Brush with Passion: the Art and Life of Dave Stevens

The long awaited book on the life and work of Dave Stevens is finally out. Two of three editons are available,, the trade and exclusive collectors edition are still out there... The leather bound 200 copies edition is sold out.
You can check them out on Ebay and Bud Plant.... A truly amazing book!!!!
Rest in Peace Dave.... You are truly missed!!!!

What is your favorite illustration??? If you could own just one original what would it be????? For me it would be either Crossfire #12 Cover (page 163) or Jonny Quest #5 (page 147)

Gotta check that out at Jim Hanley's.
..

I had put an order in for the deluxe version with Bud Plant but received a "back ordered" message so I doubt if I'll get it.

I'm very fond of the Sheena 3D cover. I only managed to get Dave to sketch in a couple of copies of the Graphitti Rocketeer S/N - never could talk him into doing a sketch for me in my sketchbook. I do have most of the posters he would sell at his booth in San Diego signed as well as a stack of comics. He was one of my favorites and will be sorely missed.

I agree...I really like that Sheena cover.

The first San Diego con I went to ('89 or thereabouts) I was with a couple guys, one of whom knew Dave Stevens and did a little work with him.
At one point, Dave came up to us and said, "Hey want to go to a strip club?"
This idea appealed to me on all kinds of levels...but the guys I was with declined and Dave wandered off.

That's as close as I come to having a Dave Stevens story...

My deleted message was one going off on a tangent of a famous comic guy (not Dave Stevens) and a stripper.
After thinking about it, it seemed kind of questionable in a thread about Dave, his art and his untimely passing...

Don't know if you guys know of Bill Wray. He worked on Ren & Stimpy -it's possible you might know him for Hellboy Jr. Anyway, apparently he and Dave Stevens were buds at one time, at he wrote a very nice tribute on his blog (scroll down to the middle of the page)-worth reading. He's an interesting landscape painter now:

http://williamwray.blogspot.com/2008_03_01_archive.html

I just found a vendor that can get the ultra limited/signed leather bound editon (200 copies).. It will run $195 if anyone is interested.....

illustrationfan - I'm interested - can you send me the info in a private message?

I've met with and talked to Bill Wray on a number of occasions - nice guy (the first time I met him he had Peter Alvonzino with him - another R&S illustrator who graciously did a small but funny sketch in one of my books). Reading that piece by Bill made me remember quite a few encounters with Dave over the years - sadly the last time I spoke with him I mentioned to Bob Burden that Dave wasn't looking too good - that's when I heard he was sick but wasn't given the details. He mostly just seemed out of it but I think that was the drugs and side-effects.

This book is absolutely fantastic, I can't recommend it highly enough!
I can't really narrow down one favorite illustration.

I got a little misty seeing Bill Stout's tribute artwork and reading about Arnie Fenner and Bill crying at the SDCC tribute panel. Unfortunately, I never got to meet Dave.

Don't pass this book up; it's a must-have.

It was sad last SDCC as I sat with W. Stout in his booth... It felt quite empty because they always shared space together... it was that way for many years at the SDCC. Bill had the original tribute to Stevens framed and for sale... I almost bought that illustration... I think it was 3-5K....

On another note... you can view Dave's gravestone at findagrave.com at:
http://www.findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg.cgi?page=pis&GRid=29121253&PIgrid=2...;

His company logo is on it... "E Slurpus Lickum" Art for Arf sake....

RIP my friend.......

Update on the signed hardcover - got an email from Bud Plant today that it had shipped.

Very cool JohnnyApollo.. I'll have to contact Stuart and see what his status is...... Let me know when you get the book... and your thoughts on it..

I received my copy yesterday - it's fantastic. Much better than I had imagined - the print quality and overall binding was beyond my expectations. Mine came with a letter set-in explaining that the original edition was supposed to be of 800 s/n and 100 s/l copies but due to Dave's declining health only 235 s/n and 50 unsigned copies (for Dave's family) were produced. I have copy 198 and feel very fortunate to have obtained one.

Reading the book is very poignant - there are many photos of Dave and many references to his influences growing up with accompanying commentary, some new written for this edition and some pieced together from previous interviews as the volume was in-process up until his untimely death. It's obvious how well regarded the man was as both an artist and individual. I got choked up reading...

Congrats johnnyapollo.... and thanks for sharing. I need to give Stuart a jingle and see what his status is..... I know you would never sell.. but I could just imagine the "demand" cost of the signed book in a year from now.

It's tough to say what it'll be worth - I know when I bought my Land of Enchantment copy of "A Look Back" I paid about $150 for it around 1985 or so - I think it was published at $100 which was a lot back then and had a similar limitation at 250 S/N copies - I now wish I had also gotten the regular hardcover trade as it was selling in the $30-50 range. While the Brush book is of similar quality, it has about half the content - I couldn't imagine what "A Look Back" would sell for now (the reprint in S/N sold for $250 didn't it? Or was it $350? I'm not sure if it sold that quickly, especially with it being a second edition). I try not to think too much about the investment part of it (except to use the inflated prices as a rationale for the up-front expense) and just buy when I can.

I just put one on hold through interlibrary loan. I won't be able to keep it, but it'll be wonderful to look through.

You'll love it.