Treasure trove The renowned artist and author opens the doors to his creative lair
It goes almost without saying that a studio is many things at once. It’s a purpose-driven space, sometimes it’s a welcoming, creative incunabulum filled with things that inspire, and sometimes it’s a challenging creative crucible in which one has to find oneself. It’s at once a sanctuary and a torture chamber. At least, that’s what it can be for me.
My working habits have changed significantly over the years. I used to spend all of my creative time in the studio. Now, because I work on my iPad, I divide my time between this studio and a comfy couch where I do my digital work. But this room is where I write and draw, and it’s still the core of my creativity.
My studios have never been places of light. I prefer a darker, cosier realm so that I can better focus on my work. With curtains drawn, it could be night or day outside and I’d never know. I’ve had many studios during my life. Ten to be exact, this one being my favourite. Nearly all of them have been in co-opted bedrooms with the same basic ingredients: books, collectibles, art supplies. I’ve collected books since I was a kid driving with my dad from book sale to book sale. Archaeology, palaeontology, nature, WW1 aviation, Roman history, the occult, film design; all subjects that find their ways onto my shelves.
What you see here represents a fraction of my true library. These books are the cream of the crop; books I’ve owned from childhood, signed books, artbooks, books I’ve created and books that I use on a daily basis. Because of my Hell writing, there’s also a growing and slightly unsettling slant towards the occult. This Arborite hunter sits contemplatively with his pet. He’s a sentient, tribal plant who fits perfectly into the ecology of Gessner II, a planet I’m developing. The Daggerwrist is perhaps the most iconic creature in Expedition. I pictured delving into their arboreal behaviour as Jane Goodall did with her beloved chimps. Maybe someday. Here’s a marvellous Dr Grordbort Raygun personalised with my hellish glyphs by the wonderful folks at Weta Workshop in New Zealand. It was kindly bestowed upon me for some work I did down there in beautiful Aotearoa. These are two of my most precious studio items. After my dad passed away, I had his opaque watercolour palette and brush mounted in honour of him. And I traded a painting years ago for the Burton piece which reads ‘The Pilgrim’ beneath his signature. He was the archetypal Victorian polymath, and his influence was instrumental to me creating Expedition. Me in my natural habitat, sat among a lifetime’s supply of treasures and curios. Produced by Zenpunk of China, this 1/6th figure is an important character, Ba
