Fantastic Voyages 2

Atop the lionfish rides the regal queen of the sea in this artwork by artist James C. Christensen (1942–2017). This design shows why Christensen’s art, inspired by myth, legend and fantasy, so dazzled his legions of fans. He was renowned not just for his pure imagination, but also for his embrace of curiosity and bravery.

• Original Art: Fantasies of the Sea, by James Christensen
• Era: Contemporary
• Region: Utah, USA

Follow these wondrous and mystical creatures as they blaze their trail through fantastical lands.

Visualised by James C. Christensen, an American artist of religious and fantasy art and a former instructor at Brigham Young University, the work is rich in symbolism.

Christensen was born and raised in Culver City, California, beginning his studies at Santa Monica City College. He later went on to attend UCLA before moving to Utah to finish his higher education at Brigham Young University (BYU). Christensen started oil painting only after he began studying. He would eventually earn a Master of Arts degree from BYU.

After college Christensen began his career as a freelance illustrator. His artwork has been featured on the cover of Leading Edge issue #41, winning him the Chesley Award for cover artwork in 2002. Renowned for his profound and mystical imagery, Christensen’s work has also appeared in the American Illustration Annual and Japan’s Outstanding American Illustrators. He also won all the professional art honours the World Science Fiction Convention offers, and multiple Chesley Awards from the Association of Science Fiction and Fantasy Artists.

James Christensen resided in Orem, Utah, in a house he designed himself that was filled with secret passages and sculptures inspired by his paintings. Though he recently passed away, his spirit and vibrancy live on in his delightfully imaginative artwork.

The depths of the ocean have long been shrouded in mystery – the darkness of the unknown, largely untouched by mankind, it belongs only to the mysterious and fantastical creatures that inhabit it. Visualised in Christensen’s Fantasies of the Sea, rich in colour and complexity, the scene is both a feast to the eyes as it is to the senses.

The curiosity and bravery of the creatures that inhabit the canvas almost jump out at you as they set off in a parade of unity and strength. Where are they are heading? That is up to your imagination!

We hope the bravery and thrill of expedition will fill you as you bring these notebooks on whatever journey you are embarking on, however big or small.

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