From the inside of a rundown shack, a yellow stretch of desert is visible through weathered boards. Framed by a polygonal space between boards, the last gunslinger Roland Deschain and his companion Jake Chambers can be seen walking away.
TRIPOD WALKER (2016)
Acrylic on Watercolor Paper - 19" x 13"
Painted on the back of a misprinted Dark Tower image I was using as a mixing palette of mostly white, yellow ocher, and raw umber. The print is on such a fine grade of heavyweight watercolor paper that I was loathe to throw it away. 1/3
A beaked horror treads through hazy clouds of a dusty apocalypse. Black legs, nothing more than bone and ligament, are thrown so far in front in defiance of gravity it may as well be sitting on the blocky slope it descends. It tip toes on a trio of bird-like feet. There's a notch in its beak where nostrils would be, and the remnants of flesh of its victims stretches between jagged serrations.
Bathed in twilight, Roland Deschain stands in a field of red roses that surround a tower of massive girth. With arms crossed, he holds up a big revolver. Fingers wrap the sandalwood grips with noticeable tension on the trigger. Loosely knotted cloth spills from his other wrist, exposing the back of his hand, but not the fingers on his right hand. The cloth is bloody where it wraps over pinky and ring finger as he clutches the stem of a rose. Behind him, a narrow stone path leads through the field, past the faces of fallen statues that stare blankly up to the sky. Steps lead up to a wedge of light marking the tower entrance rendered as if the door is ajar. It's unclear whether the light comes from the chamber within or the flaring sun is shining through from the other side of the tower.
THE GUNSLINGER: THE SLOW MUTANTS (1981)
Acrylic on Watercolor Board - 20” x 15”
I took up the challenge of illustrating this scene illuminated solely by the flash of a gunshot. In so many ways, it was the shot that set the stage for Roland’s epic journey to the Dark Tower. 1/3
In a scene lit only by muzzle flash, a disfigured green humanoid grabs the leg of a boy threatening to pull him off a platform. As the boy Jake turns back, his face is etched in horror. Roland, the last Gunslinger, grabs his arm while simultaneously firing his big revolver. Roland's weight is shifted back so the lines of his arms and legs all parallel drawn out on diagonals to add to the sense of motion. From the set of his square jaw and snarl on his lips to his brow pinched in concentration, Roland's expression is pure grit and determination. His eyes are drawn to murderous beads taking aim at the slack jawed, drooling Slow Mutant.
Viewed from behind, Mordred is caught in transformation between spider and boy. Browning vegetation forms lines in the snow that extend around a single tree with thinning leaves. His clothes are in tatters, exposing his bare legs to the elements as he crosses tundra. A blaze of orange holds his attention, signifying a campfire at the edge of the tree line in the distance. Seven hairy spider limbs extend from his torso with his left arm forming a stub as it becomes the eighth.
Father Callahan, a white haired man with a cross-shaped scar on his forehead, stands atop a table surrounded by vampires and low men. He thrusts his hands upward with a small turtle figurine glowing intensely bright. He is dressed all in black with a pistol tucked in his belt. Bathed in light, his face is etched with determination as his eyes draw to beads. The hideous creatures immediately surrounding him draw back in pain, grasping at their heads in agony with his shouted command. The room behind is lit yellow and orange where a curtain is drawn back and more creatures pile. Above, the light of the turtle radiates in defined white lines that shift the background purple.
THE GUNSLINGER ON THE BEACH (1982)
Acrylic on Board - 28" x 18"
The winter months of 1980-81 were tough. My wife and I became parents with the arrival of our daughter in November, and I needn't tell anyone who has children what that means in terms of lifestyle changes...like lack of sleep. 1/3
Roland Deschain, the last gunslinger, stares contemplatively across the sea as waves gently lap the shore. Footprints can be seen in the damp sand leading to where he sits, pistol unstrapped at his hip and bedroll at his side. The sun hangs low but intense, blazing a line of orange across the horizon. Over a low stretch of wispy clouds, the silhouette of an asymmetrical tower rises dream-like in the sky. Odd projections mark the sides while spires of varying height sit atop the peak like chaotic crenelations.
This interior illustration for The Dark Tower (Book 7) by Stephen King is a scene from a chapter entitled "In the Haze of Green and Gold," which set the tone for the color scheme.
King also described the trees as being like the columns of a cathedral and I endeavored to capture this in the painting.
Close detail from THE CLEARING featuring Roland carrying the body of a boy with a small canine creature following him into the gold and green ancient forest.
THE DARK TOWER: CORNERED (2003) Oil on Panel - 28" x 18"
The water and the drain in the floor, Jake's left hand, the rope, the curl of Oy's tail, and other elements intentionally form the number 9 backwards and forwards.
Interior illustration from THE DARK TOWER VII by Stephen King
Close detail of Oy with its tail curling. It looks like a badger with white and black stripes. Its mouth is open, exposing sharp teeth, and one paw is raised as if about to lunge forward. Water circles the drain in front of him in a reverse of the figure 9.
THE GUNSLINGER FOLLOWED (2005)
Oil on Canvas - 25" x 40"
The second painting based on the famous opening line of The Dark Tower books by Stephen King: "The Man in Black fled across the desert and the Gunslinger followed." 1/3
A determined Roland Deschain trudges across a barren desert landscape painted in yellows. He wears a leather duster with red kerchief around his neck. A pack is slung over his shoulder and his gun belts are crossed at his waist. Sand blows across his path as he walks toward a half buried skull.
A dark robed figure holds four tarot cards—the most prominent among them is the Tower Card—as he is about to flee off panel to the left. He leaves behind him the barren desert. To the side of the path amid dry cracked earth is the KA symbol, a stylized combination of the letters K and A inside a circle.
A ground level view of the Dark Tower across a field of roses. The sun hovers low just behind the tower bathing the sky in gold. Clouds flow in parallel wave-like patterns distorted only by the line beams of light cutting across the sky from the top of the tower. In the immediate foreground, we see a big revolver gripped in someone's—presumably Roland's—left hand. Intricate scrollwork decorates the underside of the barrel. Only his hand and forearm can be see in panel.
THE DARK TOWER: THE LONG ROAD (2009)
Acrylic - 30 1/2" x 22"
I've revisited the Dark Tower many times in my career and with each trip to Mid-World I find myself a little farther down the road in my own journey. 1/3
Roland Deschain—tiny in perspective even in the immediate foreground—trudges down a dusty road across empty scrubland. Low mountains give way to sunset sky tinted orange and a bank of clouds. Tentdrils of cloud wrap behind a smooth tower that shows no signs of being anchored to the ground. From the tall thin crenelations at the top, thin bright beams of light shoot outward at 90 degree angles.
GUNSLINGER '88 ROLAND (1988)
Acrylic on Watercolor Board - 30" x 20"
I was asked to do a cover for the trade paperback edition of THE GUNSLINGER by Stephen King. I'd done the dust jacket and all the interior illustrations for the limited edition, but this was the first mass market edition. 1/4
Roland, the last Gunslinger, stands with one hand in the pocket of his leather duster and the other gripping the gun belt crossed at his waist. He wears a red silky kerchief around his neck. His dark hair is blown and his skin tanned from his trek through the desert, but his posture is stoic and his gaze determined as he peers off frame left. A raven, facing the opposite direction, spreads its wings as it perches on his shoulder. The silhouette of the Tower looms tall behind him set against a mustard sky. The sun blazes low in the sky as seen through an opening at the base of the Tower.
LEGENDS: THE GUNSLINGER (1998/2000)
Acrylic on Watercolor Board - 36" x 24"
Stephen King doesn't describe the tower in the early books of the Dark Tower series, but many of the main characters experience dream visions of the object of their quest. 1/3
Viewed from behind, Roland Deschain in a cowboy hat and tattered leather duster steps through an open doorway that hovers impossibly a foot off the ground. A gun is holstered on his left hip. On close examination, the index and middle finger of his right hand are shortened to stubs. At his feet lies a verdant thicket dotted with red roses and littered with human skulls. Straddling the doorway, the Gunslinger stands in awe of a massive, asymmetrical tower so tall that it blocks the sun. Traces of cloud sweep across the field of view and up the height of the tower, creating a hazy atmospheric effect that obscures the detail of the structure. Ravens circle the field just above the horizon. A pair are settled atop the upper left of the door. Another perches on a skull in the lower right.
This was originally created for a title page in THE LITTLE SISTERS OF ELURIA. I left the area under the gate blank for the title lettering, and later it seemed the perfect entry point for Roland. 1/2
Roland as seen mounted on a horse through an open gate with ornate ironwork above that features a stylized cross surrounded by flourishes. The low wall and curve over the gate suggests the style of a Spanish mission. The texture of the wall is smooth as if plastered over but shows mortar lines in the longer section to the left. Untended, plants are growing up the wall suggesting a desolate location. On the right, a mess of bloody handprints hint that there might be more horrors waiting inside the gate. The painting is limited to earthy tones with the immediate foreground incompletely rendered scrub grass with white showing through at the immediate edge. The sky is unfinished with the silhouette of birds (raven or crow) soaring as if scouting for carrion.
Close detail from THE TOWER CARD featuring the Man in Black presenting a tarot card. Beneath the folds of his hooded robe, one eye falls completely in shadow while the other is a yellow ring punctuated by a red. His mouth is turned up in a rictus exposing pointed teeth as he holds up a card labeled with the Roman numeral 19. The picture is of a tower with sweeping winds around it and a rose prominently set in front.
THE DARK TOWER: MORDRED (2003)
Oil on Panel - 28" x 18"
Painted for the most part during cold winter nights in Connecticut. I had no trouble visualizing the bitter chill of a frosty snow covered landscape...I just had to step outside for inspiration. 1/3
Mordred trudges forward over a snowy desolate landscape backed by blue arctic skies. A line of orange energy crackles up his body, branching out as he's caught mid-transformation. Half of him is human while the other half sprouts spider legs.
A solitary figure sits atop a throne made entirely of skulls. His hands are the only features not obscured by shadow or the flowing crimson of his hooded cloak, which spills down the raised dais. Candles set on each arm of the throne melt over the inset skulls. A wisp of smoke trails from one. On the floor lie several bodies. One man died clutching his throat. A woman in a white gown lies awkwardly on one hip while her arm extends behind her where she fell. An empty chalice lies on its side.
THE GUNSLINGER: OUTSIDE ELURIA (2005 / 2019)
Acrylic - 20" x 30"
Every time I think I'm 'done' with the universe of the Dark Tower I get called back again...and I go, eager to see if I can hit closer to the mark this time. 1/2
A dusty path through scrubland winds back to a town squatting on the horizon. The full moon hangs over it as birds circle ominously in silhouette. On the low, desiccated branch of a deformed tree, a gristled and road weary Roland stands to get a better view of what lies ahead. The trunk that supports him barely climbs above ground; it looks more like a driftwood arch than anything resembling a tree. The horse tethered to it glances opposite into the soft light of the setting sun. Lavender shadow falls across the tall butte that runs behind them.