MATTHEWS, Rodney

(1945-)

   UK illustrator. RM's artwork first became popular in the mid-1970s - a period of great vigour in UK sf/fantasy illustration - when it began appearing on book covers and on the first 3 covers of the short-lived magazine VORTEX (1977). Bizarre, whimsical, often spiky, weirdly coloured, his art "feels" more like fantasy than sf, though it has often been used on sf books - including some from Avon in the USA - and is closely associated with the work of Michael MOORCOCK, notably in his many illustrations to Moorcock's Elric at the End of Time (1987). RM's fantastic animals and monsters are especially good, and his thorny cities are another trademark. He works in various media, mostly watercolour, gouache and ink; much of his work has been in the form of posters, record sleeves (several winning awards) and calendars. In the 1980s a series of RM fantasy calendars, some in very large format, featured mostly newrather than recycled paintings. Books of his work include a very complete and beautifully produced retrospective collection, In Search of Forever (1985) with text by Nigel Suckling, Last Ship Home (1989) and The RodneyMatthews Portfolio (1991).

   PN