Daydreaming
The Art of Slawek Wojtowicz

By Slawek Wojtowicz

     Though Poland-born Slawek Wojtowicz is a doctor of internal medicine, he has had a fascination with science fiction since he was a child. He was active in the Gdansk Science Fiction Club and created a number of illustrations for the club's newsletter and soon was doing paintings for science fiction conventions and program covers. When he came to the U.S. to do his residency at the Henry Ford Hospital in Detroit, he decided to stay. There he found other science fiction buffs and had the opportunity to create book covers for authors in the U.S. and in Poland.

      Daydreaming: The Art of Slawek Wojtowicz is a vivid collection of Wojtowicz's best work, all in full color. The format is 8 ½ x 11 with several small images on a page, full-page, and even double-page pictures. The majority of the images are digitally produced and offer a dynamic look at the future and alien worlds. The book is divided into six chapters that deal with these themes, as well as a small section of fantasy and tributes to Isaac Asimov's Foundation and David Brin's Uplift saga. Each image is annotated and contributes to a photo story according to the chapter's theme. Wojtowicz also includes a tutorial on how he creates these digital images.

      The images in Daydreaming: The Art of Slawek Wojtowicz are bright and evocative. His "Manhattan Y3K," an illustration for a magazine article, is a visionary look at what large urban centers will look like. Its intense busyness conveys the bustle of New York City. "Kiyama," a book cover for a Diane Kemp-Jones novel of the same name, on the other hand, is tranquil, with a female figure standing on what looks like a fired-clay potter's wheel before an alien moon. In contrast to both, "Traveling City" depicts a world in which the viewer can get lost.

       Daydreaming: The Art of Slawek Wojtowicz offers interesting worlds to explore, full of color and texture. It is hoped that Wojtowicz will continue to draw images from his very talented and creative mind and future volumes of his work will be available.