Jesse McClain

Fan
Name:	Jesse McClain, Susan Perry-Lewis
Alias(es):	Susan W. Perry, Jesse S. McClain , Susan W. Perry
Type:	fan artist
Fandoms:	Star Trek, Beauty and the Beast (TV), Star Wars, Dracula, Doctor Who, Stargate SG-1, many others
Communities:
Other:
URL:
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Jesse McClain (Susan Perry-Lewis) is a fan artist.

Some of her art was printed in fanzines, but much of it was created for, and sold, at the art shows and auctions at MediaWest*Con.

a caricature by Gordon Carleton of Susan Perry-Lewis, printed in Paladin #1 in 1980

McClain was in charge of/assisted with the auction, and sometimes art show, at MediaWest*Con for many years.

In 1981, when she was nominated for a FanQ award, she and submitted the following bio to The Annual Fan Q Awards Nominations Booklet:

Susan Perry-Lewis was drawing Star Trek long before she knew anything like fandom existed....At her second convention (2'Con ) in Lansing, she met Kevin Lewis (Darth Vader) and they spent their honeymoon one year later at Mos Eastly. She has done illos for everything from Star Wars to Dracula. Most of her work has appeared in WARPED SPACE and FACETS; she's also done illos for TWIN SUNS, REVISIONS, PEGASUS, OBSC'ZINE, and JELLY BABY CHRONICLES, and has work coming up in SYNDIZINE II and WARPED SPACE. Nominated for Favorite Single Artwork.

General Fan Comments

[1979]: Whoever Susan Perry is, don't lose her! She looks to be as good an artist as Alice Jones.

Art for Sale

McClain contributed work to zines in exchange for trib copies. She also, like many BNF fan artists, made [[Fandom and Profit|money on her fanworks.

She did commissioned work. A fan in 2004 wrote: "Picked up the Boromir portrait I commissioned from Jesse McClain."

In 1997, the highest bid for a single piece of art at MediaWest was $575 for a Highlander painting.

In 2008, a fan wrote:

Fanzines also were a great training course for artists. It's been a pleasure, over the years, to see certain artists that started out with talent, grow to become great artists. Some even make money at it too now. Sue Lovett, Jean Kluge, Karen River, Jayne Largent, John Benson, the late Warren Oddsson, Jessie [sic] McClain, Mike Kucharski, Leah Rosenthal, Terry Austin, Alicia Austin, the late Frank Liltz, Gordon Carleton, etc., are just a few of the artists that come to mind.

Art: Differing Venues, Differing Reproduction Quality

The art that fans saw in a zine, despite being the "same," were often quite different due to how it was reproduced. One example is this illo by Susan Perry-Lewis. There are at least four ways fans may have viewed it.

1) in the very first original print run of the 1980 zine, Dracula 2) in possible reprints of "Dracula" done by either the original publisher or an authorized agent; these copies were likely not as high-quality as the original first-run due to costs and fussiness (the publisher of "Dracula" talks about the higher cost of the art, silk screened and otherwise, in the zine's editorial 3) as the illo was printed, with permission, in other venues such as another zine, or in the case of this illo, as it appeared in a MediaWest*Con publication/program book 4) a completely rogue, photocopied copy by fans who wanted to keep or share it with other fans

The fact that the original art, even in the best editor's hands, may not have been given the reproduction care, due to lack of ability and other reasons, that showed the art in the way the original artist intended is a completely different topic!

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  portrait by Susan Perry-Lewis, nominated for a 1981 Fan Q, reprinted in the book that MediaWest*Con put out for fans voting in the 1981 awards

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  the portrait as it appears in the zine itself; keep in mind this example is a photocopy, either authorized or unauthorized

Awards

Many, many of McClain's work was nominated, and the winner, of Fan Q Awards which were announced at MediaWest*Con.

Art

• 1991 MediaWest*Con Dracula art nominated
• 1992 MediaWest*Con "Can I Go Home With You?" (also winner by unanimous decision of the art show staff of the terminally cute award) (cat)
• 1992 MW "Always Remember the Name -- Enterprise" tie with Suzan Lovett's "Dualities"
• 1993 MW "Swiss Army Knife (S.W.A.K.)" (MacGyver)
• 1994 MW Tight Fit (critter)
• 1995 MW "Blood Lust -- Nick Knight" (horror)
• 1996 MW " The Indefatigab le Sherlock Holmes" (detective)
• 1996 MW "Icy Under Fire" (secret agent)
• 1996 MW "Joe Dawson" (portrait)
• 1998 MW "007 Will Steele Your Heart" (secret agent)
• 1998 MW "Spirit Drum" (3-D)
• 1998 MW "The Eternal Star" (portrait, best in show)
• 1999 MW "The Calm & the Storm; the Wisdom of Age & the Passion of Youth" (portrait)
• 2000 MW "Catatonic: New Years Eve 2000" (2 Cute 2 Live)
• 2001 MW "Elemental Energy" (science fiction)
• 2001 MW "Partners" (detective)
• 2001 nominated for a Huggy Award for Stargate SG-1 art (2001)
• 2002 MW "Mysterious Stranger" (best in show)
• 2002 MW "Complex Mind" (detective)
• 2002 MW "Got Oreos?" (2 Cute 2 Live)
• 2002 MW "Akasha, Mother of All" (horror)
• 2003 MW "Superior Intellect" (science fiction)
• 2003 MW "Let's Hunt Some Orc" (portrait)
• 2003 MW "In Search of Answers (best investigator)
• 2003 MW "Targeting Systems Locked!" (2 Cute 2 Live)
• 2003 MW "Be At Peace, Son of Gondor" (best in show)
• 2004 MW "Gandalf the White" (fantasy)
• 2004 MW Mr. Monk and..." (detective)
• 2004 MW "Who's Hunting Whom?" (horror)
• 2004 MW "Pirate!" (portrait)
• 2004 MW "I'm Doomed!" by Jesse McClain
• 2004 MW "Warning -- Red Hatter" (2 Cute 2 Live)
• 2005 MW "Three Faces of Richard Dean Anderson" (best in show)
• 2005 MW "The Coming Dark" (science fiction)
• 2005 MW "Can I Still Serve & Protect" (detective)
• 2005 MW "If The Shoe Fits..." (2 Cute 2 Live)
• 2006 MW "The New Seeker" (critter)
• 2006 MW "The Doctor's In!" (portrait)
• 2006 MW "Goth Tech" (best investigator)
• 2009 MW "Aboriginal Magick" by Jesse McClain tied with "Dear Abby" by Kate Nuernberg (portrait)
• 2009 MW "Green Eyes" tied with "Annie Mae" by Karen River (2 Cute 2 Live)
• 2007 MW "My Favorite Toy" (2 Cute 2 Live)
• 2018 MW "Daleks To The Left of Me" by Seth Cutts & Jesse McClain (with Seth Cutts) (Best in Fabric/Needlework)

Masquerade and Costuming

from an unidentified newspaper article, printed in 1989 in Whispering Gallery #15

• 1992 MW "Shonnon"
• 1993 MW "Runecaster" (best accessories)
• 1997 MW "Don't be Afraid to Mix & Match" (best workmanship/best in show)

Zine Contributions

• Abode of Strife
• Alderaani Imperative
• Apollo's Odyssey
• Carousel of Dreams
• The Celestial Toybox
• Dracula
• Facets
• Jelly Baby Chronicles
• 'Neath the Sidewalks of New York
• No One Gets Left Behind
• Obsc'zine
• Paladin
• Pegasus
• A Promise of Eternity
• ReVisions
• Snowbound, A Path Not Taken, and The Swan
• Syndizine
• Tunnels of Love
• Twin Suns
• Warped Space

• The Wookiee Commode

Sample Art from Zines

While some of McClain's early work was printed in zines, most of it, especially after 1990 was displayed and sold at cons.

1979

• 

  from Warped Space #41 -- "Sue Perry's exacting rendition of the BATTLESTAR warriors invoked the futuristic mystery (when it briefly appeared) on that show well." (Battlestar Galactica (1978))

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  from Warped Space #41 -- "'Spacer Man' fits Han like a glove. The illo of Han could pass for a photo. It captures the imagination. Makes one feel you're looking at Han in the flesh. My compliments to Susan Perry. Hope to see more of her drawings, esp. those of Han."
  
  "Sue Perry's accompanying portrait of Harrison is as perfect as can be imagined, although the facial expression is more along the line of HF-the-kid than HF-the-wicked-swaggering-Casanova."
  
  "I just read WS 41 and I just had to write and say that I flipped out over "Spacer Man" and the illo that went with it. Susan Perry's illo captures the exact quality about Han that has captured women's hearts (including my D.O.B. mother) and made Luke seem dull in comparison." from a letter by Miriam Rogow in "Warped Space" #42 (Star Wars)

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  from Facets #1 -- "I do think, though, that Susan Perry topped her FACETS #1 cover with pg. 39 of WARPED SPACE #41, the illo that accompanies Jane's 'Spacer Man'" (Harrison Ford)

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  from Pegasus v.4 v.2, for the story, "Tuts in Space" (Battlestar Galactica (1978))

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  from Pegasus v.4 v.2 -- "Sue Perry should be shot for Outstanding Talent of the Year—Although, the one on p. 53 looks suspiciously like a self-portrait, if memory serves me correctly." (Star Wars)

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  from Pegasus v.4 v.2 -- "Vol.2 - p.43 - Is Susan Perry's illustration (supposedly of the character Ruari) supposed to look like Shaun Cassidy? Oh, maybe it's supposed to be Luke!" (Star Wars)

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  "Welcome," original art for the zine Dracula

1980

• 

  from Twin Suns #1 (Star Wars)

• 

  The Avengers)

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  from Paladin #1, portrays Honey West (Wild Wild West)

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  from Obsc'zine #4, portrays [[Montgomery Scott] (Star Trek: TOS)

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  from Warped Space #43 -- "Sue Perry's Mark Harris of the unfathomable, vulnerable eyes and tentative webbed fingers, coupled with Donnelly's "Dream of Deep Waters" made me fall in love with the "Man From Atlantis" all over again." (Man from Atlantis)

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  from Dracula

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  from Dracula, uses a common photo reference

• 

  from Dracula

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  from Apollo's Odyssey (Battlestar Galactica (1978))

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  from Apollo's Odyssey (It was printed first, but in the same year as Obsc'zine #4. This illo inspired the slash Apollo/Boomer fic A Flower Springs Up.) (Battlestar Galactica (1978))

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  from Facets #4, sometimes fans' only exposure to fanart was through poor photocopying (either authorized or unauthorized) -- "Sue Perry-Lewis' flawless illo bring the delicate love to life, capturing the tenderness of the moment in the adoring look in Maggie's eye and the wonderfully gentle angle of Halloran's hands — as if her love is so fragile he is afraid to touch her for fear she could break." (Hanover Street)

• 

  from Jelly Baby Chronicles #1 -- "One look at that beautiful cover by Susan Perry-Lewis and I was lost."
  
  "Susan Perry-Lewis' cover... what can I say? Surpassed her usual magnificent standards, a most prestigious and fitting first cover. Kudos to the lady. (UNDERSTATEMENT.)" (Doctor Who)

1981

• 

  from Warped Space #46 -- "Susan Perry-Lewis's wonderfully shaded Mark is more accurately expressive except for that smile. Is that a smile? He looks like he ate a pickle! I've been assured that Mark is the hardest person in the world to draw, and I'm no artist, so I can't offer a critique. I only know how it strikes me." (Man from Atlantis)

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  from Pegasus #5 (Star Wars)

1982

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  from Warped Space #47, for the story, "One to Fly" (Superman)

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  from Warped Space #47 for the story, "Stowaway"

1983

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  from Alderaani Imperative (Star Wars)

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  from Alderaani Imperative for "Killing Frost" (Star Wars)

1984

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  from Warped Space #50 (Remington Steele, James Bond)

1985

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  from Warped Space #52 (Ladyhawke)

1990

• 

  from Carousel of Dreams #1, portrays Joe Maxwell (Beauty and the Beast (TV))

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  from Carousel of Dreams #1 -- "The strongest fiction, a novelette, “Family and Fatherhood” by Gretchen Kuehnlein-Kopmanis, is an account of C's deciding to bear a baby resulting from her rape by a stranger. Elegant artwork for this story by Susan Perry Lewis." (Beauty and the Beast (TV))

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  from Tunnels of Love #2, portrays Devin Wells, reprinted in Snowbound, A Path Not Taken, and The Swan

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  from Tunnels of Love #2, reprinted in Snowbound, A Path Not Taken, and The Swan

2001

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  from Gateways #4, portrays Jack O'Neill -- "Some issues were graced with very pretty Jessie [sic] McClain covers as well." (Stargate SG-1)

2002

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  from Gateways #5, portrays Daniel Jackson (Stargate SG-1)

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  from The Celestial Toybox #18, portrays John Doggett (The X-Files)

2008

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  from No One Gets Left Behind (collage of two previous illustrations) (Stargate SG-1)