Terry Pastor - Circus Letter A

Terry Pastor is best known for his iconic album covers for David Bowie. He created both 1971’s Hunky Dory and 1972’s ‘The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars’. The artworks were originally shot in black and white, and then coloured by airbrush and hand tinting by Pastor. Having started his career in a commercial art studio in London during the 1960s (although he was sacked for having long hair), Pastor went on to become a master of airbrushing with his own studio in Covent Garden and continued through the late 60s, 70s and 80s producing illustration and advertising work. He has also produced album covers for the Beach Boys , The Sweet, Alex Harvey to name but a few and book covers for authors such as Arthur C. Clarke, Michael Crichton and Jeffery Archer. 

Alongside his commercial illustration work Pastor is an acclaimed artist and painter. With exhibitions internationally, his own work celebrates a love of Americana and embodies the very essence of Pop Art. Having grown up in Surrey listening to Little Richard on Radio Luxembourg and flicking through Dan Dare Comics and American adverts in National Geographic, these influences have found their way into his art. An admiration of fellow airbrush Pop Artists, Peter Phillips and James Rosenquist, can be seen in Pastor’s work, alongside his love of cars, planes, toys and pin up girls. 

Pastor’s interest in technology and machinery has meant an interesting contemporary development in his art. He has found that his use of airbrush, unlike other painting techniques, has a direct correlation with digital airbrush and he now produces artwork digitally, using the same skill and methods he uses with hand airbrush. This results in a work filled with colour and intricacy and concerned with perfection and precision.