Hugo artists
Jun. 28th, 2020 08:35 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
psocopteraWell, I'm in an art mood now, let's do this thing.
Professional Artist
Who's on the ballot:
Tommy Arnold
Rovina Cai
Galen Dara
John Picacio
Yuko Shimizu
Alyssa Winans
Picacio has been on the ballot like 14 times and won twice, so let's agree he doesn't need this thing. (Well, maybe you don't agree! Maybe you like to vote for whoever's work you like best even if that's John Picacio over and over. That's cool. Me, I feel like this is a spotlight it's nice to shine around the room.) Dara has been on 5 times but hasn't won yet. Shimizu was also on last year. Arnold, Cai, and Winans are first-time flyers.
Winans - I like that "Illusion of Thieves" cover a lot.
Dara I nominated, and have been nominating, and would like to win at some point. I really like the cover for the Bolander story (also really liked the story). Maybe this is her year!
Cai I also nominated. That Ivywood cover that just won a Spectrum is great.
Arnold I also nominated. Wins my personal award for memorable cover of the year for the Gideon cover. Also that Fire Opal Mechanism cover is good enough that it made me briefly tempted to read the novella until I remembered how much I did not like Jewel and Her Lapidary or indeed anything Wilde has ever written. But, like, damn, that cover.
Shimizu I also nominated. Her covers for Yang's novellas are so good.
My ranking:
1 - Galen Dara
2 - Tommy Arnold
3 - Rovina Cai
4 - Alyssa Winans
5 - Yuko Shimizu
6 - John Picacio
A little torn about Dara vs Arnold, and the rest are a little arbitrary - I think any of them would deserve the win. Last year Dara placed second to Vess and Shimizu got third, and Arnold just missed making the finalists. The Harrow cover is also terrific, so I hope we see him back next year? Anyways, I'm predicting that Dara will win this.
Fan Artist
Who's on the ballot:
Iain Clark
Sara Felix
Grace P. Fong
Meg Frank
Ariela Housman
Elise Matthesen
Clark is new, Felix was on last year also, Fong was on the past two years, Frank was on last year, Housman was on last year, Matthesen is new. Last year, I voted for Likhain (Mia Sereno), Fong, Felix, Schoenhuth, Frank, Housman in that order.
Clark - seems to have done art for Dublincon, their guides and progress reports, etc. I like the Lantern Tree and Souvenir Book Cover.
Felix - a different Dublincon progress report cover, and some other stuff. So many artists are doing such amazing work out there on Tumblr or whatever, whyyy are we stuck using this award as a service award to people who do artwork for concoms.
Fong - I like the Lackingtons piece. Also a lot of the stuff on her webpage grabs me more than anything here. I guess a bunch of it is older work. Hm.
Frank - Ok, abstract space nebula stuff. Sure.
Housman - Huh, I last-placed Housman last year but that Lady Astronaut fanart might be my favorite thing in this year's packet, and I like the Lady Trent art too. (Maybe I... just like ladies, hmm.)
Matthesen - Aha, taking the Schoenhuth jewelry-artist slot, like we were inevitably going to have one? Sure. I always feel a little bit unsure about how to compare jewelry to drawing and painting-type art, like, this is definitely a very different medium? Which might have different aims? Anyways, that Stag is Fallen collar is stunning, and Absent Friends is super cool (and meaningful, once you read the description that the rock is actually fossilized dinosaur bone), and her wirework is just generally nifty and compelling. Gah, am I actually considering top-voting a jewelry artist? Maybe?? Well, I guess I'm challenging my own biases at least.
My ranking:
1 - Elise Matthesen
2 - Ariela Housman
3 - Iain Clark
4 - Grace P. Fong
5 - Sara Felix
6 - Meg Frank
A little torn about Matthesen vs Housman. Housman came in last last year (with Fong, Felix, and Frank taking 2nd, 3rd, and 4th respectively). I think if I had to make a prediction I'd guess Clark, actually. Schoenhuth never won (and also was only on 7 times, which isn't that many compared with Foster and Stiles). I'm not sure whether a jewelry artist (or sculptor at all, actually) has ever won. Well, waving my banner for "the decorative arts and crafts are legitimate arts", I guess.
Professional Artist
Who's on the ballot:
Tommy Arnold
Rovina Cai
Galen Dara
John Picacio
Yuko Shimizu
Alyssa Winans
Picacio has been on the ballot like 14 times and won twice, so let's agree he doesn't need this thing. (Well, maybe you don't agree! Maybe you like to vote for whoever's work you like best even if that's John Picacio over and over. That's cool. Me, I feel like this is a spotlight it's nice to shine around the room.) Dara has been on 5 times but hasn't won yet. Shimizu was also on last year. Arnold, Cai, and Winans are first-time flyers.
Winans - I like that "Illusion of Thieves" cover a lot.
Dara I nominated, and have been nominating, and would like to win at some point. I really like the cover for the Bolander story (also really liked the story). Maybe this is her year!
Cai I also nominated. That Ivywood cover that just won a Spectrum is great.
Arnold I also nominated. Wins my personal award for memorable cover of the year for the Gideon cover. Also that Fire Opal Mechanism cover is good enough that it made me briefly tempted to read the novella until I remembered how much I did not like Jewel and Her Lapidary or indeed anything Wilde has ever written. But, like, damn, that cover.
Shimizu I also nominated. Her covers for Yang's novellas are so good.
My ranking:
1 - Galen Dara
2 - Tommy Arnold
3 - Rovina Cai
4 - Alyssa Winans
5 - Yuko Shimizu
6 - John Picacio
A little torn about Dara vs Arnold, and the rest are a little arbitrary - I think any of them would deserve the win. Last year Dara placed second to Vess and Shimizu got third, and Arnold just missed making the finalists. The Harrow cover is also terrific, so I hope we see him back next year? Anyways, I'm predicting that Dara will win this.
Fan Artist
Who's on the ballot:
Iain Clark
Sara Felix
Grace P. Fong
Meg Frank
Ariela Housman
Elise Matthesen
Clark is new, Felix was on last year also, Fong was on the past two years, Frank was on last year, Housman was on last year, Matthesen is new. Last year, I voted for Likhain (Mia Sereno), Fong, Felix, Schoenhuth, Frank, Housman in that order.
Clark - seems to have done art for Dublincon, their guides and progress reports, etc. I like the Lantern Tree and Souvenir Book Cover.
Felix - a different Dublincon progress report cover, and some other stuff. So many artists are doing such amazing work out there on Tumblr or whatever, whyyy are we stuck using this award as a service award to people who do artwork for concoms.
Fong - I like the Lackingtons piece. Also a lot of the stuff on her webpage grabs me more than anything here. I guess a bunch of it is older work. Hm.
Frank - Ok, abstract space nebula stuff. Sure.
Housman - Huh, I last-placed Housman last year but that Lady Astronaut fanart might be my favorite thing in this year's packet, and I like the Lady Trent art too. (Maybe I... just like ladies, hmm.)
Matthesen - Aha, taking the Schoenhuth jewelry-artist slot, like we were inevitably going to have one? Sure. I always feel a little bit unsure about how to compare jewelry to drawing and painting-type art, like, this is definitely a very different medium? Which might have different aims? Anyways, that Stag is Fallen collar is stunning, and Absent Friends is super cool (and meaningful, once you read the description that the rock is actually fossilized dinosaur bone), and her wirework is just generally nifty and compelling. Gah, am I actually considering top-voting a jewelry artist? Maybe?? Well, I guess I'm challenging my own biases at least.
My ranking:
1 - Elise Matthesen
2 - Ariela Housman
3 - Iain Clark
4 - Grace P. Fong
5 - Sara Felix
6 - Meg Frank
A little torn about Matthesen vs Housman. Housman came in last last year (with Fong, Felix, and Frank taking 2nd, 3rd, and 4th respectively). I think if I had to make a prediction I'd guess Clark, actually. Schoenhuth never won (and also was only on 7 times, which isn't that many compared with Foster and Stiles). I'm not sure whether a jewelry artist (or sculptor at all, actually) has ever won. Well, waving my banner for "the decorative arts and crafts are legitimate arts", I guess.
