AR: What sort of art do you do?
RHF: I create art inspired by history, myth, folklore, and legend. I’m a published science fiction, fantasy, and horror artist and a print-on-demand store owner who sells merchandise featuring genre works as well as works based on historical subjects, heraldic designs, and national emblems.
AR: What medium/media do you work in?
RHF: Pen-and-ink line drawings (usually using artist pens on Bristol board) that are then scanned and colored digitally.
AR: What does your work aim to say?
RHF: It depends on the work. The message varies depending on what sort of reaction the work is meant to elicit. I do fun sci-fi pieces meant to amuse, but I also do horror artworks which aim to stir darker emotions.
AR: Who are your biggest influences?
RHF: Arthur Rackham, J. R. R. Tolkien (he was an artist, too), Warwick Goble, plus the various illustrators of the classic Dungeons & Dragons books of the 1970s-1980s and all the creators of medieval woodcuts.
AR: Do you use a computer to do art with?
RHF: Yes, in that I use a computer to color my line drawings.
AR: What drives you to create art?
RHF: I get an image in my head and then must get it down on paper.
AR: Are there specific subjects or themes you return to regularly in your art?
RHF: Dragons. Dragons and draconic creatures are a specialty of mine.
AR: How do you define success as an artist?
RHF: If others appreciate your art.
AR: What three words describe you?
RHF: Multi-talented, learned, and quirky.
AR: What is your biggest strength?
RHF: Drawing monsters and creatures.
AR: What is your biggest weakness?
RHF: Figure drawing, but I’ve gotten better at it over the years.
AR: Why is art important?
RHF: Art is an intrinsic part of human culture. I think that makes it pretty important indeed!
