Double Memory

Book excerpt: Phil Hale and Rick Berry met in 1980. Hale was sixteen and Berry twenty-seven. After founding the Newbury Studio (along with Tom Canty and Rick Salvucci) in Boston, they went on to illustrate the work of people who make up a veritable Who's Who of three major literary genres: William Gibson, Stephen King, Robert E. Howard, Frank Herbert, Peter Straub and the list goes on...Going well beyond the roles of illustrators, they are considered innovators and artistic pioneers -- Berry produced the first digital cover paintings (W. Gibson's Neuromancer, as seen in Time Magazine, 8 Feb. 1993) for trade fiction in the world. Hale's superb brush work garnered him so much attention, by age eighteen he was a pro in demand. Soon he was tapped for King's Drawing of the Three. Among their numerous awards is the 1989 World Con Best of Show for Dry Science by Berry. Berry's design and painting for Straub's Mrs. God was considered by Communication Arts as one of the year's best illustrated books. CA plus the Society of Illustrators annuals and Print magazine have published their works for music, literary and pop culture. Both have also contributed extensively to gaming cards and comic books.It is remarkable ... that somehow out of the discontinuities of the unexpected universe two of the most creative artists and best draftsmen I've ever seen should met at the right time. -- Jeff Jones