Hands down, the coolest gifts the kids got for Christmas were these amazing framed, retro chic movie posters, designed and illustrated by our friend Sean Hartter.

ARIA ~ Princess of Unicorn Castle

COLIN – Lazer Knight of the Star Zone

Here’s how I came to know Sean.

Andi has one of those amazing friends who stand by your side, through thick and thin, throughout your entire life. With all the twists of the road that come our way in life, there isn’t a TomTom on Earth that could keep the routes committed to memory through each map change – so when you find a friend who somehow remains close and at-the-ready through all the times, good and bad, happy and sad – that’s a feat worth celebrating. Hell – the Greeks would fill volumes in homage to such friendship.

Not everyone gets one and then there are those who do… and then lose it.

But Andi has a handful of friends that have had her back since way back in grade school… and one of those is the lovely Allison, who as luck would have it, met Sean some day way back before I was painted into Andi’s picture. They married, had a couple of kids, I came along, swept Andi off her feet, she realized that she couldn’t draw breath so long as she walked the Earth knowing a mega-stud like myself was out there and accepted my marriage proposal.

Somewhere in all of that confusing chronology I shook Sean’s hand and knew instantly that he and I were cut of the same cloth; although where I was giving the gift of jibber-jabber he was rewarded handsomely with a deft control of color and ink.

This guy is a true artist and I am absolutely in awe of every creation of his.

And his command over the creative arts is backed by an encyclopedic knowledge of geek pop culture – the same currency I trade in – meaning he’s well-versed in the various comic, film and music universes that birthed some of our most exciting auteurs in action today; including the Mack Daddy of ‘em all, Quentin Tarentino.

Which brings me around to those faux movie posters above – which go for a grindhouse vibe; albeit that one theater that took to showing a groovy kid’s matinee before the blood splattered on the evening twin bill.

Aria has hers proudly displayed in the playroom while Colin’s will greet you when you touch down in his space-themed bedroom. In both, they tie the rooms together – drawing your eye the second you enter.

I love them both and when we first unwrapped them at our annual Christmas Party, one thought immediately jumped to mind.

“Me want one!!!”

That’s right – I lost all control over proper grammar and sentence structure. That’s what admiration and greed will do to you.

And that’s why I decided to dedicate this post to Sean’s craft.

He’s a real talent and one who has begun to receive notice, especially in the blogosphere, but I think in a perfect world he should be getting leagues more attention. Life is too short to not shout it from the rooftops when you find something worth celebrating.

Running along the side of my Home Page is a link to his site.

I urge you to check it out. The site showcases some of his wares – including some cool “What If?” movie posters. For years, fanboys have dreamed Clint Eastwood into the role of Wolverine. Sean makes that an alternate reality.

Sean has also done some fantastic illustration work and collaborated with author Jason Shannon on a children’s book, Three Things About Animals… And Only One of Them’s True which can be purchased by following this link to the listing on Amazon.

The point is, this is guy is good – real good… and if I can do my part to send a person or two his way, then I feel like I’ve played my part in the introduction. Just being a good host. Like I said earlier, the older I get, the more I realize that life is too short to not celebrate those things we cherish. And to recognize and sing the praises of greatness.

That’s where I find myself on both respects with regards to Sean’s work.

I think I see a bit of him in me in that he’s obviously got a flowing river of creativity – with wild thoughts and sights just streaming from his fervent imagination – and somewhere out there is someone who would pay big money to bottle even a small amount of it. Here’s hoping the two shall meet.

I realize that smacks of complete narcissism in lumping myself in the same boat but I’ve been completely honest on these pages. I suck at pretty much every major station in life with one exception – I think I can write fairly well and I know how to engage an audience. But that’s all in writing.

I know that it would just make my millennium if something I wrote was held up high for all to see so that’s what I’m doing here. Paying it forward. After all, a little bit of good karma does the body good.

So, take a moment and head over to Sean’s site. And if something grabs you, post a comment below. If you see anything you like over there, he can make you a poster for framing for small money, including shipping. And who knows, maybe you can even reach out and get him to do something custom for a few dollars more.

Get in on the ground floor before this cat hits the roof!!!