Jones, Jeff

Jeffrey Jones was born in Atlanta, Georgia in January 1944, deceased in 2011. He thought he wanted to be a scientist when he grew up, so he studied geology in college. But when he moved to New York in 1967, he was searching for work as an artist. He found some creative work in the new black & white comic magazines Creepy and Eerie, Gold Key and some science-fiction digests, but it didn't pay him enough to support his wife and child. Fortunately those early stories paved the way to more lucrative work in the paperback market. At that time, the 'Conan' covers by Frank Frazetta were very popular, so art directors were looking for artists with a similar graphic style. While it appears that Jeff Jones owes a lot to Frazetta's popularity, he had his own style and talent that had nothing to do with muscular barbarians. His style graced a diverse range of covers, from adventure series books like 'Nick Carter' to romantic adventure, gothic romance, sexy black comedies and more. In 1972, Jeff Jones began his long running comic 'Idyl', which ran in every issue of the National Lampoon until August 1975. 'Idyl' is a romantic, poetic collection of words, which sometimes confuses the reader who has already fallen for his delicious pen work. In 1975, Jones founded the Studio together with Berni Wrightson, Barry Windsor-Smith and Michael Kaluta. There they produced posters, portfolios and illustrations for different publishers. In 1979, Dragon Dreams published the book, 'The Studio', which was devoted to the group's work. Jones' own work was reproduced in 'Yesterday's Lily' (Dragon Dreams 1980), which collects a number of his book covers, and 'Age of Innocence' (Underwood Books 1994) with his more romantic works. From the 1960s through the early 1980s Jeffrey Jones was one of the most respected creators of fantasy and science fiction art. Comfortable as both a book cover illustrator and as a comics artist, Jones gained a large and loyal following that resulted in his being honored with a World Fantasy Award for Best Artist. Renowned for his paintings for the works of Robert E. Howard and Fritz Leiber, Jones' atmospheric style became a major influence on subsequent generations of artists. Though he left the commercial field in the late '80s to devote his full attention on Fine Art, Jones has continued to explore the worlds of Science Fiction and Fantasy. Underwood Books' The Art of Jeffrey Jones is the first thorough retrospective of a major American painter's remarkable career. Printed in full-color on premium art paper, this 9 by 12 inch book features 175 stunning works that finally help us to fully understand Jones' versatility and skill and ultimately his importance to the field of fantastic art. Sometimes heroic, sometimes erotic, occasionally hilarious, and always breathtakingly beautiful, The Art of Jeffrey Jones is the first comprehensive collection of his artwork ever published, making this unique volume a publishing event.