A Wealth of Fantasy Through Literature and Art
Ever since I can remember I’ve been reading.
From the early days of being read to, to the early days of reading on my own, to the more mature reading levels attained as an adult, I’ve read hundreds and hundreds of books. My love of books and reading is definitely a genetic/family trait, as all five of my siblings, my parents and other relatives are all power-readers.
Some of the earliest books I remember starting with were Brer Rabbit and the Tar Baby, Mr. Small, The Biggest Bear Ever, The Berenstein Bears, and a host of other assorted kids books. Somewhere along the way I moved into the Hardy Boys, which I devoured for years. Then came Piers Anthony and his “Xanth”, “Apprentice Adept”, and “Incarnations of Immortality” series, followed quickly by all the Dragonlance, Forgotten Realms, Elfquest, and a ton of others. And all throughout my reading, I was always obsessed with comics books, of which I’ve collected in equally disturbing numbers, not to mention the ton of comic collectibles: cards, posters, original illustrations, etc.
Anyway, as I sift through the remaining boxes from my move back to my home state, I’m just amazed at the sheer volume of sci-fi/fantasy I’ve read and most of that before I was even fifteen years old. Around that time or maybe even a few years earlier actually, starting in 6th grade, I began straying over into the horror genre, with the likes of Stephen King, Clive Barker, Anne Rice, and Storm Constantine.
And my own illustrations and other creative outlets clearly show this love affair with fantasy. I have portfolio upon portfolio and sketchbook upon sketchbook of art from early on in elementary school stretching to present day, the majority of which is mostly fantasy oriented.
After reflecting back on all this reading and drawing I’m really taken aback by how much I’ve grown from the kid I used to be and how seemingly easily I left all that behind, in some ways at least. I always thought I’d keep on drawing away and maybe even write my own fantasy novel…perhaps I still will.
One thing I do know though…is that the fantasy never ends: there’s always someone out there doing the dreaming, even if I don’t.
