1 June 09

 Clyde Caldwell's armour is quite real.  It can be worn by real people.  Yet, his work has defined "fantasy" clothing and armour more than most.  I choose to believe his success stems from his creation of  a connection with his viewers, a  feeling that you can identify with the characters he portrays, or at least, know somebody who does.  His women are muscular rather than waif like, powerful take charge amazons with some years on them who don't scream when the bad guy erupts out of  the coffin, his men are tough bastards who are ready  for anything.  His amazons won't wear armour which pinches or rubs them the wrong way (they like good soft furry linings), and enjoy showing off a lithe physique.  Any moderately fit person with attitude could wear Clyde Caldwell's Armour and look damned good in it.

       Clyde's armour is like jewelry in that respect.  They obey the unwritten law of fantasy illustration that everybody will aim for the shiny parts, that arrows don't infest the battle field, and a well turned ankle in high heeled boots doesn't actually result in a badly turned ankle on the battlefield.  Ah well, but thats what makes it GOOD!

        The following illustrations are from Clyde Caldwell's gallery, which is located HERE.  He has graciously allowed me to reproduce some of  his work here, and I have made sure to give credit where credit is due (with hotlinks back to his web site), and to remind my readers that you too can actually own these wonderful works of art. In the next couple of  months, I will attempt to make some of these armours, and if they are good enough, I'll even post pictures of them here.  So bookmark this page, and come back often!  I think this will be one page I won't mind taking the time to keep updated!
 

click on image to enlarge ©2004, 2009 Clyde Caldwell All Rights Reserved Size: 18" x 23 5/8" Medium: Oils Date: 2002 Publication: Limited Edition Art Print This painting is not for sale. To Purchase a Limited Edition Print of 'Elsbeth the Enchantress', click here