Some time ago i commissioned Joe Rubinstein to do a pencil piece based upon of all things, a McFarlane (in)action figure of Conan on his throne.After some back and forth Joe suggested he could do a bit more for me knowing how much i loved the old Cimmerian.Through discussing various artists and representations of Conan,Joe decided to do a full on recreation of my favourite Conan image from my favourite Conan story,Beyond the Black River.It was a slipcase cover Greg Manchess did for the Wandering Star Conquering Sword of Conan.I think hes outdone himself with this painting.
I know recreations can be a thorny issue,i think to me this image captures perfectly what comes to my mind when i read REH.Its going to be framed and in the living room before you know it.Saying that, he has darkened it up and made it a little more brooding to my eyes,which is just perfect,its smaller than the original, and is not a brush stroke for stroke recreation, it will never be sold.its a great tribute piece to REH and Greg Manchess.
To me Joe is a living legend of the comics industry, he has worked with most of, if not all of the greats,from Neal Adams, Don Newton,John Byrne,Frank Miller,Jim Starlin,Michael Golden,Michael Netzer, the list is endless, if you can name an artist Joe has probably worked with them, and brought the finished art to a whole new level.Joe is not only one of the greatest inkers to grace the medium, he is also a stunning artist in his own right in various mediums such as oils and watercolour.
I know Joe is behind on his commissions work, and i know he feels terrible about the wait some folks are having.He is working his way through the list steadily,and i know people will be happy with his work.He is one of the few artists who are worth the wait I think my piece speaks to that.Im already working out what to get him to do for me next, think this is about my sixth or seventh piece from joe.Anyway, enough rambling on, heres the art.And if you like it please post a comment on my CAF when i sort the link out.
