D. West of Embsay, Skipton, United Kingdom, is this year’s recipient of the Rotsler Award, given annually for long-time artistic achievement in amateur publications of the science fiction community. Established in 1998, it carries an honorarium of US$300.
The award was formally announced on November 27th at Loscon 38, a Los Angeles-area SF convention held every year over the Thanksgiving Day weekend. An exhibit honoring West’s work was displayed in the Art Show.
West’s sour wit and satirical eye, directed as freely upon himself as others, make his drawings famous. He is in fact more versatile, which he sometimes reveals. D. West once wrote an overview of fan artists for Simon Ounsley’s Lagoon, each entry accompanied by a sample of the artist’s work—every one a virtually undetectable fake produced by West’s own hand. West is a three-time winner of the Fanzine Activity Achievement Award (FAAn) as Best Fan Artist (1995, 1998, 2000) and is a three-time nominee for the Best Fan Artist Hugo Award (1979, 1987, 1999).
The Rotsler Award is sponsored by SCIFI, Inc., the Southern California Institute for Fan Interests, a non-profit corporation, which in 2006 hosted the 63rd World SF Convention. The award is named for the late William Rotsler, a talented and prolific artist over many years. Current judges are Claire Brialey, Mike Glyer, and John Hertz.
For more about the Rotsler Award, go to www.scifiinc.org/rotsler. Samples of West’s work will be posted shortly.