JANUARY 25, 2020
Bart Bus is the amazing illustrator who did these five paintings for Matamoros. You can see more of his work – ranging from sci-fi to pop culture to classical – at https://www.bartbusart.com/
The first image here is of a few Union troops atop the bell tower, above the tent city near the Fort – but I won’t say any more than that about that. The next painting shows a couple Reb soldiers rolling a barrel to the Rio Grande to get some water.
When I first told Bart I was writing a Civil War novel and asked if he would consider doing the cover art, he “dashed” off the 5 displayed here as if they were sketches. I find myself getting lost in them – the detail, the sense of movement in the action paintings, the sense of stillness in the tableaux. I particularly love the face on the escaping horse.

Some of these paintings relate directly to events in the novel or the CD; some were just inspired by the history. Some of them inspire me to want to write another book.
Anyway, that’s Bart. Visit his page; treat yourself.