THE ART OF BIG 'O'

The BIG 'O' publishing company first burst upon the swinging London art and music scene during those wild and wonderful psychedelic 60s and throughout the 1970s up until 1980 this poster, calendar, art card and book publishing company produced some of the most amazing and influential fantasy and fantastic and album cover art of all time during the 20th Centuries Golden Age of Poster Art. 

These are the artists you have grown to admire and love over the years ; among them are "Alien" Academy award winning artist HR Giger, also included is perhaps the most recognized album cover artist and creative illustrator over the past 50 years, Roger Dean, and J.R.R. Tolkein and Michael Moorcock fantasy art great Rodney Mathews, as well as David Bowie album cover artist Terry Pastor and Led Zeppelin II album cover artist David Juniper. These are but a few of the uniquely talented artists and their personal stories you will find in this book who contributed to some of the most fantastic poster and album cover art of the 1960’s & 70's and beyond.

From the psychedelic Jimi Hendrix color explosion posters of artist Martin Sharp, to the fantastical beautiful worlds of the YES, and ASIA album cover posters of artist Roger Dean, through the Alien landscapes of H.R. Giger, from the luminous visionary dreams of artist Robert Venosa, and artist Mati Klarwein, to the Wizardry and Wild Romance of artist Rodney Matthews, the Beatles Yellow Submarine illustrations of artist Heinz Edelmann, BIG 'O' was there with the Big, Bigger, The Biggest O!

THE ARTISTS OF BIG 'O'

All of the artists featured here in this book had truly amazing vision, surpassing beauty, they all have stood at different times on very personal thresholds, so gifted and solitary, unique and elusive. Their hallucinatory genius, their almost incantatory mysteries reach the pinnacle of the sublime. This astounding collection of the finest fantasy and fantastic art from some of the most influential and exciting artists of our time has never before been available in one place until now. The gate to the extreme has opened, now all you need is to open your mind and open the cover!

THE ART OF BIG 'O' BOOK

• The Art Of Big 'O' will be a lavish PREMIUM color 8.5 x 11 inch 192 Page hard cover book which will feature the finest fantasy and fantastic artwork and personal stories from some of the most influential and exciting artists of our time.

Like to see a few sample pages from The Art Of Big 'O' book? You can right  Here!

Like to learn more about The Art Of Big 'O'? Visit the website right  Here!

Oh Boy Do We Have Some Premium Grade Perks For You! 

EXCLUSIVE! We have recently acquired three of the ORIGINAL nearly 40 year old pristine condition size 24 x 36 in.1970's Big 'O' Posters Hand Signed by artist Roger Dean.

Note: If you pledge in a perk containing this item you can pick your favorite from a list I will provide

EXCLUSIVE! We have recently acquired six of the ORIGINAL nearly 40 year old pristine condition size 24 x 36 in.1970's Big 'O' Posters Hand Signed by artist Rodney Matthews.

• Note: If you pledge in a perk containing this item you can pick your favorite from a list I will provide.

EXCLUSIVE! We have recently acquired one H.R. Giger Hand Signed Poster approximate size 35 x 50 in. that commemorates the 15th anniversary of his Giger Museum that has been generously offered by H.R. Giger for this special perk and personally given by H.R. Giger's U.S.A. agent Leslie Barany.

EXCLUSIVE! I am offering 4 signed and personalized size 24 x 36 in. posters of my Big 'O' art when you pledge this perk. Hand Signed by artist Michael Fishel.

EXCLUSIVE! Hand signed by Terry Pastor. A Rare Size 24 X 24 in. print of his painting “Oh You Pretty Things" from Big 'O' artist Terry Pastor.

• Big 'O' Artist Terry Pastor's size 24 x 24 in. print “Oh You Pretty Things" is an absolutely stunning and the photo shown here does not even come close to it's actual beauty. This is a signed and numbered artist proof from an limited edition of 195 prints.
  

EXCLUSIVE! An ORIGINAL Hand Signed and Personalized 8 x 10 in. Pencil Sketch by artist Rodney Matthews.

Note: The sketches shown below are for demonstration purposes only.

EXCLUSIVE! We have recently acquired a fantastic selection of the ORIGINAL...And I do mean the ORIGINAL nearly 40 year old 1970's BIG 'O' Art Card Sets in pristine condition.

EXCLUSIVE! THE 2014 ART OF BIG 'O' CALENDAR. 

Let me begin by telling you a little bit about myself since I suppose you could call me one of the main men behind the curtain so to speak that is bringing The Art Of Big 'O' book project to you here on indiegogo.com My name is Michael Fishel, and I am an artist, and a Big 'O' artist too. Without going into a full biography mode here I will just say that I have pretty much made my living over my lifetime with my art. I have been painting creatively since 1968. I had my paintings published by Big 'O' as posters and art card sets in 1975. I worked for TSR Dungeons & Dragons as a book illustrator for books with cover art by master fantasy artists like Keith Parkinson and Jeff Easley in the 1980s and have painted book cover art for authors H.P. Lovecraft and Richard Adams as well as having my paintings reproduced many times over through the years as posters, prints, calendars, greeting cards and jigsaw puzzles.

My Personal Website:  www.michaelfishel.com

As I said previously while I could be considered the main man behind the curtain that is bringing this exciting art book project to you, I certainly haven't been back there alone however! I would be amiss if I didn't mention some of the other individuals, associates and artist friends of mine who have helped me so much along the way up to this point in my efforts to bring this book to life. People like Peter Ledeboer, the founder of Big 'O', his son Sam Ledeboer and Nigel Suckling who has been editing the book with such great insight and expertise. Individuals like Marcel Salome the master book printer for the artists of Fantastic Realism, artist Christophe Vacher, and H.R. Giger agent Leslie Barany have all helped me tremendously in the design and in the layout of this book. Artist Roger Dean has provided me with generous helpings of encouragement, wisdom, and the gift of his uncanny knowledge of art and design which is in my opinion second to none. I also, can't thank enough artist Rodney Matthews and Terry Pastor who have been so generous with their time in helping to get this book up off the ground by offering their own hand signed original Big 'O' posters and prints from that time, and a big thanks to Doug King who helped me in putting this campaign together. Finally, I want to thank in advance all of you, the fans, the real people that might just actually be able to perform this miracle with me by contributing to this worthy cause here on indiegogo.com because without your support and generosity this book might not of have been even given the chance to see the light of day at all...So, thank you, thank you, to everyone! There are just so many others to credit and mention out there that...er, well, I suppose the only thing that's left for you to do now is just get the book and see for yourself!
Blessings to everyone, and here's hoping for a very successful campaign!

The Goal & What You Get

• The Goal: l am launching a campaign to raise funds to publish a book showcasing an unprecedented collection of artwork from 18 different artists which will document through images and text the 20th Centuries Golden Age of Poster, and Album Cover Art during the late 1960's and on throughout the 1970's. This very important important era in art history was driven by some of the most exciting and influential artists of that time. It features the finest Album Cover, Sci-Fi, Fantasy and Fantastic Art from world renowned artists Roger Dean, H.R. Giger, Rodney Matthews, Michael Fishel, Robert Venosa, Mati Klarwein, Rudolf Hausner, Jim Burns, Wayne Anderson,Terry Pastor, David Juniper, Vali Myers, Virgil Finlay  and many others. With a goal of $18,000, the majority of funds will be used to pay for the printing and mailing to you of this Premium-Color coffee-table book and hopefully providing a limited amount of funds to help create a companion artists interview DVD and The Art Of Big 'O' Calendar.
  

• WHAT YOU GET: The Art Of Big 'O' will be a lavish 8.5 x 11 inch 192 page hard cover Premium Color book which will feature the history and story of the Big 'O' Publishing company as well as showcasing the finest fantasy and fantastic artwork and personal stories from some of the most influential and exciting artists of our time. We also want to have a special page or pages in the book specifically acknowledging you by name. The people who helped me to make the book happen! 

NOTE: An important note to everyone that contributes to this book project. This book will be printed and shipped to you as well as any perks you might choose regardless of the campaign meeting the goal or not. If for some reason unexpected circumstances arise that interrupts my publishing of the book I give you my 100% guarantee that all funds donated by you will be refunded. 

The Lasting Impact Of Your Support

With your help I will use what is raised in this campaign to finish the final touches on the layout and design of the book, and then I will go ahead with the printing of the book to deliver to you the highest quality product that is possible.

I have brought together this collection of amazing artists and would like your support in my effort to preserve these iconic pieces of 1960’s and 70's album cover and fantasy and fantastic art history and to be a part of the journey with me to help finish this lavish full color coffee table book which will not only be treasured now but for future generations to come.

Other Ways You Can Help

I realize that some people just can’t contribute, but that doesn't mean you can’t help:

• If you really like this project then you can help tremendously just with a post on your social media sites like Facebook, Pinterest, Tumblr etc. So, please help us get the word out and make some noise about The Art Of Big 'O' book campaign...Thank You!
• And to make it easy for you there are some great Indiegogo share tools to use too!

Want to contact me direct? email: michael@michaelfishel.com

Frequently Asked Questions:

I've changed my mind. Can I get a refund?

Sorry, Indiegogo’s policy is No Refunds. Unfortunately, there’s nothing we can do about this. When your contribution is deposited into our PayPal account, it comes from Indiegogo, not from you. So if we were to refund your contribution, it wouldn't make it back to you. Please see Indiegogo’s rules here.

Can I get multiple perks?

Yes! You can back our campaign as many times as you want, choosing as many perks as you want.

Can I change my perk?

Unfortunately, not during the campaign. But a few weeks after the campaign closes, we will send you an email with a link to a system that will help you manage your perk, input your shipping information, and purchase add-ons if you choose.

You funded The Art Of Big 'O' Book on Kickstarter. Why are you using Indiegogo for The Art Of Big 'O'?

There are a few reasons. First, the experience I had on Kickstarter taught me a valuable lesson: I needed more experience in the fine art of crowd funding! I wanted to use Indiegogo for the benefit of a new experience. Second, I'm moving more quickly than Kickstarter wants. It turns out that they wouldn't allow me to do a second campaign in such rapid succession. Third, Almost all of the wonderful people who pledged on Kickstarter who are partners with me in realizing the dream of getting this amazing book printed informed me that they will help out no matter where the campaign is! So, hello Indiegogo!