphic artists see my painting of her, they know her.

http://www.jameshillgallery.com/#/gallery/portraits-and-figures/the-sultans-muse/

She's famous now as a cosplay girl and dare I say an enchanting muse for artists. I want to paint at least six images I have seen of her from various photographic masters while she usually wears Organic Armor accessories and beautiful clothing that simply accentuate her beauty and curvacious body. I have a strong feeling Frank would have loved to have her as a model. Why do I draw a comparison between Mr. Frazetta, the master and Allegriana is because they both had real passion for what they did. He was the master at painting scenes like his famous Conan the Barbarian paintings for the book covers or of John Carter of Mars to various other fantasy works and she is quickly becoming the select choice of many photographers because of her stunning beauty and her bubbly personality that is humble enough to work with the artist to create their vision and that's just what a good muse does. They inspire, they ignite passion and flame for creation. Allegra does just that. She's intelligent, witty, charming and loving and is not stuck on herself, but easily approachable and loves most everyone and most everyone loves her. As artists and photographers scramble to get a chance to work with her, she tries hard to accommodate their needs to create and make their visions come to life. She is also a great creator herself dreaming up fantastical costumes to wear during various conventions and she has smile that lights up a room of people. It's no wonder so many conventions scramble to ask her to be a guest. Her boyfriend is an amazing creator of costumes and armor and together, they are a force that is unstoppable; very much Frank and his wife Ellie were. She is a great model to work with and a very giving and kind person. If you are an artist or photographer or a person running a booth at a convention and need assistance or want a start at their booth, she is the girl to hire. She is frequently asked to be a guest speaker now at various South-Eastern conventions and she does a great job discussing Cosplay and modeling/acting. Here are some of her photos to give you a good idea of her talents and her fanpage on Facebook. https://www.facebook.com/Allegriana