Description

I painted this cover for the Simon Pulse edition of Sylvia Engdahl's Newberry award winning novel, "Enchantress From the Stars." In the story, Elana, a member of an interstellar civilization on a mission to a medieval planet, steeped in superstition, becomes the key to a dangerous plan to turn back an invasion. Georyn, the son of a woodcutter, knows sees Elana as the "Enchantress from the Stars" who has come to test him, to prove he is worthy. At the time I painted the artwork, I had a once-a-week gig teaching illustration in Philadelphia. Three of my students posed for the cover. I collected all the artifacts in the scene during multiple trips I made over the years to Malaysia, Indonesia, and Nepal.