Jeffrey Jones (1947-2011)

Jeffrey Jones, a great talent and titan of the Fantasy Sci-Fi arts community has departed from our Earthy realm. He leaves an amazing legacy of artwork behind him for all of us to continue to appreciate him by during our brief time here. My particular favorites the images of women he so beautifully captured. His feel and draftmanship of the female form is quite exquisite.

I never had the opportunity to meet Jeffrey in person, although he was part of the same community of artists as Greg at Comic Con and the Allen Spiegel Fines Arts gang. Jeffrey, along with others like Frank Frazetta, are part of the legacy of master artists who found their niche in the Fantasy and SciFi arenas. Although I am no expert in this field, in my opinion, they were instrumental in the creation of that niche, particularly Frank, which spawned a huge industry. Both Jeffry and Frank have inspired a tremendous amount of artists and will both be remembered with great respect and fondness.

I hope they have both found peace and are still creating magnificent works in the astral.

Drawing ©Jeffrey Jones

Frank Frazetta

Whew, what a whirlwind! Last Saturday we flew to Philly, spent a few days in Pennsylvania, drove to NYC, then back to Philly. We return home tomorrow. The trip has been great fun and inspirational. Upon our arrival at the Philadelphia airport, we rented a car and drove out to Stroudsburg to visit the Frazetta Gallery in the morning. Frank Frazetta is a Brooklyn born artist best known for his book cover illustrations for the John Carter of Mars and Conan series. I was introduced to Frazettas work while attending art school. Greg however, has been a fan since he was in 5th grade. At the gallery we met others who, like Greg, had been introduced to Franks work when they were young boys. Obviously Mr. Frazetta tapped the soul of many young lads who have been influenced and inspired by his paintings. Ellie, Franks' wife, filled is in on some great stories while we were there. The published works do not do justice to the original paintings housed at in the fire proof structure on the outskirts of Stroundsburg. A must see for all fans and those who appreciate fantasy art.
Image above: "Egyptian Queen" by Frank Frazetta
Frank Frazetta website