The Folly of TK-421

Now that the official announcement for Celebration Art Show has gone public, I am pleased to report that Chris Trevas will be one of the featured artists!  In fact, not only is the Michigan native and his latest work: “The Folly of TK-421” going to be available during Celebration VII… but we can now report that several members of Great Lakes Base were used as reference models by Chris while conceptualizing this particular piece of art.  I had the chance to speak with Chris about this, once the “Imperial blockade” on information was lifted.

AWRI: What inspired you to bring a previously unseen moment from the SW saga such as "The Folly of TK-421"to life?

CT: I always wondered what happened off-screen during that scene.  While working on various Millennium Falcon technical books, like the Haynes Millennium Falcon Owner's Manual, I would imagine different scenarios while looking at the floor plan of the ship.  What was the best way to ambush two pairs of Imperials as they came on board?  I pictured Chewie coming from the rear engineering area and Han from the cockpit side, their unsuspecting targets caught between them.  The smuggling compartments are the perfect place to hide the bodies of course!

AWRI: Fun fact = You held a small photo shoot during our GLB 5 year anniversary celebration where you used GLB members Kieron Dillon (as Han Solo) and Chris Blackstock (as Chewbacca) reference models.  How helpful was it for your creative process to have a pair of Rebel Legion costumers to visualize the scene in real-life ahead of time?

CT: It's extremely helpful to have detailed reference especially for a piece this large.  I first planned out the scene with 6-inch scale Black Series figures to get the basic perspective and composition down.  Shooting the action with live models I can work it out in more detail and really bring a scene to life.  Their accurate costumes let me get the lighting, fabric folds, Wookiee hair, and all the other little details just right.

AWRI: Celebration VII is big opportunity to have your artwork exposed to a wider audience, how would you rank "The Folly of TK-421" in your collection of work?

CT: It's hard for me to pick favorites from my work, but I'm very proud of my Celebration print series from the last few years and I think The Folly of TK-421 is a worthy successor to the others like “His Vision Returns” and “The Hunter and His Prey.”   Star Wars Celebration is usually the only convention I set up at so I spend a lot of time planning and doing my best work for the Art Show.