“Requiem for Shiva,” which appears in the February issue of The Future Fire, is my first story for which a publication provided custom art work.  Oregon artist Rhiannon Rasmussen-Silverstein produced two fantastic black and white drawings (they look like charcoal drawings to me) that do an incredible job of capturing the mood of my story.

“Requiem for Shiva” is about loss and redemption, and an iconic image in the story is the “walker,” a mechanical device capable of cross-dimensional travel and destroying worlds.  Ms. Rasmussen-Silverstein’s two drawings capture the walker’s sleek and terrifying presence.

In addition to being skilled with charcoals, Ms. Rasmussen-Silverstein is a talented printer, as a visit to her online gallery will show.  Much of her work is reminiscent of Hawaiian block printing, which should come as no surprise because she originally comes from the islands.  I’m impressed by her color prints—I particularly like “and be not afraid” and “the wolf forest”—becasue they are dark, intricate and fascinating.  She is a fantastic artist, and I recommend you check out her artwork.