Rotsler Award to Harvia

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By John Hertz: Texan Teddy Harvia (“har-VEE-a”) has won the 2015 Rotsler Award, named for the late great Bill Rotsler (1926-1997), sponsored by the Southern California Institute for Fan Interests, and announced at L.A.’s local convention Loscon.

The winner receives a plaque and an honorarium of US$300. The Rotsler is given, as the plaque says, “for long-time wonder-working with graphic art in amateur publications of the science fiction community.”

Rotsler himself was so prolific that previously unpublished drawings of his continue to ornament fanzines today.

Loscon is sponsored by the Los Angeles Science Fantasy Society, oldest SF club on Earth. The LASFS (“lahss-fahss”, although Len Moffatt always rhymed it with “sass mass”) and SCIFI (“SKIF-fy”) are independent California non-profit corporations. SCIFI established the Award in 1998. Loscon XLII was November 27-29, 2015.

Among SCIFI’s other projects have been the 1984, 1996, and 2006 World Science Fiction Conventions (L.A.con II-IV), the 1992 hardbound edition of Harry Warner’s fanhistory book A Wealth of Fable, and the 2002 West Coast Science Fantasy Conference (“Conagerie”, Westercon LV).

The Rotsler is decided by a panel of three judges, currently Mike Glyer (since 1998), John Hertz (since 2003), and Sue Mason (beginning in 2015, replacing Claire Brialey who, before this year’s decision, retired from the panel after eight years’ excellent service).

Harvia has won the Hugo Award four times as Best Fanartist (1991, 1995, 2001-2002); likewise the Science Fiction Chronicle readers’ poll four times (1990-1993); also the Southern Fandom Confederation’s Rebel Award (1997).

He arrived among us in 1975, since then contributing hundreds of cartoons, illustrations, and covers to fanzines and con publications. He was long associated with the fanzine Mimosa.  He was memorable in the cartoonists’ jam at the 2013 Worldcon (“Lonestarcon III”, San Antonio, Texas), where he and the rest drew lightning-quick responses to a time travel story extemporized by David Brin.

Asked whether there should be an accent mark over the i, Harvia said “That’s the Spanish side of the family. We on the Finnish side don’t use one.”

Some of his creatures, like Chat the Fourth Fannish Ghod (the extra h is an age-old, or h-old, touch of comedy in fanzines), or the Wing Nuts, re-appear.  Others we know not if we shall see again.  Keep watching the stars.

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Updated 12/01/2015: Adopted helpful correction by supergee. John Hertz says, “The mistake about Wingnuts Soccer was mine; I misinterpreted a previous draft by Mike Glyer. Harvia gave me the 1975 date, which was used in the Loscon exhibit.”

Rotsler Award Display at Loscon

Rotsler Award display at Loscon 41 -- past winners. Photo by Kenn Bates.

Rotsler Award display at Loscon 41 — past winners. Photo by Kenn Bates.

At Loscon 41 over Thanksgiving Weekend in November there was a display in the Art Show of cartoons and illos by Rotsler Award winners. One of the panels was devoted to the award’s history, and the other to work by its 2014 winner Sue Mason.

The display was curated by John Hertz. Thanks to Kenn Bates for these photographs.

Sue Mason Wins 2014 Rotsler Award

Illustration by Sue Mason. Published in File 770 #139 and elsewhere.

Illustration by Sue Mason. Published in File 770 #139 and elsewhere.

Sue Mason from the United Kingdom has won the 2014 Rotsler Award, given for long-time artistic achievement in amateur publications of the science fiction community. Established in 1998, the award carries an honorarium of US$300.

Mason is a widely-published pen-and-ink artist who is particularly well-known for her activity in the British fanzine Plokta. Her illustrations are whimsical, humorous and richly-detailed.

Some of her best artwork can be seen in the chapbook I Want to Be a Celtic Death Goddess When I Grow Up [PDF file].

She is also accomplished at pyrography, the process of producing designs by burning them onto a surface, generally wood, leather or paper.

Mason is a two-time winner of the Best Fan Artist Hugo. She has won the Nova Award for Best Fan Artist seven times.

The Rotsler Award is sponsored by the Southern California Institute for Fan Interests, a non-profit corporation, hosts of the 2006 Worldcon. The award is named for the late Bill Rotsler, the talented and prolific fanartist. Claire Brialey, Mike Glyer, and John Hertz served as this year’s judges.

The award was formally announced on Saturday, November 29, 2014 at Loscon 41. An exhibit honoring Mason’s work was displayed in the Art Show.

For more about the Rotsler Award, visit www.scifiinc.org/rotsler/. Samples of Mason’s work will be posted shortly.

Jim Barker Wins 2013 Rotsler Award

Jim Barker, the Scottish fanartist, has won the 2013 Rotsler Award, given for long-time artistic achievement in amateur publications of the science fiction community. Established in 1998, the award carries an honorarium of US$300.

Barker is renowned for his instant cartoons and prolific output. His sharp sense of humor and drawing skills have enriched fanzines and carried over to his work as a graphic artist and illustrator – see http://www.jimbarker.net/.

Barker is a past Hugo Award nominee and winner of the Checkpoint newszine poll for Best Fanartist.

The Rotsler Award is sponsored by the Southern California Institute for Fan Interests, a non-profit corporation, which in 2006 hosted the 63rd World Science Fiction Convention. The award is named for the late Bill Rotsler, a talented and prolific artist over many years. Claire Brialey, Mike Glyer, and John Hertz are the current judges.

The award was announced on Saturday, November 30, 2012, at Loscon, the annual Los Angeles SF convention. This year’s convention was Loscon 40.

For more about the Rotsler Award, visit www.scifiinc.org/rotsler/.

Hertz: C. Ross Chamberlain Wins 2012 Rotsler Award

By John Hertz: C. Ross Chamberlain of Las Vegas has won the 2012 Rotsler Award, given for long-time artistic achievement in amateur publications of the science fiction community. Established in 1998, the award carries an honorarium of US$300.

Chamberlain is an adept humorist known for graceful line and eye-catching composition.

As a good artist he makes use of available technology. In the days of mimeography he was masterly with stylus and shading plate. Now he works marvels with Photoshop.

The Rotsler Award is sponsored by the Southern California Institute for Fan Interests, a non-profit corporation, which in 2006 hosted the 63rd World Science Fiction Convention. The award is named for the late Bill Rotsler, a talented and prolific artist over many years. Claire Brialey, Mike Glyer, and John Hertz are the current judges.

The award was announced on Saturday, November 24, 2012, at Loscon, the annual Los Angeles SF convention. This year’s convention was Loscon 39.

For more about the Rotsler Award, visit www.scifiinc.org/rotsler/.

Hertz: Two Chicon Exhibits

Leo & Diane Dillon Exhibit

Chicon 7 exhibit about Leo and Diane Dillon. Photos by Richard Lynch.

By John Hertz: In May when Leo Dillon died I felt that Chicon VII (officially “Chicon 7” for the Mercury 7 astronauts) really ought to have an exhibit honoring the Dillons’ work, two of our finest illustrators over fifty years.  I found nobody else was yet planning one.  I got valuable advice from Vincent Di Fate and Jane Frank.

Mark Olson had the swell idea of displaying books the Dillons had done.  Alice Massoglia rounded up two dozen decent-quality reading copies – not collectors’ copies, I wanted to let people pick them up and look through them.  A good handful of Harlan Ellison books, issues of Fantasy & Science Fiction with Dillon covers, the Byron Preiss collection, 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea with their cover and interiors, Ashanti to Zulu which won one of their Caldecotts (and reminded me of my Nigerian drum teacher), Pish, Posh, Said Hieronymous Bosch which they did with their son Lee, the hundredth-anniversary Wizard of Oz, some Lafferty, The Snow Queen, and a host of others reached me in Los Angeles, were sent on to Chicago, and arrived safely.

Elizabeth Klein-Lebbink resplendently with her electronic powers made three banners, one for the top with “Art of Leo and Diane Dillon” and a color photo, one mounted under that and one mounted on the front of the display table with images of every shape and size, some we had physical examples of and James Baldwin, Martin Luther King, Shakespeare, Mark Twain.

Richard Lynch took photos so you can see how it looked.  This involved his climbing onto a chair on top of a table muttering “This is stupid, this is stupid” while Nicki across the Exhibit Hall wondered.

Richard also helped me put up the Rotsler Award exhibit and photographed that for you.  My guide through various spacetime problems with it was Randy Smith, as ever a big help.  All three judges, Claire Brialey, Mike Glyer, and I, were at the con, but no more than two of us ever managed to be in the same place.  If we all had, that might have popped Dave McCarty into the 14th Chorp Dimension.

Which reminds me, Dave, what happened to the Jay’s potato chips?

Dillon exhibit.

Dillon exhibit table display.

Rotsler Award exhibit at Chicon 7.

John Hertz.

D. West Wins 2011 Rotsler Award

D. West of Embsay, Skipton in the United Kingdom has won the 2011 Rotsler Award, given for long-time artistic achievement in amateur publications of the science fiction community. Established in 1998, the award carries an honorarium of US$300.

West is known for a satirical eye and a sour wit, which he directs as freely upon himself as others.  He is in fact more versatile, which he sometimes reveals. West famously wrote an overview of fan artists for Simon Ounsley’s Lagoon, each entry accompanied by a sample of the artist’s work – every one a virtually undetectable fake produced by West’s own hand.

West is a three-time winner of the Fanzine Activity Achievement Award (FAAn) as Best Fan Artist (1995, 1998, 2000) and a three-time nominee for the Best Fan Artist Hugo Award (1979, 1987, 1999).

The Rotsler Award is sponsored by the Southern California Institute for Fan Interests, a non-profit corporation, which in 2006 hosted the 63rd World Science Fiction Convention.  The award is named for the late Bill Rotsler, a talented and prolific artist over many years.  Claire Brialey, Mike Glyer, and John Hertz served as this year’s judges.

The award was formally announced on Saturday, November 27, 2011 at Loscon 38. An exhibit honoring West’s work was displayed in the Art Show.

For more about the Rotsler Award, visit www.scifiinc.org/rotsler/. Samples of West’s work will be posted shortly.

Shiffman Page Added to Rotsler Award Site

Stu Shiffman’s artwork is celebrated on a new page at the Rotsler Award website.

Not only are there examples of the 2010 winner’s fanzine art, John Hertz has accepted the challenge of decoding the references in Shiffman’s Mimosa #12 cover.

John’s meticulous research even included a quest to learn the identity of the couple aboard the flying mimeo. They weren’t Mimosa’s editors Rich and Nicki Lynch, so who were they? Looking at those sensitive fannish faces John Hertz and I just knew they were drawn from life. I thought I recognized Hank Luttrell but the woman didn’t look like Lesleigh. John guessed at the woman but couldn’t name her male counterpart.

At last we resorted to the journalistically responsible (if fannishly unusual) choice of asking the artist himself. Stu replied, “The figures are solely fictional from my imagination.” What, there’s no mystery after all? That will never do…

[Thanks to John Hertz for the story.]