Image size: approx. 30x40 inches
Framed size: approx. 37x47 inches
Medium: Acrylic on gessoed double thick watercolor board

An art director from Italy asked David to prepare some proof of concept paintings for a series of collectible plates based on Tarot. He wanted to combine classical and fantasy elements in an art nouveau style and, having seen David's portfolio, felt that he would be the man for the job. The two cards David chose to create were The Lovers and The Empress. The art director was pleased with the work. But the collectible company, for other reasons, decided not to proceed with the project. Still, as a stand alone piece of art, David is proud of The Lovers.

Image size:approx. 26 x 36 inches
Framed size; approx.34 X 43.5 inches
Mixed media (predominately acrylic)

David was close friends with fellow Oklahoma artist, the late Keith Birdsong, known for his wonderful covers on the books of StarTrek: The Next Generation. They shared a common bond, not only because they loved the art of science fiction and fantasy illustration, but because both were, essentially, self taught. Keith was very skilled with pencil. David was pretty good with a brush. Each had things he wanted to learn from the other, so they got together and had work sessions to do just that. It turned out both were good teachers. This painting was done by David using Keith's mixed media technique. It took David about a week to finish, Keith would have spent less than a day to do it. But then it was David's first try at it, so. . . But this painting was more than a simple exploration of a new technique. Keith had an ulterior motive in asking David to paint it. Skybox had asked him to do a series of paintings for their Star Trek Master series of collectible cards, but Keith's schedule was already full to bursting with much more difficult paintings which would pay far more. Therefore, it was in Keith's interest to find someone else to handle the job. So, Keith was, in effect, acting as Skybox's agent in securing David to do the assignment. The hitch was that they had told Keith that they would need a test to see whether David had the qualifications to meet their exacting standards. After Keith showed them David's painting, he was given the job. David was not paid to do Trinity, but without it he would never have been hired to do Captain Klaa, the Bolian Woman, and others. So this painting goes down in the lore of Star Trek art as a very unique creation.

Image size: 28.5 inches in diameter. (with frame it is something close to 32.5 inches in diameter) Right now it is up high on David's wall and he says he is not hauling out the ladder to check.
Medium: Acrylic on gessoed double thick watercolor board.

The Little Kingdom was created in 1993. I was created at the suggestion of one of the top collectible companies as a proposed plate design. In the end, it was not used for that purpose, so the rights remained with David. An image of the painting went into David's portfolio where it was seen by an agent for Bits and Pieces, one of the nation's top puzzle manufacturers. They brought the image out as a puzzle, and it did well in that role for many years. David has plans to do several more in this series and see if he can't introduce them to the puzzle market, perhaps plate designs as well. We will see.

Painting diameter: 18 inches
Frame diameter: 26 inchers

This was a design submission requested by one of the major collectible plate companies which was considering a collectible series based on this theme. The art director praised the style and execution of The Little Kingdom: Swinging Vines, which I had painted first, but called for another submission in which none of the characters would be prominent in the foreground. That became this piece. Ironically, when the art was publicly tested, it was rejected for just that reason. The feedback suggested it would have been well received if it had had a couple of the characters appear prominently in the foreground to draw the viewers into the scene. I still like the little fairy, though.

Image size: approx. 15x22 inches
Frame size: approx. 22x29 inches
Medium: acrylic on gessoed double thick watercolor board
Copyright 1994 David A Cherry

Beginning at around age 12, David was an avid fan of the stories of Andre Norton. His favorite publisher to work for was The Science Fiction Bookclub. They allowed David to exercise his artistic judgment and also allowed a fair amount of time within which to complete each project. So David was doubly thrilled when the art director of Science Fiction Bookclub called to say that they were preparing to bundle three Witch World Stories into one volume (to be called The Annals Of The Witchworld) and that they wanted David to do the cover. This was a dream come true for David, so he quickly agreed.

Image size: approx. 25 x 17 inches
Framed size: approx. 32 x 23 inches

Judith Tarr is a master of historical fantasy. As an artist, a student of history, and a fan of her works, I was excited to be asked to do the cover image for Lord of the Two Lands. I chose to tell the story of the main character, Meriamon, in symbols. Meriamon's father was the last Pharoh before Egypt fell under the yoke of Persia. Meriamon was a priestess of a religion forbidden by the conquerors. With the God, Anubis, hidden within her shadow, it was her fate to undertake a perilous journey to seek the man her father had forseen in a scrying bowl of flaming water as Egypt's savior and next Pharoh. She must reach Alexander the Great and convince him to secure the Mediterranean coast before attacking the heart of the Persian Empire.

Image size: approx. 20 x 15 inches
Framed size: approx. 29 x 23 inches

This was the original artwork that was done for Thor for Ensemble Studio's game Age of Mythology. At 6pm Thursday, evening, I learned that we would lose the cover and large interior article of an important magazine if I could not deliver a top quality painting by 9am the following Monday. Because of that, I forwent the background and went straight into drawing the character himself, based on the Thor sketch that was done by my fellow art team member Mark Sinclair. This is why the sky that he is usually seen against is not in the painting here. I put in over 80 billable hours, but it got done on time, and in splendid fashion.

1993 original mixed media painting on gessoed double thick watercolor board.
Image approx. 14 x 18 inches
Framed size: approx. 20 x 25 inches

Image used as card art for The Star Trek Master Series card #73. Captain Klaa. Four inch triple matting in black metal frame with plexiglass.

Klaa is a Klingon and a fearsome warrior. He is Captain of a Klingon Bird of Prey. In many respects, he is an honorable person. He is young and still dedicated to forging his prowess and reputation. Nothing would suit him better than to capture the Federation Starship Enterprise and defeat her Captain, the renowned James Tiberius Kirk, in single combat. In Startrek V: The Final Frontier, Klaa has the opportunity to pursue that dream as he faces Kirk and The Enterprise as the fate of two cultures hangs in the balance.

1993 original mixed media painting on gessoed double thick watercolor board.
Image approx. 14 x 18 inches
Framed size: approx. 20 x 25 inches

Image used as card art for The Star Trek Master Series card #74. The Bolians. Four inch triple matting in black metal frame with plexiglass.

This card was to represent the Bolians, a race of blue humanoid aliens that first appeared in Star Trek: The Next Generation. By the 24th century, the Bolians had allied with The Federation against The Dominion which threatened their homeworld and colonies, and had several members among Starfleet. As I worked on her, she became more and more real, especially when her eyes and smile went in. Kind of eerie when a character you created is looking back at you and smirking, but I came to like her quite a bit.

Painting diameter: 18 inches
Frame diameter: 26 inchers

This was a design submission requested by one of the major collectible plate companies which was considering a collectible series based on this theme. The art director praised the style and execution but called for another submission (The Little Kingdom) in which none of the characters would be prominent in the foreground. Ironically, when the art was publicly tested, it was rejected for just that reason. The feedback suggested it would have been well received if it had had a couple of the characters appear prominently in the foreground to draw the viewers into the scene. Art directors.

13 x 20 inches
Painted in acrylic over gessoed double thick watercolor board
23x30 inches framed

Interior art for the short story, "Bubbles", by David Brin, published by Bantam Books in the 1987 Byron Preiss hardcover anthology, The Universe. Brin can write, and this is one of his best. Imagine a ship, millions of years old. She is Serena, a Grand Voyager, She is a manufactured being, the size of a small planet, but she is as thoughtful and caring as any organic being. Serena has spent untold eons bringing trade to the farflung cultures of a trillion worlds. Her highways are the intricate network of wormholes which connect the stars and galaxies. It would be at least somewhat correct to say she swims in the vast energy of the stars. Then one day something unthinkable happens. A small miscalculation transports Serena to the spot where the Big Bang took place: the spot from which all matter has receded since the dawn of time. Suddenly she is alone in a vastness beyond comprehension. What fate awaits her? What will she do?

Image size: approx. 12 x 10 inches
Framed size: approx. 24 x 27 inches
Two signed collectible cards from the now out of print game by Iron Crown are included. One shows the image side. One shows the back of the card.
Medium: Acrylic on gessoed double thick watercolor board

This painting of Frodo and Sam on their way to Mordor has always been a favorite of mine. It was done at my home in Edmond, Oklahoma, where I had a 400 square foot loft that was a dream space for art production. Of course any opportunity to create art for such a prestigious series is a thrill, but this one was more personal. My step-daughter, Kiley Riley, was kind enough to help me out. She posed as Frodo, and her friend, Mira, posed as Sam. You can see the photo reference below. Frodo never looked better.

Image size: approx. 14x22 inches
Framed size: approx. 21.25x29.25 inches

This painting was created in 1991 for Ace Books as the cover of Destination: Mutiny, book five of the Operation Starhawks series. It's author, Deborah Chester (under the nome de plume of Sean Dalton) is a fellow Oklahoman. She is the author of over 40 science fiction books and holds the John Crain Presidential Professorship at the University of Oklahoma where she lectures in writing style and structure at the Gaylord College of Journalism. Aside from all that, Deborah is a down to earth person, greatly loved and admired by her many fans and friends. David was greatly honored to be selected to create this cover for her book. People have asked David whether it was his intention to base this character on his sister, Carolyn. David swears that doing so was never his intention but admits that, when asked to do art based on strong female leads, it is difficult not to let a little of his sister slip into the depiction. In this case, it was probably a little more than a little.

Image size: approx. 16 x 12 inches
Framed size: approx. 26 x 22 inches

My good friend, Bill, (William B. Fawcett) hired me and our close mutual friend, Teresa Patterson, to help him create a coffee table book, The World of Shannara (2000), as a guide to the works and worlds created by Terry Brooks. Teresa, who had written The World of Robert Jordan's The Wheel of Time, was to research, collate, and write this new "World of" book, and I was to illustrate it. Roc Fight is one of the interior illustrations for the book. It shows a lone Roc rider in desperate combat with an ambush of enemy Shrike cavalry, like three dimensional chess, Shannara style.

Image size: approx. 16 x 12 inches
Framed size: approx. 26 x 22 inches

Medea, the enchanting princess who helped Jason of the Greek legends obtain the Golden Fleece from her father, King Aeëtes of Colchis. She was a niece of the famed enchantress Circe, having inherited some of her power as a sorceress, and used her divine magic several times to help Jason and save her future husband's life. Although her tale ends in tragedy, here she is in her prime, reclining in noble airs with the Fleece, as though it were a common piece of household décor.

Image size: approx. 14 x 11 inches
Framed size: approx. 22 x 18 inches

This was a piece I painted for my own, personal pleasure, as well as to practice my technique. I had been wandering around the Renaissance Faire in Texas when I happened upon an actor who allowed me to photograph him for reference. The sketch I made from that happened to turn out well, and so I pursued it into a fully fleshed out piece in the rare moments I had between paid work. Clothes in hues that bright, I rather imagine to be a noble out slumming it in the commons, or a minstrel enjoying a break by the tavern, shaded by the vines.