It's Life, Jim

Seventies record sleeves were the perfect showcases for artists like Roger Dean, Guy Peellaert and Jim Fitzpatrick. Many of us were partial to Jim because he was an Irish guy who loved his mythology and was a vital element of the Thin Lizzy deal. I believe he came on board with 'Vagabonds Of The Western World' and 'The Rocker'. Later he framed the band with the likes of Jailbreak', 'Johnny the Fox' and 'Black Rose', underlining the glamour, the posturing and the rhapsodic air.

Jim rocked the Book Of Kells by way of American comic books and the swirling bravura of Aubrey Beardsley. He also made an iconic screenprint of Che Guevara, turning an Alberto Korda photograph into the essential rebel poster. In recent years he's also supplied bespoke sleeves for Sinead O' Connor and Ash.

So I was delighted to see the Jim Fitzpatrick exhibition at the Wicker Man shop in Belfast. It's a modest little collection but enough to reveal the verve and the detail. My inner 15 year old is elated.