Paul R. Gregory

Paul Raymond Gregory is an English artist born and raised in Derby (UK) in 1949.[1] Best known for his JRR Tolkien-inspired fantasy paintings and rock album covers, he has also created book covers and is a co-founder of Bloodstock Open Air Heavy Metal festival.

Early life and artwork

During the 1970s Paul opened a gallery in his home village, where he exhibited several local and international artists’ work. Around this time, He began producing a series of paintings based on JRR Tolkien's epic tale, The Lord of the Rings. His first canvas was completed in 1978 and measured 10'x 6'.[2] To date, Paul has painted a total of 38 Tolkien pieces. Ex-Sotheby's art dealer Peter Nahum owns the major part of Paul’s Tolkien-inspired artwork [3] and has staged exhibitions in the UK and Europe using bespoke frames by John Davies.

Album artwork

In 1984 Paul was commissioned to paint the sleeve artwork for Saxon's album Crusader.[4] Since then, he has painted twelve album covers for Saxon. Over the years, Paul has received commissions from many other well-known rock and heavy metal bands including: Dio, Uriah Heep, Blind Guardian, Molly Hatchet, Freedom Call, The Company of Snakes, Beholder and Battalion.[5] Paul has also produced the cover art for a series of books by fantasy novelist, Cecilia Dart-Thornton.[6]

Bloodstock Heavy Metal Festival

In 2001, Paul co-founded Amust4music, which became the company behind Bloodstock Open Air; an event inspired by the glory days of Donington's Monsters of Rock festival - and attracts crowds in excess of 10,000.[7]

References

  1. ↑ "Biography". Studio54. Retrieved 2012-02-25.
  2. ↑ "The Designs of Melkor, a triptych - Ungoliant by PAUL RAYMOND GREGORY". OnlineGalleries.com. Retrieved 2012-02-25.
  3. ↑ "Exhibitions - Peter Nahum At The Leicester Galleries". Leicestergalleries.com. Retrieved 2012-02-25.
  4. ↑ "Biff Byford talks about the Crusader Album Cover by Paul Raymond Gregory | Video Youtube - NMETV Latest Music Videos and Clips". Nme.Com. Retrieved 2012-02-25.
  5. ↑ "Interview with Paul Gregory". Festivalintheshire.com. 2010-08-15. Retrieved 2012-02-25.
  6. ↑ "The Ill-Made Mute - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia". Secure.wikimedia.org. 2012-01-09. Retrieved 2012-02-25.
  7. ↑ "Bloodstock news and worldwide heavy metal news". Bloodstock.uk.com. Retrieved 2012-02-25.

External links