I’d like to welcome Chris Silas Neal to Thumbtack Press. The thing I like most about our selection is how different and unique each artist is. I often get submissions from very talented illustrators, but I don’t sell two somewhat-alike styles, and I never will.

When I was a mail boy at Disney Studios in the early 90s I used to have the executive mail run, Eisner, Katzenberg, and nephew Disney himself, and they had “high society” art in their halls man! I’m talking about priceless pieces of art that was a nice contrast from the Genies and Mermaids that were down in the trenches. At the time I thought they showcased this art because they wanted visitors to see know ‘progressive’ they were, that it wasn’t all about cartoons. But after a few weeks of checking out this art, I got that this stuff was powerful - its about power. I’d pause often and just study the art, especially Jeffrey Vallance who had an amazing portrait of the King of Tonga - again, power! I’d stop and gaze until I had to get back to my mail rounds - I’m sure the receptionist thought I was scatching my head and thinking “You call this art?! My 6 year-old niece can do this!”, but I wasn’t.

Chris Silas Neal’s work reminds me of Vallance and moves me deeply - it brings me back to those years when I was a nothing at Disney and no one could have guessed that a punk like me could comprehend and appreciate the art of kings.