Frank Frazetta made a huge impact on me when I was young, along with M.C. Escher and Dali. I still have every book of his artwork in my library.
Long before I knew anything about copyright infringement, I airbrushed one of his pieces onto my surfboard. When my kids were still very young, I would let them take the board down to the lake where they would spend hours paddling around on it. They met some other small kids their age who were were playing on the beach that day.One of the children they met told my kids that their uncle painted the surfboard and then my kids said no, that their dad, me had painted it. Well it turns out, their mother was Frank Frazetta's sister
My wife met the other kids mother on the beach that day and that's when I learned all about copyright laws first hand.
Nothing ever came of it. No profit or gain, just the ultimate compliment to Frank! I remember seeing his art painted on all the cool vans of the day with the shag carpet lined walls inside, along with the lava lamps and all the other hippie accouterments of the era.
Here are two of his designs I airbrushed on my personal boards. The last board was my very first airbrush attempt.
A sad loss of a great pioneering talent in the world of fantasy art. I have always felt a connection.
