Dungeons and Dragons Art Review Easley and Parkinson

Part two of my posts dedicated to the oil painters of TSR's the Pit - the Four Greats of Elmore, Easley, Parkinson, and Caldwell. Here I am covering Jeff Easley and Keith Parkinson. As a kid, Parkinson was my favorite after Larry Elmore. I gravitated towards the natural world in many of Parkinson's paintings, especially his trees and dying autumn foliage. Of the four artists, it is important to note that only Parkinson made time to play role playing games, including Dungeons and Dragons. One of the painting's on my list for Parkinson is certainly inspired by playing the game. Keith Parkinson passed away from cancer at a relatively early 47 years of age. Easley I appreciated less because his human figures have less detail and their hair always had a big 1970s feel. Easley was by far the most prolific of the Four Greats, came to TSR's Pit first and left latest. Over time I've grown to appreciate his style far more. His leaves the real word behind and becomes the most magical. His mix of dark and vibrant colors is amazing. 

Jeff Easley's iconic 1983 second cover to the original AD&D Dungeon Master's Guide. 

In my previous post I included the cover to TRR's book The Art of the Advanced Dungeons and Dragons Fantasy Game. That was the book that first gave me real insights into these four oil painters with author/editor Stephanie Tabat providing little vinnettes into each of the artists, while each artist individually contributed a page of writing to their likes, influences, approach to painting, and more. It was fascinating for a teenage kid and made their art feel more approachable and real. The pencil portraits Easley and Parkinson come from that book.  My twin brother and I managed to convince our parents to buy two TSR art books at the same time. Below is the cover to my favorite of the two in terms of subject matter, The Art of the Dragonlance Saga. Unfortunately it had far less to say about the painters themselves. The cover to the book is one of my very favorite Keith Parkinson paintings. 

The Art of the Dragonlance Saga, published in 1987

Jeff Easley 

Top 3 paintings covered in prior posts:

1. The Magister, cover to the 1988 AD&D Forgotten Realms sourcebook 

2. The Wilderness Survival Guide, cover to AD&D source book 

3. Wizard and Dragon - cover to the AD&D 2nd edition Dungeon master's Guide 

Top 3 and an some honorable mentions yet to be covered in this blog:

Honorable Mention: Lords of Darkness, cover to 1988 AD&D Forgotten Realms Accessory