Dragons in Time

Dragons have been a unique example of a reoccurring motif in various cultures, ranging from the serpents decorating the Mayan pyramids to the classic tales of knights and dragons in Europe to the expansive list of eastern dragon deities that are represented in countries like Japan and China. The concept of a flying reptile has fascinated the world internationally, across various points in time. So prevalent is its image that is still readily seen in movies, digital art, and tattoos. Why has this monster, out of so many, been one retained in popular media? Perhaps it is the idea of godliness and power that has been associated with it or just the fact that they look very cool. Either way, it can’t be denied that dragons have had a long-standing livelihood in cultural relevance; maybe not to the point of worship, but still significant enough to tell stories of again and again.

  Thomas Moser is a tattoo artist local to Long Beach and owner of Port City Tattoo. The primary focus in his artwork are Eastern depictions of dragons. These geographical-specific beasts are characterized by their long snake-like body, clawed feet, reptilian facial features, and horned mane. Although varying in exact depiction between pieces, much like the variation in portrayals of dragons, his common themes of ferocity and boldness remain prominent. His style is defined by his use of black space and red-green complementary palette that both bring out a sense of intimidation from each of his works. This is likely the allure of his work as a tattoo artists. Those seeking a Moser piece pursue the same perception of power that dragons have upheld throughout time.

Anne Stokes fits in my group gallery not only because she is a great artist but because she creates dragons with meaning like having power and her dragons are a magical fantasy. My group gallery is dragons in time and I thought adding Anne was a good idea. She is a fantasy artist whose early work has appeared in role-playing games, particularly Dungeons & Dragons. Also, she does dragons tattoos that are really beautiful pieces. She shows passion towards her dragons. She is know for fantasy art. Also, for our gallery the concept of a flying reptile has fascinated the world internationally, across various points in time. In addition, she creates new creatures and are brought to life in a unique and eye catching manner. So prevalent is it’s image that is still readily seen in movies, digital art, and tattoos. Which you see this in her work when she does tattoos, t-shirts, and paintings etc.

Satoshi Tagiri is a significant dragon artist because he’s created so many unique designs that all depicted dragons. Since the video game he created, Pokemon, is so popular, many kids have never seen or heard of dragons until they saw one in the video game. 

Larry Elmore follows our art gallery’s vision as he depicts dragons in the most classic European-American form. They are also iconic as they are showcased everywhere in the Dungeons & Dragons franchise. Elmore clearly puts much care and close attention to detail in not only his design of dragons but also the fantasy setting surrounding it. Game designer Graeme Davis best puts it: “[Larry Elmore] should get some kind of award for drawing so many dragons and making them all different.” A long-standing forefront runner of the fantasy illustration industry, Elmore stands proud as one of the most notable illustrators of dragons.