We've lost count of the number of paintings John has produced for book covers but so far this is one of the ones which he's most pleased with. Commissioned by Ace Books for the cover of the book by Jack McDevitt, it's huge and it shows him at his best. It's ironic that the publisher has only seen the image in its digital form and that the beauty of the painting itself will only be experienced by the lucky buyer of the original. John did continue to work on it after it had been "delivered" as a finished piece so there is a slight difference between the actual painting and the cover version. See bottom right for the extra detail above the ship.
Top: the complete painting
Centre: a detail from the painting
Bottom left: the pastel sketch (which is made up of cut-up pieces)
Bottom centre: the book cover
Bottom right: the painting with the added detail
Painting (Oils on stretched canvas)
2005
31.5 x 45 inches, 80 x 114 cms
£2500 plus VAT for the EU (or US$4250) plus carriage
Sketch (Pastels)
2004
7 x 10 inches, 18 x 25 cms
£100 plus VAT for the EU (or US$175) plus carriage