In an earlier post I explained how the faceless dictators of a certain social networking site disabled my profile. I initially thought it was for breach of copyright laws as I had posted fantasy artwork by Anne Stokes. I wrote to Anne who granted me permission to include her works on my blog. I was stoked! No pun intended.

For the next few days I set about learning the ins and outs of setting up a blog. My brain sizzled as I forced myself to absorb geek speak, html jargon and numerous terms that I do not wish to torture you with. All the while, in the back of my head, was a little voice whispering…”Vallejo, Boris Vallejo!”

At first I thought I was going mad. Boris Vallejo grant me permission to use his copyright? What a ludicrous idea. I would have to get past his wife first. But, emboldened by my success with Anne Stokes, I thought “What the hell. Nothing ventured, nothing gained right?”

You may be wondering just who is this Boris Vallejo? What am I raving about? Well for the not so informed, let me enlighten you. Boris (as he signs his work) is only like “The GOD” among erotica and fantasy artists. On his official website, you cannot right click to “save picture as” and if you try, the message “you are not authorized to right click” will pop up. So, my chances were slim but I gave it a bash. I flattered.

I e-mailed the MASTER and hit the send button. By this stage, I am not sure whether it was my success with Anne Stokes or the magnum bottle of sauvignon that drove me to contemplate such madness. Imagine my absolute shock when four hours later I got “you have a message from Boris Vallejo” I just stared at the monitor. Flabbergasted.

At first I was too scared to even open it, convinced my request had been denied. I imagined the reply along the lines of “Any attempt to make use of Boris artworks will lead to immediate prosecution and death by firing squad.” Until my curiosity got the better of me. I must admit, I had to read it a few times before it sank in. For your pleasure, I have copied the reply directly from my g-mail. Check this!

Hello Patrick:

Thank you for your kind words about our art.
As long as the images would be just for display and of low resolution (72dpi),
we have no problem at all. Thank you for asking
Cordially,
Boris and Julie. As for the image to the right, how much more phallic could he get!


Ok! So who is Julie then? She is his wife. Also incredibly talented, but more of her in a later post. Boris was born in Peru, and emigrated to the USA in 1964. He got his first paid job as an illustrator when he was just 16. He quickly built a huge fan base with his paintings of Conan the Barbarian, Tarzan, Doc Savage and others. Since starting out, Vallejo has made use of digital media, but his preference is for oil paintings. Over the years his works have graced the covers of hundreds of books, typically science fiction and fantasy, although his more recent works lean more towards erotica. Vallejo lives in Pennsylvania and has two children from his previous marriage.

Ok so thats your introduction. I will continue to post as the blog evolves!