In the late 70s, all my clients were situated near each other in midtown Manhattan. To get there, I would take a train or bus to town and walk through the seedier parts of Times Square.
Occasionally I would encounter a derelict, who would approach me with hand outstretched, and I would experience a momentary state of mental flip-flop while I tried to determine what his intention was. This happened often enough for me to recall it when I received a commission to do the cover for DAW Books' The Year's Best Horror Stories.
Amplifying the feeling of uncertainty to surreal levels, the painting forces the viewer to wonder whether the figure depicted is the victim of some sadistic act or a baleful creature that has selected the viewer as its next prey.
Additional images from DEAD END
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That cover literally changed my life: I was in an Army hospital with pneumonia and this was among the reading matter supplied by the Red Cross. Every last story fried my fragile little mind, but that cover was what sealed it for me. Thank you very much for it: as soon as I was discharged from the hospital and the Army, I tracked down all of the Year's Best Horror collections up to then as well as books by so many of the selected authors. The 1980s were a really good reading period for me, and I can't thank you enough for setting it off in spectacular fashion.
One of the creepier covers you did for this series!