Alien Flora and Fauna

I recently stumbled across a cool 70s science fiction oil painting from an artist I'd never heard of. After 13+ years of running a very niche art blog, that doesn't happen often!

Here's "Crash Landing," by Fahellyn.

This was all the explanation offered on the listing on the site I found it on:

Fahellyn is only known by his signature and what we can glean from the artworks custodian. This sci-fi series of artworks were purchased altogether directly from the artist’s private studio and cost the sum of a months wage in 1979. The artist was a humble middle-aged postman and an altogether shy man who hailed from Froncysyllte near Wrexham in North Wales. His work began in the 60s and ranged from local landscapes and western country scenes to an incredible Red Indian series."

This was the only painting they had listed for Fahellyn, despite the mention of a "sci-fi series." I hate to be cynical, but I almost wonder if it's an AI hoax, given that I've never heard of the artist and the closest comparison to the style that comes to mind is Bob Layzell's later works from the 2000s and '10s.

But it all seems legit enough! And little-known artists who have a few cool works aren't unheard of. Assuming it's real, I really like the piece: The lush reds of the oils gives it a gothic atmosphere, with the placid pond water blending into the sky.

I've already posted about spaceship ruins and reflections somewhat recently, so I figured I'd use this painting as an excuse to talk about alien flora and fauna. At least, I assume those growths on the left are flora – they're a little too alien to be confident.

Perhaps the pillars on the right are a decaying stage of the same plant.

Here's an even lesser-known artist who loves alien plant and animal life.

These are three uncredited artworks, first posted on the r/WhatIsThisPainting subreddit in 2023 by a guy who said he "purchased three paintings by an unknown artist from a forgotten comic art seller at the San Diego Comic Con about 30 years ago or so."

They're all signed with the same signature – closer looks over here – and it looks something like "Artur" or "Anton."

I posted them at the time, and one of my followers more or less figured out the origins. Don't click this link unless you want to auto-download the PDF, but it's a scan of a Spanish-language article about the French author Raymond Roussel, and one of the illustrations is the third one here, with the bubbles and the eyeball monster.

The author of that article, Fernando Fuenteamor, produced the Spanish fanzine Zikkurath from 1975 to 1981 – I'm not sure if the article was from that magazine, but it seems likely.

Here's everything Mike Ashley had to say about Zikkurath in his fourth volume of his "History of the Science-Fiction Magazine" series.

I wouldn't be surprised if the mystery artist was a contributor to Zikkurath at some point – but unless anyone reading this has a collection of physical copies or can find scans of them, the trail has gone cold on figuring out who that artist was.

Anyway, let's get back to the cool alien plants and animals. Here's a stunning Angus McKie artwork, first used as the 1976 cover to Casey Agonistes and Other Science Fiction and Fantasy Stories, by Richard McKenna, but perhaps more well-known for its inclusion in Stewart Cowley's Spacewreck art book in 1979.

My comrade in art blogging, Retro Sci-Fi Art, was kind enough to send me a high-res scan when I was putting together my 2023 art collection Worlds Beyond Time, and I love how much detail comes through when you get an even closer look at these odd alien plants in the foreground.

Speaking of Worlds Beyond Time, one of the sections that didn't make it into the final book was going to be about marine life. I've written about that entry, but here are a few relevant images that would have been in it: Una Woodruff's diagram for a butterfly fish, and a school of space fish by John Berkey.

Some other great alien animals are present and accounted for on Ron Walotsky's 1978 cover to Piers Anthony's Omnivore.

Jack Kirby has a splash page of desiccated marine life for his short-lived far-future comic OMAC.

Tim White loved alien wildlife. Here are just a few examples, starting with his 1982 cover art to Terry Prachet’s Strata.

Gianni Maiotti also has plenty of lush jungles in his sci-fi art. Here's "Little Robot Lost," 1980.

Luigi Castiglioni's incredible cover art for Science-Fiction Magazine #1, October 1976.

Luigi Castiglioni also went with the alien plant theme for this sick 1972 Galaxy magazine cover.

Michael Böhme is another fan of alien plant life.

I can't tell if that last Böhme illustration is a tree walking like a spider, but here's a confirmed walking plant: Ron Cobb's unused 1976 Star Wars concept for an "Ambulatory Plant." Get this guy in the next Star Wars movie!

Mars vegetation by Ute Osterwalder, featured in Tor zu den Sternen (Gateway to the Stars), 1981. Scanned by Ranaroth.

Finally, I'd be remiss not to feature Wayne Barlowe whenever discussing alien biology. Here's a beautiful example of his unique eye for plants and animals.

I'll be back to this same theme in the near future with a post about terraformation illustration.

Until then, you should dip into my archives for my post on Computer Plant Life and my post featuring the first draft of my "plants and animals" chapter of Worlds Beyond Time.

Cool Link

Remembering Qued and Phred, the Weirdest Mascots in KQED History - KQED

"If you’re an old-school KQED viewer, you might remember Qued and Phred — the very strange mascots of the now-defunct annual KQED auction. Qued is a mischievous-looking giant red devil creature who walks on all fours and often carries a 'sold' sign in his mouth. Phred, who can usually be seen leading Qued on a leash, is what would happen if the Monopoly man had a baby with the Babadook."

20 years of trials and tribulations - Transfer Orbit

A profile of internet-era sci-fi mag Clarkesworld Magazine, which is celebrating its 20th anniversary this year.

"We don't want to go bankrupt quickly, so we're going to start small and grow, so we did two, 4000 word stories. One of them would be from an author that was more known at the time and one of them would be an author who was less known." They were also working to ensure some sort of connection to the online bookstore, with the idea being that if one of the authors had a book on sale, they could promote it at the same time.

Music Rec: I'm adding Ladyhawke's "The Price You Pay" to my "globe-trotting adventure soundtrack" playlist.

Next Time: Paying readers get my notes on the 1982 art collection The New Visions: A Collection of Modern Science Fiction Art.