All
prints come
"ready to hang"
in handmade
hand-embellished
"Artist's Frame"
"ready to hang"
in handmade
hand-embellished
"Artist's Frame"
Print £15013x18 inches (33x46 cm)
unframed
Print £15018x23 inches (46x9 cm)
framed
About "Artist" Frames
"Phsthpok
(the Pak). A Protector. Humans are, according to Larry Niven, descended
from the Pak. It is a fighting machine "with armour-like skin,
super-human strength and super-human intelligence". Far
more intelligent than ordinary humans. But this super intelligence
serves only to protect its bloodline at any costs.To
the Artist this triggered a thought pattern that went like this >"As
everyone knows, the "classic" view of the Alien in Science Fiction is
that of "Little Green Men" who carry ray guns that are a threat to
humanity; have a different ethos to the rest of us and generally spell
trouble and - being British - for me conjured-up childhood memories of
Eagle Comics and Dan Dare and the Mekon."
"Completed
on the 16th September 1978, by this date my Science Fiction work was
selling extremely well and the Publisher of the Niven Books, in the UK
and Commomwealth market (Futura Publications) was increasingly
supportive of my work because the sales figures were enviable, a result
of my illustrative approach which was loosley based around the idea of
representing cliches and classic SF concepts in a more plausible modern
way. However, in the case of the Protector Artwork I was of the view
that even with the reputation I had gained, the Publisher would baulk
at my cover proposal - futher exascerbated by the rumour emanating from
New York that a "green" SF cover produced by one of the notable
American Artists of the time had been a commercial failure, the logic
being that "Green" covers were synonomous with bile, puss, puke etc."In
my gut I felt this was nonsense because British TV adverts were showing
cows munching on green grass for a famous butter manufacturer. So, I
rang the Art Director Patrick Mortemore, who I'd gotten to know well
and took a risk and said: "If I show you what I am going to do (in a
preparatory visual) you won't let me do it - but I'm convinced it will
work so - I will do the picture without showing you and when I bring it
in, if you reject it, I'll paint whatever you suggest." I did not go
out of the Studio for a whole week and when I took the painting to the
Art Director he liked it immediately and from then on whilst it was
hardly the last time I took such risks or caused Art Directors anxiety,
I do not recall ever having to submit preparatory visuals ever again
(though I always produced them for my own purposes). The
picture has been a commercial success as a significant image in our
SOLAR WIND PICTURE LIBRARY."Protector"
was published by Futura Publications - a 1973 novel by Lary Niven, set
in hos KNOWN SPACE universe. Peter did the cover for the UK &
Commonwealth market edition, one of a series of books on the Paks and
their history - boos that are literate and visually well described -
and amusing. Well worth a read. 
See it in this
Collector's Edition book
