The Maker of the Universes 1977

Boris Vallejo made 'The Maker of the Universes' in oil with a serious commitment to a playful, almost painterly process. See how the paint's not trying to hide? The surface texture, you can practically feel the brushstrokes, especially in the wispy clouds and around the figures. Look at the way Vallejo renders the musculature of the hero, those are some nicely articulated forms. It's so smooth and precise in some areas, like he's sculpting with light, and then he lets the brush fly loose, giving us these blurry atmospheric effects. He’s playing with what paint can do! It's a conversation between control and spontaneity, which is something I try to get in my own work. You could say someone like Frank Frazetta may be a reference or influence, both use a painterly approach to conjure ambiguous and imaginative worlds.