Thursday, opening day of Dragon Con, expectations and the hopes of fun and frolic run high. As everyone paced the streets to hunt for registration, the art halls were hidden in the merchandise mart, bypassed and ignored, and the artist’s room eagerly waited for the fantasy audience. During the day, no one but the artists’ and stalwart fans wandered the exhibition hall and admired each of the works politely and sincerely. At 5 PM the reception began with the traditional FREE wine and finger foods distributed, and the artists stretched their glutes to scan the competition for the best of show. In the face of fantasy abandonment, artists’ shrugged their shoulders, drank their wine, met and gave hopeful artists, the few that showed up, a bit of their life and money saving techniques. Ron Walotsky’s opinions are probably in the back of the majority of the artists’ minds… and that is:

WHERE ARE ALL THE PEOPLE!!!!

The audience, the admirers of fantasy art on the magic cards, book covers and posters, was for the artists’ a depressing, revolting no show.

The winner of 1998 Sergiy Poyarkov, who is from the Ukraine, shows his work with eager determination and politeness. Bill “splat ” Johnson, for (I believe) the first times sells work at the show of dark and disturbing ghostly images. Each work in the show had the feel of the dreams, passions and hopes of those of us who wish, dream, and aspire. So go, see the show, shake hands with the artists, feel their passion and enjoy.