Recently, Ashley asked in the comments for podcast Episode 606, Behind the Scenes of Classic Cover Art: Shirley Green and Sharon Spiak:
“whaaaat how did you get that for your wall? Where can I get rad oldschool cover art?”
Ashley has inspired me to collect a few places from which Old Skool Cover Art can be yours!
I’ve been fascinated with romance cover art since the beginning, and have done a lot of research, interviews, and general nosy-nebby writing about it.
In 2013, I interviewed cover artist Joe DiCesare, who painted Jennifer Greene’s Night of the Hunter. This interview was one of the first I did where I realized how much WORK went into painting old cover art:
I always used professional models and a photographer to shoot my reference. I used Michel Legrou, owner of Media Photo Group, and he is one of the best photographers for romance! After shooting the models in the photo studio, I edited all the photos down to a final pose that fit the story.
Using the photographs, I created a black and white pencil sketch with lots of detail to show the layout, design, and pose of the purposed cover. After the sketch was approved by the Art Director, I had the sketch photographed, and the reference slides printed out to full color prints. I transferred my approved sketch to the final canvas, and sometimes did an under-painting in a warm monotone to start my painting.
Finally, I was ready to start painting the final artwork, usually taking about a week to complete the final oil painting. I can remember carrying many wet paintings on the crowded subways of New York as I was delivering the art to the client!
I have NEVER forgotten the image of a cover artist carrying a wet painting onto the subway!
I’ve also interviewed art directors about typeface choices, and went to the Covering Romance gallery exhibit in February 2024 for John Ennis’ collection:
This is clearly a field of pop art I’m endlessly nosy about. So let’s talk where to get some!
I’ll start with John Ennis: all the art at the gallery exhibit was for sale. Most of the larger pieces were in the $400-500 range, with smaller pieces available at $75 and $150.
You can follow Mr. Ennis on Instagram @JohnEnnisRomanceCovers and use the contact form at John-Ennis.com to enquire about specific pieces, like this one:
Steve Ammidown visited us to share his journeys through eBay romance memorabilia, and eBay is indeed a place to find some old cover art.
I typically search for “romance novel cover painting,” with ‘painting’ being a key piece of that search. Otherwise you get covers of books made into other things, or just copies of books with the original ‘cover art.’
This one is listed at $699.99 and is from a book called Sunny Says by Jan Hudson:
This one is by artist George A. Bush and is $775, and I have questions about how the model achieved such incredible flexibility.
Do other people’s backs do that?
That cover is from Shameless Ecstasy by Thea Devine.
But now that we have a memorable artist’s name: searches for George A. Bush reveal a few more covers on eBay! Like this one!
This painting is $724, and is from Passage to Pontefract by Jean Plaidy, aka Victoria Holt.
Some listings on eBay come with a copy of the book, such as this one for Mr. Jeffries and the Jilt, A Regency romance by Joy Reed:
That listing is $149.
Among the prominent artists that painted romance novel covers: John Ennis, who I’ve already mentioned, Sharon Spiak, Pino Daeni, Elaine Duillo, James Griffin, or Victor Gadino. The one I have on my office wall is by Sandro.
Finally, Sharon Spiak, the artist I interviewed alongside photographer Shirley Green in Episode 606, is also offering some of her original paintings for sale as well as prints!
The prints range in price from $30-$34, while the original paintings range from $2000-7000.
This is the original art for The Hawk and the Dove by Virginia Henley:
Is it wrong that:
- I’m disappointed that the cover text disguises how Very Suggestively he is holding onto his own sword?
- I remember that one nipple more than I remember the cover overall?
And this, another original, is going to be the start of a lot of lesbian historical heist fiction, I bet!
This is titled Distant Choices, though I’m not sure who the author might have been, and is $5000. (There is a book by Brenda Jagger called Distant Choices, which features two sisters, only one of whom is legitimate: “Katharine was dark, rebellious and unruly. Oriel was fair, poised and pleasant. But whereas Kate is legitimate, Oriel is not.” While I couldn’t find this art on the cover, it does fit.)
Ah, what a time in art and romance.
I can’t be the only one who loves looking at the original paintings, right? I love this so much. It’s a whole realm of pop art that seems to be disappearing.
Do you have a favorite piece of cover art? Have you bought or found an original? Would you want to have romance cover art hanging on your wall?