Friday, May 24, 2024

Dungeons and Dragons: Dave Trampier print


 

Back in 2022 I had the good fortune of purchasing this brilliant print of a Dave Trampier painting from none other than Tim Kask himself. It's taken me a while to blog about it...

July of '22 I noticed a sale on FB, posted by Jim Wampler. Yup...he of Dungeon Crawl Classic, Mutant Crawl Classic, fantastic artist & best bud of the "Curmudgeon in the Cellar" Tim Kask. 

FOR SALE: This is a 2/2 print made from a Dave Trampier painting originally done for The Dragon #11 in 1976. The painting includes caricatures of the TSR Periodicals staff, including Gary Gygax, Tim Kask, Jake Jaquet, Rob Kuntz, Dave Trampier, David Sutherland, Tom Wham, and Joe Orlowski.

The image was used on the back cover of The Dragon #11, and by TSR as a Christmas card that same year. The original painting hung in Tim’s basement for decades, and was sold to a collector a few years ago on the condition that Tim could make two prints of it first. The 1/2 print now resides in the same spot on Tim’s basement wall the painting once occupied, and with this auction the 2/2 print could hang on your wall.

The long & short of it? Bought the print from Tim. Hangs on my wall & makes me smile everytime I walk into the room! 

Tramp's my far and away favorite D&D artist. Thanks to Tim & Jim I own a bit of D&D history.

Here's some pics...

My copy The Dragon magazine #11 from December of 1977. The original TRAMP painting was on the back cover.



I was so jazzed the day it arrived.


TRAMP's initials in the lower right corner.


 The print after having it professionally framed.


That's not where the awesomeness ends, people! Tim sent along a note commemorating the sale. I almost flipped my whig whenI realized the note was written on Tim's original letterhead from his time as THE editor of The Dragon magazine!




I still can't controll my fan boy enthusiasm! Thanks again Tim & Jim!

'Till next time.

EXCELSIOR