Born in rural Surrey in 1946
to an English mother and Austrian father, Terry Pastor's earliest memories are of filling drawing books, from as early as three or four years old. A childhood love of Sci-Fi and Dan Dare’s space adventures was followed by an interest in the full page adverts he found within the pages of the American National Geographic magazine, sourced through friends of his parents.
The highlight of my week as a child was the Eagle comic.
The American car styling, with huge tail fins and chrome everywhere, was an exotic sight for an 8 year old growing up in the UK. As the Rock & Roll era dawned, Pastor already had a well-developed aesthetic and was ready to become part of it.
At age 15
Pastor left school and worked for three years in a commercial art studio in Fleet Street, London where he discovered and mastered the use of the airbrush. This discovery would prove to be of great significance as the airbrush became a signature of his style.
Pastor brought the influence of his childhood interests to play
along with new inspirations when he opened his own studio in the basement of the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden. It was here that he created album covers for the Beach Boys, Alex Harvey, The Sweet, Carl Palmer, Soft Machine and many other artistes. Most notably, his output from this era included David Bowie's Hunky Dory and The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars.
Terry Pastor's paintings feature in private collections around the world
including those of Roman Polanski, Roman Ford Coppola, Status Quo, Gary Kemp, Chris Farlowe, and the late John Peel. His work has been exhibited in London, New York, Munich, Amsterdam and at The British Contemporary Art exhibition in Sweden alongside the work of Francis Bacon and Peter Blake, and now features in the collections of the Victoria & Albert Museum.
I've been lucky enough through my career to meet and work with some great artistes and musicians