Cover image for “Coffee, Tea, and Drinks” issue of 70s Sci-Fi Art
Adam Rowe’s 70s Sci-Fi Art site/newsletter is an absolute gem if you’re into retro-futurism. When it arrives in my inbox I usually save it for when I have some time to explore the images and links, because I love the aesthetic so much. He does a really good job of arranging his missives around a specific theme, and the recent “Coffee, Tea, and Drinks” is a great example of the deep dives on topics as quotidian as beverages in the future. David Schleinkofer’s cover for Nightside City by Lawrence Watt-Evans featuring a woman having her coffee while gazing out on a Fifth Element-esque scene is peak 80s scifi art. Everything from the braid to the holstered gun to the grey space suit complete with wrist and ankle computers just makes her seem like such a bad-ass. Now put all that against a cheery Blade Runner cityscape, and I’m hooked. It reminds me a bit of Larry Elmore’s art from the 80s sci-fi role playing game Star Frontier, although a lot more contemplative and subdued—I mean she is drinking her morning coffee. Here is Schleinkofer’s art in its entirety:
David Schleinkofer’s 1989 cover for Nightside City, by Lawrence Watt-Evans
I just love folks like Rowe who scour far and wide to curate and deliver the best art of a given genre. His site led to the publication of the physical book World Beyond Time: Sci-Fi Art of the 70s that I finally purchased this morning (while drinking coffee) given how much joy this site has brought me over the years.
If you are into old school sci-fi art from yesteryear, this is ground zero. The fun themes and intelligent commentary just add that much more to his ridiculously cool finds. Do yourself a favor and lock it in!
For an added bonus, the 70s Sci-Fi Art site uses the blogging platform Ghost which Taylor Jadin will be taking folks through getting up and running with next week for the Reclaim Community Chat.
