Artwork Publications 1967-1999

Artwork Publications 1967-1999

The Imagination Machine print [self-published] CygnusXPress 1967
Sir Modred Courtier Fine Arts [greetings card] Courtier Fine Arts 1968
The Man Who Built The Pyramids I Courtier Fine Arts [greetings card] Courtier Fine Arts 1968
The Man Who Built The Pyramids II Courtier Fine Arts [greetings card] Courtier Fine Arts 1968
The Priestess Courtier Fine Arts [greetings card] Courtier Fine Arts 1968
The Sorcerer Courtier Fine Arts [greetings card] Courtier Fine Arts 1968
Sun And Moon Cross Section An Exhibition Of Painting [catalogue] cover art (CTHS version) CTHS 1968
Concerto For Cootie Books On Jazz [booklet] cover art (CPL final version) CPL 1972
Nocturne Boogie Woogie Books On Jazz [booklet] cover art (CPL final version) CPL 1972
And There Fell A Great Star Sothis A Magazine Of The New Aeon Vol II No II AN LXXIII Sothis 1977
La Destruction II Sothis A Magazine Of The New Aeon Vol II No II AN LXXIII Sothis 1977
Crystal Memoire (Wings Of Midnight) The New Equinox Vol 4 No 1 May 1979 Morton Press 1979
Rictus Sardonicus VI Le Pendu The New Equinox Vol 4 No 1 May 1979 Morton Press 1979
The Great Forest The Daath Papers No 2 Autumn 1980 The Order Of The Serpent 1980
Orthogenesis I Hermetic Art 1/2 [cream] CygnusXPress 1981
Orthogenesis I Hermetic Art 2/2 [grey] CygnusXPress 1981
Bride I The New Equinox Vol 5 Part 3 February 1981 Kaaba Publications 1981
Le Pendu Stride 6 Nov 1982 Stride Publications 1982
Orthogenesis I Stride 6 Nov 1982 Stride Publications 1982
Silence Stride 6 Nov 1982 Stride Publications 1982
The Tower Stride 6 Nov 1982 Stride Publications 1982
Rictus Sardonicus (Proto-Sardonicus) CJCM Vol 1 Issue 5 (Rites Of The Feather) 1983 Conquering Child Publishing 1983
Rictus Sardonicus VIII Deams CJCM Vol 1 Issue 5 (Rites Of The Feather) 1983 Conquering Child Publishing 1983
Rictus Sardonicus XIII Rex (Rictus Sarcasmus) CJCM Vol 1 Issue 5 (Rites Of The Feather) 1983 Conquering Child Publishing 1983
Deadly Nightshards Stride 10 July 1983 Stride Publications 1983
Occultation Stride 10 July 1983 Stride Publications 1983
The Angel Of The Exosphere Stride 10 July 1983 Stride Publications 1983
Transept Stride 10 July 1983 Stride Publications 1983
A Way Of Looking (Une Etoile) II Stride 12 Nov 1983 Stride Publications 1983
Bacchanalia (Beastial Virgin) Stride 12 Nov 1983 Stride Publications 1983
Bride II Stride 12 Nov 1983 Stride Publications 1983
Horus II Stride 12 Nov 1983 Stride Publications 1983
Eironeia Fantastica Stride 9 May 1983 Stride Publications 1983
Rebirth Control I Stride 9 May 1983 Stride Publications 1983
The Dancer Stride 9 May 1983 Stride Publications 1983
Stigma II Velocities A Magazine Of Speculative Poetry 3 Fall/Winter 1983 1983
Alien City Velocities A Magazine Of Speculative Poetry 3 Fall-Winter 1983 1983
Double Meaning Blink (Step 23) Stride Publications 1984
Mist Soul Blink (Step 23) Stride Publications 1984
Resident Aliens Blink (Step 23) Stride Publications 1984
The Way Of All Flesh II Body And Soul Blink (Step 23) cover art Stride Publications 1984
Le Grand Grimoire I Dark Horizons No 27 Summer 1984 British Fantasy Society 1984
The Astral Widow Dark Horizons No 27 Summer 1984 British Fantasy Society 1984
Crystal Memoire (Wings Of Midnight) Exosphere (Step 24) Stride Publications 1984
Destruction II (The Extraordinary Question) Exosphere (Step 24) Stride Publications 1984
Eironeia Fantastica Exosphere (Step 24) Stride Publications 1984
Horus Exosphere (Step 24) Stride Publications 1984
In The Cathedral (Xezbeth) Exosphere (Step 24) Stride Publications 1984
Mercurius (Grotesque Head) Exosphere (Step 24) Stride Publications 1984
Night-Lights Exosphere (Step 24) Stride Publications 1984
Orthogenesis I Exosphere (Step 24) Stride Publications 1984
Perihelion (The Next Absolute Horizon) Exosphere (Step 24) Stride Publications 1984
Rebirth Control I Exosphere (Step 24) Stride Publications 1984
Rictus Sardonicus VI Le Pendu Exosphere (Step 24) Stride Publications 1984
Silence I Exosphere (Step 24) Stride Publications 1984
Silence III (The Venus Trap) Exosphere (Step 24) Stride Publications 1984
Sphinx Exosphere (Step 24) Stride Publications 1984
Stigma II Exosphere (Step 24) Stride Publications 1984
The Abstainers (The Tapestry Of Life) Exosphere (Step 24) Stride Publications 1984
The Anatomy Lesson Of Dr Crow Exosphere (Step 24) Stride Publications 1984
The Angel Of The Exosphere Exosphere (Step 24) Stride Publications 1984
The Astral Widow Exosphere (Step 24) Stride Publications 1984
The Glare Grows Alarming (Vampfires) Exosphere (Step 24) Stride Publications 1984
The Vectors Of Hate Exosphere (Step 24) Stride Publications 1984
Tower (The Churches Of The Earth) Exosphere (Step 24) Stride Publications 1984
Tower Of Silence (Prying Eyes) Exosphere (Step 24) Stride Publications 1984
Orthogenesis I Exosphere (Step 24) [booklet] cover art (Stride final version I) [col] Stride Publications 1984
The Angel Of The Exosphere Exosphere (Step 24) [booklet] cover art (Stride final version I) [col] Stride Publications 1984
Orthogenesis I Exosphere (Step 24) [booklet] cover art (Stride final version II) [b/w] Stride Publications 1984
The Angel Of The Exosphere Exosphere (Step 24) [booklet] cover art (Stride final version II) [b/w] Stride Publications 1984
Nuigh Exosphere (Step 24) [leaflet] Stride Publications 1984
The Angel Of The Exosphere Exosphere (Step 24) [leaflet] Stride Publications 1984
Orthogenesis I Exosphere (Step 24) [postcard] Stride Publications 1984
The Angel Of The Exosphere Exosphere (Step 24) [postcard] Stride Publications 1984
From Another Star (The Glare Grows Alarming) Formaos Vol 1 No 2 July 1984 Sothis Publishing 1984
Mercurius (Grotesque Head) Formaos Vol 1 No 2 July 1984 Sothis Publishing 1984
The Abstainers (The Tapestry Of Life) Formaos Vol 1 No 2 July 1984 Sothis Publishing 1984
Double Meaning Formaos Vol 1 No 3 Dec 1984 Sothis Publishing 1984
Horus I Formaos Vol 1 No 3 Dec 1984 Sothis Publishing 1984
The First Day (Aratron) Illuminatus Monthly Vol 1 No 1 Feb 1984 The Illuminati Press 1984
Azimuth I Stride 13 January 1984 Stride Publications 1984
Le Grand Grimoire I Stride 13 January 1984 Stride Publications 1984
The Anatomy Lesson Of Dr Crow Stride 13 January 1984 Stride Publications 1984
The Cathedral Of The Future Stride 13 January 1984 Stride Publications 1984
Familiar Spirits Stride 15 May 1684 Stride Publications 1984
Venus And Mars Stride 15 May 1684 Stride Publications 1984
Alien Necropolis (Await Developments) Stride 15 May 1984 Stride Publications 1984
Melpomene I Stride 17/18 Autumn 1984 Stride Publications 1984
Metacropolis Stride 17/18 Autumn 1984 Stride Publications 1984
Saint (Head Of A Saint) Stride 17/18 Autumn 1984 Stride Publications 1984
Satanic Planets Stride 17/18 Autumn 1984 Stride Publications 1984
The Fall Stride 17/18 Autumn 1984 Stride Publications 1984
And There Fell A Great Star Stride 19 Winter 1984/1985 Stride Publications 1984
Death Stride 19 Winter 1984/1985 Stride Publications 1984
Nuigh Stride 19 Winter 1984/1985 Stride Publications 1984
Stigma III Stride 19 Winter 1984/1985 Stride Publications 1984
Tzeth Stride 19 Winter 1984/1985 Stride Publications 1984
Vectors Of Love Stride 19 Winter 1984/1985 Stride Publications 1984
Tzeth Stride 19 Winter 1984/1985 [postcard] Stride Publications 1984
And There Fell A Great Star Stride 19 Winter 1984/1985 cover art Stride Publications 1984
Tzeth Stride 19 Winter 1984/1985 cover art Stride Publications 1984
The First Day (Aratron) The Fellowship Of The Illuminati [notepaper] The Illuminati Press 1984
The Angel Of The Exosphere Centre Of Gravity C60 (Step 50) [booklet] Stride Publications 1985
Centre Of Gravity Centre Of Gravity C60 (Step 50) [booklet] cover art 1/2 Stride Publications 1985
Centre Of Gravity Centre Of Gravity C60 (Step 50) [booklet] cover art 2/2 Stride Publications 1985
The Way Of All Flesh I The Crypt Centre Of Gravity C60 (Step 50) [inlay card] Stride Publications 1985
Centre Of Gravity Centre Of Gravity C60 (Step 50) [postcard] Stride Publications 1985
Alien City Decaying Orbits (Step 84) Stride Publications 1985
Apastron Decaying Orbits (Step 84) Stride Publications 1985
Artaud, 1946 Decaying Orbits (Step 84) Stride Publications 1985
Decaying Orbits Decaying Orbits (Step 84) Stride Publications 1985
Eros Klastos Decaying Orbits (Step 84) Stride Publications 1985
Leonardo’s Wall I Decaying Orbits (Step 84) Stride Publications 1985
Neogenesis Decaying Orbits (Step 84) Stride Publications 1985
Occultation Decaying Orbits (Step 84) Stride Publications 1985
Orthogenesis II Decaying Orbits (Step 84) Stride Publications 1985
Poet (Fixation) Decaying Orbits (Step 84) Stride Publications 1985
Rictus Sardonicus XIV Death (Ghosts) Decaying Orbits (Step 84) Stride Publications 1985
Stigma I Decaying Orbits (Step 84) Stride Publications 1985
Stigma III Decaying Orbits (Step 84) Stride Publications 1985
The Circuits Of Nox Decaying Orbits (Step 84) Stride Publications 1985
The City As I Saw It Decaying Orbits (Step 84) Stride Publications 1985
The Fall Decaying Orbits (Step 84) Stride Publications 1985
The Question Decaying Orbits (Step 84) Stride Publications 1985
The Vectors Of Love Decaying Orbits (Step 84) Stride Publications 1985
We Do Not Speak Decaying Orbits (Step 84) Stride Publications 1985
Zenith Decaying Orbits (Step 84) Stride Publications 1985
Crypt Variations I Decaying Orbits (Step 84) [booklet] cover art (Stride final version) Stride Publications 1985
Atavism I Stride 20 Spring 1985 Stride Publications 1985
Calligraphic Automata Stride 20 Spring 1985 Stride Publications 1985
Orphic Narcissus Stride 20 Spring 1985 Stride Publications 1985
The First Day (Aratron) Stride 20 Spring 1985 Stride Publications 1985
The Heavenly Host Stride 20 Spring 1985 Stride Publications 1985
The Question Of Identity Stride 20 Spring 1985 Stride Publications 1985
Contact Zero 04 Flesh Eating Beasts Stride 21 Summer 1985 Stride Publications 1985
Contact Zero 05 The Rattlesnake Pit Organ Stride 21 Summer 1985 Stride Publications 1985
Life On Neogaea Stride 21 Summer 1985 Stride Publications 1985
Outcast Stride 21 Summer 1985 Stride Publications 1985
Styx Insect III (Social Symbioses On Neogaea) Stride 21 Summer 1985 Stride Publications 1985
Unidentified Sources (Inspiration is Sweeter Than Death I) Stride 21 Summer 1985 Stride Publications 1985
Life On Neogaea Stride Postcards [bronze] Stride Publications 1985
Orphic Narcissus Stride Postcards [bronze] Stride Publications 1985
Styx Insect III (Social Symbioses On Neogaea) Stride Postcards [bronze] Stride Publications 1985
The First Day (Aratron) Stride Postcards [bronze] Stride Publications 1985
Metacropolis Stride Postcards [grey] Stride Publications 1985
Outcast Stride Postcards [grey] Stride Publications 1985
Satanic Planets Stride Postcards [grey] Stride Publications 1985
The Fall Stride Postcards [grey] Stride Publications 1985
Atavism I Fisheye No 5 Winter 1986 1986
Eyes Fisheye No 5 Winter 1986 1986
Leonardo’s Wall I Fisheye No 5 Winter 1986 1986
Narthex (The Reliquary) Fisheye No 5 Winter 1986 1986
Saint (Head Of A Saint) Fisheye No 5 Winter 1986 1986
The Cathedral Of Silence (Eros Klastos) Fisheye No 5 Winter 1986 1986
The Cathedral Of The Past Fisheye No 5 Winter 1986 1986
The Hanged Man (Le Pendu) II Fisheye No 5 Winter 1986 1986
Atavism I Nox The Magazine Of The Abyss Vol 1 No 1 Issue 1 Apr 1986 Disrupters Press 1986
The Hanged Man (Le Pendu) II Nox The Magazine Of The Abyss Vol 1 No 2 Issue 2 Apr 1986 cover art Disrupters Press 1986
His Shadow Lives On II (But His Spirit Lives On) Nox The Magazine Of The Abyss Vol 1 No 2 Issue 2 Aug 1986 Disrupters Press 1986
Le Grand Grimoire I Nox The Magazine Of The Abyss Vol 1 No 2 Issue 2 Aug 1986 Disrupters Press 1986
Melpomene I Nox The Magazine Of The Abyss Vol 1 No 2 Issue 2 Aug 1986 Disrupters Press 1986
Anorexia Nirvana Nox The Magazine Of The Abyss Vol 1 No 3 Issue 3 Nov 1986 Disrupters Press 1986
Melpomene I Nox The Magazine Of The Abyss Vol 1 No 3 Issue 3 Nov 1986 Disrupters Press 1986
Aethyr XVII Les Oiseaux de Nox The Magazine Of The Abyss Nox The Magazine Of The Abyss Vol 1 No 3 Issue 3 Nov 1986 cover art Disrupters Press 1986
Angel With Raiding Party Stride 23 Spring 1986 Stride Publications 1986
Splintered Avatar Stride 23 Spring 1986 Stride Publications 1986
The Cathedral Of The Damned Stride 23 Spring 1986 Stride Publications 1986
The Question Stride 23 Spring 1986 Stride Publications 1986
Unknown Superior Stride 23 Spring 1986 Stride Publications 1986
Contact Zero 01 Contact Zero (title) Stride 24/25 The Serendipity Caper Summer 1986 Stride Publications 1986
Contact Zero 02 Random 1/Random 2 1/2 Stride 24/25 The Serendipity Caper Summer 1986 Stride Publications 1986
Contact Zero 03 Random 1/Random 2 2/2 Stride 24/25 The Serendipity Caper Summer 1986 Stride Publications 1986
Contact Zero 04 Flesh Eating Beasts Stride 24/25 The Serendipity Caper Summer 1986 Stride Publications 1986
Contact Zero 05 The Rattlesnake Pit Organ Stride 24/25 The Serendipity Caper Summer 1986 Stride Publications 1986
Contact Zero 06 Target Envisaged Image Stride 24/25 The Serendipity Caper Summer 1986 Stride Publications 1986
Contact Zero 07 Inside The Pit Membrane Stride 24/25 The Serendipity Caper Summer 1986 Stride Publications 1986
Contact Zero 08 Reading Writing And What? Stride 24/25 The Serendipity Caper Summer 1986 Stride Publications 1986
Contact Zero 09 Realism Theory And Practice Stride 24/25 The Serendipity Caper Summer 1986 Stride Publications 1986
Contact Zero 10 Chimaera Obscura Stride 24/25 The Serendipity Caper Summer 1986 Stride Publications 1986
Contact Zero 11 Not So Far Stride 24/25 The Serendipity Caper Summer 1986 Stride Publications 1986
Contact Zero 12 The Membrane Intercepts Stride 24/25 The Serendipity Caper Summer 1986 Stride Publications 1986
The Neo Nova Stride 24/25 The Serendipity Caper Summer 1986 Stride Publications 1986
Satanic Planets Formaos Vol 1 No 5 Mar 1987 Sothis Publishing 1987
Aethyr VII Aethyr Of Purity Nox The Magazine Of The Abyss Vol 1 No 4 Issue 4 Mar 1987 Disrupters Press 1987
Styx Insect III (Social Symbioses On Neogaea) Nox The Magazine Of The Abyss Vol 1 No 4 Issue 4 Mar 1987 Disrupters Press 1987
Visions Nox The Magazine Of The Abyss Vol 1 No 4 Issue 4 Mar 1987 Disrupters Press 1987
Orphic Narcissus II Nox The Magazine Of The Abyss Vol 2 No 1 Issue 5 July 1987 Disrupters Press 1987
Enclosed Stride 27 July 1987 Stride Publications 1987
Fear Of Silence Stride 27 July 1987 Stride Publications 1987
Illusion Of Death I Stride 27 July 1987 Stride Publications 1987
Illusion Of Death II Stride 27 July 1987 Stride Publications 1987
Melpomene II Stride 27 July 1987 Stride Publications 1987
Night And Day Stride 27 July 1987 Stride Publications 1987
Temptation Of St Sebastian Stride 27 July 1987 Stride Publications 1987
The Eye Of The Storm Stride 27 July 1987 Stride Publications 1987
The Pylons Of Nox Stride 27 July 1987 Stride Publications 1987
Unidentified Sources (Inspiration is Sweeter Than Death I) Chaos International 4 Mar 1988 BM Sorcery 1988
Zenith Nox The Magazine Of The Abyss Vol 2 No 2 Issue 6 Aug 1988 Longship Warrior 1988
Stargate Vision IV (Mortal Coil) Chain Lightning Apparitions Press 1989
Stargate Vision V (Sea Eyes Of The Starfish) Chain Lightning Apparitions Press 1989
Stargate Wavelength II (No Man's Land) Chain Lightning Apparitions Press 1989
Temporal Implosion III (Star War Level) Chain Lightning Apparitions Press 1989
Temporal Implosion IV (Another Stargate/Another Room) Chain Lightning Apparitions Press 1989
The Eye Of Time IV (Some Other Star) Chain Lightning Apparitions Press 1989
The Stargate Question I (The Last Dimension) Chain Lightning Apparitions Press 1989
The Stargate Question IX (Hide These Commandments) Chain Lightning Apparitions Press 1989
The Stargate Question VIII (Life Is So Cheap On Mars) Chain Lightning Apparitions Press 1989
The Stargate Question X (The Grave Of Space) Chain Lightning Apparitions Press 1989
Double Meaning Memes Issue 1 August 1989 1989
Horus II Memes Issue 1 August 1989 1989
Venus And Mars Memes Issue 1 August 1989 1989
Beyond The Exosphere Memes Issue 2 December 1989 1989
The Cathedral Of The Past Memes Issue 2 December 1989 1989
Atavism II Stride 32 Spring/Summer 1989 Stride Publications 1989
Hypnos II Stride 32 Spring/Summer 1989 Stride Publications 1989
Isotope Of Mirror Stride 32 Spring/Summer 1989 Stride Publications 1989
Loss Of Faith Stride 32 Spring/Summer 1989 Stride Publications 1989
Now Is The Time Stride 32 Spring/Summer 1989 Stride Publications 1989
The City As I Saw It Stride 32 Spring/Summer 1989 Stride Publications 1989
The Impossible Stride 32 Spring/Summer 1989 Stride Publications 1989
The Power Of Thought Stride 32 Spring/Summer 1989 Stride Publications 1989
In The Cathedral (Xezbeth) Fractured Issue No 1 Winter 1990 1990
The Anatomy Lesson Of Dr Crow Fractured Issue No 1 Winter 1990 1990
Orpheus I Memes Issue 3 Mar 1990 1990
Decaying Orbits Nox The Magazine Of The Abyss Vol 2 No 3 Issue 7 Jan 1990 Longship Warrior 1990
Inspiration Is Sweeter Than Death Nox The Magazine Of The Abyss Vol 2 No 3 Issue 7 Jan 1990 Longship Warrior 1990
Unidentified Sources (Inspiration is Sweeter Than Death I) Zeitgeist cover art Dragonheart Press 1990
Resident Aliens Fractured Issue No 2 Spriing 1991 1991
Outcast Fractured Issue No 3 Summer 1991 1991
Triptych (The Abyss) 2 Abyss Of The City Fractured Issue No 3 Summer 1991 1991
Rictus Sardonicus XVIII The Cathedral Memes Issue 5 May 1991 1991
Triptych (The Abyss) 2 Abyss Of The City Memes Issue 5 May 1991 1991
Triptych (The Abyss) 3 Islands Of Time Memes Issue 5 May 1991 1991
The Heart Is The Eye Beyond Self Sad Isn't The Colour Of The Dream cover art Stride Publications 1991
Angel With Raiding Party Chimaera Obscura The Phlebas Press 1992
Atavism II Chimaera Obscura The Phlebas Press 1992
Azimuth Chimaera Obscura The Phlebas Press 1992
Enclosed Chimaera Obscura The Phlebas Press 1992
Hermetic Symbols I Chimaera Obscura The Phlebas Press 1992
Hermetic Symbols III Chimaera Obscura The Phlebas Press 1992
Illusion Of Life Chimaera Obscura The Phlebas Press 1992
Impulse VII (Within the Glass) Chimaera Obscura The Phlebas Press 1992
Impulse X Impulse Y Chimaera Obscura The Phlebas Press 1992
In The Madhouse Chimaera Obscura The Phlebas Press 1992
Message From Entity X Chimaera Obscura The Phlebas Press 1992
Misnomer Chimaera Obscura The Phlebas Press 1992
Parallel Icon Chimaera Obscura The Phlebas Press 1992
Spectral Waves Chimaera Obscura The Phlebas Press 1992
Splintered Avatar Chimaera Obscura The Phlebas Press 1992
Starry Night Chimaera Obscura The Phlebas Press 1992
The Cathedral Of The Damned Chimaera Obscura The Phlebas Press 1992
The Sceptre Chimaera Obscura The Phlebas Press 1992
The Way Of All Flesh II Body And Soul Chimaera Obscura The Phlebas Press 1992
Triptych (The Abyss) 1 Mystic Flower (Inflorescence) Chimaera Obscura The Phlebas Press 1992
Triptych (The Abyss) 2 Abyss Of The City Chimaera Obscura The Phlebas Press 1992
Tzeth Chimaera Obscura The Phlebas Press 1992
Apocynthion Memes Issue 7 June 1992 1992
Tinguely Cathedral Memes Issue 7 June 1992 cover art 1992
Atavism I 10th Muse No 4 Oct 1993 1993
Azimuth I 10th Muse No 4 Oct 1993 1993
Bride II 10th Muse No 4 Oct 1993 1993
Eyes 10th Muse No 4 Oct 1993 1993
Leonardo’s Wall I 10th Muse No 4 Oct 1993 1993
The Hanged Man (Le Pendu) II 10th Muse No 4 Oct 1993 1993
Triptych (The Abyss) 1 Mystic Flower (Inflorescence) 10th Muse No 4 Oct 1993 1993
Between Alien Worlds Between Alien Worlds The Trombone Press 1993
Ruins In Time Between Alien Worlds The Trombone Press 1993
The Mask Between Alien Worlds The Trombone Press 1993
The Sky Belongs To Us Between Alien Worlds The Trombone Press 1993
The Wrong World Between Alien Worlds The Trombone Press 1993
This Alien World Between Alien Worlds The Trombone Press 1993
The Astral Night The Xantras [booklet] cover art The Trombone Press 1993
Le Grand Grimoire II Memes Issue 9 Apr 1994 1994
Totem II Terrible Work [leaflet] 1/3 Spineless Press 1994
Totem II Terrible Work [leaflet] 2/3 Spineless Press 1994
Totem II Terrible Work [leaflet] 3/3 Spineless Press 1994
Anorexia Nirvana Terrible Work 3 Spring 1994 Spineless Press 1994
Nykticorax (detail) Terrible Work 3 Spring 1994 Spineless Press 1994
Rebirth Control II Terrible Work 3 Spring 1994 Spineless Press 1994
Dream Of Stone The Inscrutable World The Trombone Press 1995
Haunted Landscape The Inscrutable World The Trombone Press 1995
Inscrutable World The Inscrutable World The Trombone Press 1995
Leonardo’s Wall I The Inscrutable World The Trombone Press 1995
Mystic Landscape The Inscrutable World The Trombone Press 1995
Another Great Wave I Zones Of Impulse The Trombone Press 1995
Dangerous Skies III (Luna Corona) Zones Of Impulse The Trombone Press 1995
Flaming World Zones Of Impulse The Trombone Press 1995
Guardian Of The Sun Zones Of Impulse The Trombone Press 1995
Hermetic Space I (This Very Night) Zones Of Impulse The Trombone Press 1995
Impulse Zone Zones Of Impulse The Trombone Press 1995
Seismic Domain Zones Of Impulse The Trombone Press 1995
The Citadel Of Doubt Zones Of Impulse The Trombone Press 1995
The Citadel Of Solitude Zones Of Impulse The Trombone Press 1995
The Inner Eye Zones Of Impulse The Trombone Press 1995
The View From Planet X Zones Of Impulse The Trombone Press 1995
Externity Forver Process Angles Of Incidence 19th Phase Lung Gom Press 1996
Internal Reality Trespasses cover art The Trombone Press 1996
Winter World II Desire cover art Stride Publications 1997
Angel With Raiding Party Space Opera Stride Publications 1997
Centre Of Gravity Space Opera Stride Publications 1997
Life On Neogaea Space Opera Stride Publications 1997
The Neo Nova Space Opera Stride Publications 1997
The Question Space Opera Stride Publications 1997
The Scene Of The Crime Space Opera Stride Publications 1997
Worker Display Arena Space Opera Stride Publications 1997
Life On Neogaea Space Opera cover art Stride Publications 1997
Le Grand Grimoire II Dark Fantasy Newsletter No 4 Apr 1999 cover art Springbeach Press 1999
Demon Inversus Death's Door Springbeach Press 1999
Luminous Shadow IV Damned In Three Worlds Death's Door Springbeach Press 1999
The Elastic Mirror Death's Door Springbeach Press 1999
Vortex Creature II Sci-Fright No 1 Feb/Mar 1999 Springbeach Press 1999
Dangerous Skies I Sci-Fright No 5 Nov 1999 Springbeach Press 1999

Illustration: Veronica Lurk III, 1975

Convulsion Revisited

It might be the case that the idea of Convulsion as a guiding principle arose during a rambling discussion triggered by a short, passing reference to the topic in Patrick Waldberg’s book Surrealism (1965). There may be those who recall taking part in such a discussion in 1967 and who may even remember the very place in Chelmsford where we met – a coffee bar in Duke Street opposite the Civic Centre and Public Library – the last time I looked it was still there. There may also be some who, even today, might recall how, in a crowded, smoky hostelry next to the railway station, the more formal notion of a BCI (Bureau of Convulsive Inquiries, or was it Investigations?) was mooted. Some might claim that such a thing actually existed – on paper at least.
And yet I recall most vividly that it was, in fact, in Villiers Street, near Charing Cross, in a restaurant long since vanished (there was shadowy corner lined with fake books) that the suggestion of a Convulsionist Group was proposed for the very first time. I only wish I could remember the name of the place, but I expect it was a Golden Egg, as the interior decor was elaborate and colourful. We can all agree, I think, that Convulsionism emerged in 1967 for the simple reason that the poem ‘Birth of Convulsion’ dates from that year and no earlier testimonials survive: for a very few the Summer of Love was also the Summer of Convulsion.
It was late afternoon when, walking towards Villiers Street, through the Victoria Embankment Gardens, I came across that embodiment of the Convulsive Aesthetic, or one sharply defined facet of such an aesthetic: the Sullivan Memorial by W. Goscombe John. It was ‘the mourning girl’; an allegory of music grieving for a dead composer that, at that epiphanic moment, caused a veritable frisson of the imagination. This mild shock evoked in turn a quotation from Rider Haggard’s She, which I am very sure read as follows:

…with a convulsive movement that somehow gave the impression of a despairing energy, the woman rose to her feet and cast the dark cloak from her.


It was natural that I then recalled the famous passage from Against Nature where Huysmans decibes Salome's gesture in Gustave Moreau's watercolour The Apparation:

with a gesture of horror, Salome tries to thrust away the terrifying vision which holds her nailed to the spot, balanced on the tips of her toes, her eyes dilated, her right hand clawing convulsively at her throat..


By word association I next recalled an amusing anecdote recounted in a book on Art Nouveau by John Russell Taylor which recorded how, when Burne-Jones admitted that he wished he had seen Blake’s Behemoth as a teenager, a friend exclaimed "My dear, you would have been carried off in convulsions!"
Obsessed with Decadence, I felt the sensual ‘wave-line’ of Art Nouveau, the frisson a l’unison of the ‘Cantique de Saint Jean,’ and certain details of Beardsley’s Salome drawings exemplified the notion of a Convulsive force in a manner that complimented Breton’s eloge du cristal, or Dali’s ‘The Phenomenon of Ecsasty’. Eine linie ist eine Kraft (‘a line is a force’) wrote Henry van de Velde in some forgotten artistic treatise published in the fin de siecle era. Here, I thought, was a kind of continuity, linking the ‘magnetic force’ of Rider Haggard’s awesome Queen of Kor with the Surrealist principle of Convulsive Beauty via the sinuous, ectoplasmic wave forms of Art Nouveau and the galvanic posture of an allegory of music as sculpted for the memorial before me. It was the birth of Convulsion from an allegory of music.
There were others that evening who, because they despised Dali, and for other reasons, argued that Ernst's ‘The Eye of Silence’ (currently on the cover of Ballard’s The Crystal World) and ‘The Robing of the Bride’ epitomised the true spirit of present day Convulsion in art. Together with the ‘secret festivals’ of Leonor Fini and the multiple perspectives of the ‘unconscious anatomy’ described by Hans Bellmer, it was, in the final analysis, Max Ernst who was the guiding light on our quest to become cartographers of 'inner space'. Notwithstanding the still-living presence of Elizabeth Siddal, who seemed, for at least one of us, a more than fleeting presence, Gothic Convulsion in art was exemplified by Rossetti’s absolutely uncanny ‘How They Met Themselves’ (his ‘bogey picture’) while some, even more ambitious, claimed Crivelli, Goya and even Leonardo (think of his crumbling, oracular wall), as precursors.
Yet another asserted the importance of the echoing spaces and voids depicted in Messiaen’s Et Exspecto Resurrectionem Mortuorum (this, despite the anti-clericalism of Convulsion), or the tortured, Expressionist sprechstimme of Pierrot Lunaire, to show that Convulsion pervades the universe of music. Convulsion in music certainly existed, it was said, despite the intentions of composers who were, as we knew, often behind the times. Of course the ‘Liebestod’ from Tristan was always cited in such conversations together with some works by Varese and Bartok, while on other occasions, it was permissible to assert that ‘classical’ music (whatever that was) was no longer ‘it’. Quite rightly, to ‘get Convulsion now’, you should listen to ‘Rocket 69’ by Connie Allen, or The Doors’ ‘Horse Latitudes’/ ‘Moonlight Drive’/ ‘People Are Strange’ – well the whole album actually. Jimi Hendrix and his Experience was certainly Convulsive among the ladies, so were Tropicalia, Brian Auger and anything by Charles Mingus, but especially ‘Ysabel’s Table Dance’ from Tijuana Moods.
Above all, I thought of Wifredo Lam’s hieratic and sinister Altar for La Chevelure de Falmer exhibited in 1947 but not illustrated in Waldberg’s book, and certain images from a television programme called The Debussy Film (1965). It was an unquestioned axiom of dogma, a basic tenet of theory, that every utterance and written word by Antonin Artaud was ‘intrinsically Convulsive’ and ditto Marcel Duchamp. The same was true of every move and gesture by Conrad Veidt in the (‘totally Convulsive’) role of Cesare the Somnambulist or, more obscurely, as the eponymous student in The Student of Prague.
But of course, wishing, for obvious reasons, to elevate some film star or super-model to iconic status, most of us, inspired by The Phantom Of Sex Appeal, undoubtedly defined Convulsive Beauty in the context of ‘the internal (or, sometimes, ‘infernal’) feminine’. Candidates for this iconic role would include Charlotte Rampling for her portrayal of the doomed Elizabeth Thallman in Visconti’s The Damned (1968) or – very seriously – Fenella Fielding; and not just for her appearance as Valeria Watt in Carry On Screaming (1966). There was a positive mania for this kind of nomination with candidates ranging from Louise Brooks to Elsa Lanchester, Veronica Lake, Barbara Steele, Verushka, Jean Shrimpton, (not Twiggy) and Catherine Deneuve. One image, of the model Donyale Luna in Qui etes-vous Polly Maggoo?, became the ultimate icon, although a ‘Convulsive moment’ from Fortunata’s dance (Magali Noel in Fellini Satyricon) was also a close contender. At that time I had not seen a film called The Flesh and the Fiends or, without hesitation, I would have added the names of Billie Whitelaw to the list.
From very different perspectives there were other modes of Convulsion, including Lyrical Convulsion which was a style of ultra-decadent ‘Yellow Nineties’ poetry influenced by the naturalism of Arthur Symons, and Hermetic Convulsion requiring a knowledge of Alchemy but exclusively ‘under the poetic angle’. There were Convulsive Objects (instamatic cameras, cash machines, dictaphones, car stereos, audiocassette players), and Convulsive Places and Buildings (The Hellfire Caves, Museum Street, Centre Point, The Post Office Tower, Liverpool Street Station and Hungerford Bridge among others). Macabre Convulsion drew inspiration from Mervyn Peake's Fuschia Groan, Edgar Allan Poe and Maturin’s Melmoth the Wanderer, while Absurd Convulsion was definitely both Pataphysical (Faustroll, Ubu Roi) and contemporary – as in the ‘Convulsively funny’ dinner party from Carry On Up the Khyber (1968). Radio 1 was definitely not Convulsive at all, and neither was The Liverpool Scene. The Gernreich topless dress was Convulsive but Post-Painterly Abstraction was not – well, not usually. William Burroughs was ‘in’ but Jack Kerouac was ‘out’… and what about Union Jack sunglasses, and all those sort of things? Well, no, not particularly, even though floral or Op Art ties were sometimes worn to Convulsive parties or gatherings at Le Macabre, a coffee house in Meard Street, or the sordid wine-cellar of Dirty Dicks on Bishopsgate. While writing practice was often 'under guerrilla conditions' (cut-ups inspired by Nova Express), the ideal Convulsive fashion style avoided blue jeans and aspired to attain an Essex Exi-gangster look, via Warhol and the Velvet Underground.

An amalgam of Surrealism and Decadence with an element of the Mod-Pop axis mixed with pure fantasy, Convulsionism valued the imagination and automatism above everything – the ideal Convulsive 'moment' is always inadvertent. In their book Surrealism: Permanent Revelation (1970) Cardinal & Short said correctly:

Surrealism has established its own ‘aesthetics’ by defining beauty in terms of a purely affective response to phenomena.

That this ‘excitation of the nerves’ as Angela Carter defined the concept sometime later, was in fact an extension into the mid-twentieth century of the Decadent idea of the frisson nouveau or crise de nerfs was the clever but not necessarily original basis for the Convulsionist aesthetic. It was an aesthetic that flourished obscurely during the era known by some as 'that decade of convulsion', but, more specifically, The Swinging Sixties, and which, in the long term, I suspect influenced no one but myself.

Illustration: Cantique de St Jean, 1968