Terry Oakes
Artist
Atlantis Rising by Terry Oakes – featured in The Imaginariad Collection
Terry Oakes is a celebrated Welsh artist whose vivid imagination and technical prowess made him a standout figure in the science fiction, fantasy, and gothic horror scenes of the 1980s. Best known for his striking covers for the iconic Fighting Fantasy gamebooks by Steve Jackson and Ian Livingstone, as well as chilling illustrations for horror authors like Guy N. Smith and Richard Laymon, Oakes’ work helped define the visual language of genre fiction in the UK.
Discovered in the late 1970s by John Spencer’s “Young Artists” agency, Oakes quickly became a go-to illustrator for major British publishers. His art was intense, atmospheric, and often tinged with a sense of dark theatricality that made his covers unforgettable on bookstore shelves.
Words of support for The Imaginariad
"The images of the upcoming IMAGINARIAD look something special...there cannot exist anything to currently compare with it...The thought that maybe, just maybe, one of my paintings would inspire some young person to actually read the book the image depicted would be a reward beyond comparison for me."
Terry Oakes' Cover Art
All artwork and book cover images remain the copyright of their respective creators. They are used here with permission solely to showcase the artist’s work in the context of this concept site.