Toronto Star Trek '76

The story of Canada's first — and perhaps best — Star Trek convention

Art with Kelly Freas and Phil Foglio

Convention guest Kelly Freas was a popular illustrator and artist. Star Trek fans of the 1970s and 1980s would be most familiar with his series of seven officer portraits, often sold at early conventions. He died in 2005.

Three prints of paintings by Kelly Freas, showing Spock, Uhura, and Kirk. — The Freas display at the art show. Photo by Conrad Felber

A medium shot of artist Kelly Freas sitting at a folding table, sketchbook on his knee, drawing a young man opposite.

Star Trek actor Mark Lenard in a two-shot with artist Kelly Freas during a panel discussion. — Freas sketching and with Mark Lenard. Photos by Frank Goodman

Also at the convention was artist Phil Foglio, who has been nominated for a number of Hugo awards (in both the professional and fan categories) and won the Fan Artist Hugo twice, in 1977 and 1978. He is also the co-creator of the popular slideshow The Capture with writer Robert Asprin.

Foglio riffed on Freas’ Star Trek portraits with comedic versions for the program.