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- Gary Davis
- c/o Future Dreams
- 1800 East Burnside
- Portland, OR 97214
-
- Phone: (503) 231-8311 (Future Dreams)
-
-
- Legend has it that I was born in Eugene, Oregon. Art was my passion. From the very earliest beginnings
- I can't remember not being fascinated with it all. Especially trying to draw from memory with the utmost
- preeision. My parents got my brother, Rick, and I a blackboard early on (to circumvent the defacing of
- wallpaper), at which endless hours were spent. Later on it was reams of typing paper and a fountain pen.
- Without pencil preliminaries, in complete ignorance or proper procedure, I'd start from point "A" and go
- to point "Z" to finish, never knowing any other way. I thought I was pretty darn good. However, nothing
- survives from those days to prove the case.
-
- While other kids gave up on it or just grew out of it, I couldn't leave art alone. So it's been all my life. I
- took a correspondence course with Famous Artists School, which was immensely helpful. Suddenly, I
- found myself being part-time staff in the art department of the "Oregonian." It was the best job I ever had.
- I'd probalbly still be there were it not for a sojourn in the Twilight Zone, which will not here be revisited.
-
- Suffice it to say, I found myself pursuing a career in SF&F illustration, which I'd always wanted to do
- anyway. But that was anticlimax. Small press and short-lived semi-prozines were interested enough, but
- the Big Time was elusive. With one exception. HEAVY METAL wanted a story based on a bit of art I
- submitted, intending it as filler only. So I got into comics at the very top. I kept trying to get the attention
- of the serious SF&F market -- to no avail. Parallel to this was the continuing flirtation with comics. I
- couldn't bring myself to do superheroes, where the big bux were. This eventually led me to publish my
- own book, THE STARJONGEUR COLLECTION. It lasted only two issues. However, it gave me entree
- into Dark Horse Comics, where I've been getting a few things published from time to time over the past
- few years. Then there was this L. Ron Hubbard thing. It was one of those "whythehellnot" things. I
- figured there was an even chance I might win one there. And so it was. I was one of the quarterly
- winners of 1992. And, at the award ceremonies, I met Algis Budrys and got an illustrating assignment for
- his TOMORROW Magazine; I have had several more since, and one of my paintings was used for a cover
- illustration.
-