My apologies that it has taken me such a long time to acquire this book although I’ve long since heard and seen the utterly mesmerizing art of British artist John Harris. In my eyes his massive scale vistas are just as much awe-inspiring science-fiction art as they are hallucinatory dreamscapes; like impressionistic visions from a half forgotten dream. Perhaps that is why his work is so fascinating, singular and altogether appealing.
I am particular partial to the rough hewn, unfinished aesthetic of his pastel rendering, which in my opinion help to sell and convey the epic sense of scale of his structures and landscapes which would otherwise be lost in a more detailed and polished piece.
Book synopsis – World-renowned visionary artist John Harris’ unique concept paintings capture the Universe on a massive scale, featuring everything from epic landscapes and towering cities to out-of-this-world science fiction vistas.
This collection focuses on his wide variety of futuristic art, as well as his striking covers for a variety of esteemed SF authors, including Arthur C Clarke, John Scalzi, Ben Bova, Hal Clement, Jack McDevitt, Frederik Pohl, Orson Scott Card’s Enders books and many more.
Flipping through the book, there is honestly not a single piece of the artist’s work that I did not marvel at or admire. Highly recommended.
I am also putting the artist’s 2nd publication ‘Into The Blue’ on my wish-list of art books to review in the near future.
“The Art Of John Harris – Beyond The Horizon” art book details :
– Dimensions – 9.29 x 0.67 x 12.5 inches
– Hardcover, 160 pages
– Full color
Buy From Amazon CA | Amazon JP | Amazon UK | Amazon FR | Amazon IT | Amazon DE | Amazon ES
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July 12th, 2025 at 5:36 pm
IIRC the first painting you’re showing was used as the cover of a Psygnosis video game called AWESOME in the 90s. They always did that to sell their games, using cool British sci-fi artworks.
Not that I’m complaining 🙂
July 13th, 2025 at 10:01 am
Are all of the pieces pastel? They have to be pretty huge sheets then, considering the level of fine lines and details, unless he combined it with something like colored pencil, ink pen, or scratch out techniques. Tremendous work at any rate.
July 15th, 2025 at 3:16 pm
Thomas – Oh wow, I had no idea ! I’m sure the appeal of his art definitely helped to move some units. :]
Chris James – Good point, I’m not entirely sure ! I wish there were some photos included of his workspace/atelier and actual pieces so we could see how big they actually were.
July 16th, 2025 at 4:18 am
A grat artist. I warmly suggest to purchase his other artbook “into the blue”, too. Sometimes some books are “one shot” and are never reprinted again, so grab it soon if you can!
It is less inspired than this, but in anycase a great artbook.
July 20th, 2025 at 4:55 am
Cristiano – Oh yes, definitely have my sights set on ‘Into The Blue’, hope to review it in the near future. :]