I am very sad to report that Ned Dameron passed on Thursday, October 20th, 2022.  Born Edward Palfrey IV in 1943, "Ned" was a native of Louisiana who turned to painting after studying sculpture and figurative realism with major artists at Tulane's Newcomb School of Art. Dameron’s mother had an art gallery in New Orleans, and dealt in contemporary European paintings - many of which were of the fantastic school; this gave him the idea for painting in a similar vein. After graduation, 1966 he worked for an advertising agency then turned to easel paintings for local galleries, and freelance illustration painting under the name “Arthur Amber”. He lived and painted in San Francisco 1977-1979, and was influenced by the then emerging style sometimes called “California Visionary”. He lived in the Washington DC area for a while in the 1980s and exhibited his personal works, while taking freelance assignments in the SF/F genre. Through the 1980s and into the 1990s, Dameron’s mix of romanticized architectural backgrounds, old-world style, and colorful palette were a good match to the sorts of literary projects undertaken by specialty house publishers, especially the fully illustrated high quality hard-cover book, published in limited quantities for collectors. Almost all his commissions during that time came from two publishers, Donald M. Grant and Underwood-Miller. For their books he produced cover art and many full color plates and black-and-white drawings for interior illustrations, numbering in the dozens for each book - most of which have long been sold. In the mid 1990s Dameron moved into gaming, finding the same opportunity there to build a freelance relationship with one major client (TSR). After 2000 Ned turned back to literary small press and private commissions, which included several large sculptures in bronze. 

 

I am pleased to be able to offer works from his

remaining inventory, ranging from early published

illustrations for Underwood-Miller and Donald Grant,

to his most recent commissions for Stephen King's

"The Stand" (Cemetery Dance, 2023) as well as his

personal works, spanning well over 40 years as a

professional artist.

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