Artist Roger Dean will appear at Rick Wakeman’s inaugural Wakemanfest in Lincolnshire this October.
Running October 30 to November 1, Wakemanfest was conceived by Rob Ayling of Gonzo Multimedia as a three day event that would revolve around people Rick Wakeman has worked with over his 40 years in the music industry.
Dean’s fantasy landscape art has appeared on album covers by Yes, Asia, Uriah Heep and many others, with his work dating back to 1968. His first design for Yes was 1971’s Fragile and his creation of the classic Yes ‘bubble’ logo first appeared on 1972’s Close To The Edge. The artist’s links to the band were developed further with contributions to his brother Martyn Dean’s stage set designs for the group.
Dean says: “I don’t really think of myself as a fantasy artist but as a landscape painter.”
He will showcase his art and hold a question and answer session at Wakemanfest on Saturday, October 31 from 3.40pm to 4pm.
Wakemanfest will feature the host’s own English Rock Ensemble and performances by Strawbs, The Cadbury Sisters, Sir Henry of Rawlinson’s End and The London Philharmonic Skiffle Orchestra, among others, with Wakeman making guest appearances throughout the weekend and participating in multiple Q&A sessions.
Wakeman recently issued the CD/DVD package Access All Areas, which presents a 1990 performance from the Bedrock TV series.
The keyboard icon is also one of 70 musicians working on The Vivaldi Metal Project. Due for release next year, it will feature a heavy rock version of Vivaldi’s The Four Seasons, which was originally written around 1720 as a set of four violin concertos by the Italian Baroque composer.
