It's been almost a month since I heard Dave Stevens died, and it still hasn't quite sunken in. Dave was one of the nicest and most talented artists I've had the pleasure of meeting. I didn't even know he had Leukemia. He was only 52. He always seemed happy and healthy. I didn't know Dave that well, but we took a painting class at Associates in Art together. I was shocked to see Dave in a class he easily could have been teaching! He was always learning and looking to take his talent even further which is a hallmark of a great artist. His paintings where gorgeous. After an hour or two, he would have what to my eyes was a finished masterpiece and I had barely finished my lay-in! We always talked at conventions whenever we saw each other. Dave was always inspiring and encouraging. I'm really going to miss that. I'll treasure his art always.
His webmaster offers a great suggestion that I hope you will consider:
For anyone attending the San Diego Comic Con this year, please wear a Rocketeer shirt or pin as a way of remembering Dave at the Con. You don't have to say anything, or do anything, just represent Dave's memory with an image of his best-known creation.
2 comments:
Aaron, is that your helmet? Do you wear it to bed on special occasions?
Maybe you can answer a question about Dave Stevens for me. I wasn't lucky enough to know him as well as a lot of you, so my impression is probably wrong. I always took him as a dour sort of guy. Valarie knew him and we'd always stop to talk to him and he was always nice to her, but maybe it was just me he had a problem with. It was like I was invisible. It's a fact of life that some people just don't like or are intimidated by great big fat people. Perhaps that was it. Or perhaps I simply didn't know him well enough to get to the chatty stage with him.
I was working on staff at First when he sold Rocketeer and I saw him around that time. You'd think his dog just died. Unless he got screwed in the deal, most people I know would have been doing backflips. Am I really super bad at reading people? I try to be likable.
There's no denying that he was a talent that will be greatly missed. I guess that's one thing we can all agree on.
Fred
Fred, I've always found you to likable in an intimidating way.
I didn't really know Dave around the time the Rocketeer movie came out, so I don't know what his feelings were about it. Who knows? I just miss the guy, he was a true legend in the field.
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