I must agree that I find some of Pennington's art kitchy. But there are elements in it that are very good. And he is colorful and uninhibited, qualities to be commended. My favorite book cover of his is for
A Princess of Mars, colorful and yet subtle, with interesting and amusing anatomical details. His skill for landscape and sky painting can't be denied either.
The creature on the
exibition poster reminds me of expert stop-motion artist Jim Danforth's beetleman in the spoof movie
Flesh Gordon.
Another "insufficiently known artist" is
John Martin, who CAS appreciated. Tiny humans in erupting landscapes. Notice those giant cliffs upside-down underneath the heaving Earth. Quite impressive! Maybe these inspired some of CAS's own perspectives, and stories, such as "The Red World of Polaris" and "The Metamorphosis of Earth" (I can't remember what happened in this one, but judging from the title).