Jeff Jones RIP
May 19, 2011 6:38 PM   Subscribe

Jeff Jones, comic book artist, science fiction and fantasy artist, and former member of The Studio, died today of emphysema and bronchitis.

2004 interview with Jones.

More art by Jones.

Paperback book covers.

Jones was also well know for her paintings of women. The artist had sex-reassignment surgery in the 1990's and has since been known as Jeffrey Catherine Jones. A documentary on that subject has been in the works.
posted by marxchivist (31 comments total) 8 users marked this as a favorite
 
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posted by Artw at 6:58 PM on May 19, 2011


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posted by Superfrankenstein at 6:59 PM on May 19, 2011


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posted by Max Power at 7:03 PM on May 19, 2011


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posted by elphTeq at 7:07 PM on May 19, 2011


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posted by strixus at 7:09 PM on May 19, 2011


I didn't recognize her name, but damned if I don't recognize those paperback covers.

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posted by Faint of Butt at 7:11 PM on May 19, 2011 [3 favorites]


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posted by Decimask at 7:19 PM on May 19, 2011


The Studio, referenced above, was a New York loft Jones shared with Barry Windsor-Smith, Bernie Wrightson, and Mike Kaluta from 1975-1979. I've met both Bernie and Mike numerous times, and they're just great down-to-earth people. I've always been a little intimidated by Smith and Jones (never met either of them). The seemed be drawing much more on a fine art sensibility and seemed more intellectual about art and what they were trying to accomplish.

But having said that, I'd been friends with Jones on Facebook for the last year or so. She just seemed to really enjoy it, posting a couple times a day. Sometimes older work or even that mornings production. But what really killed me was she acted like your mom when she discovered the internet. She posted years old memes and those FAIL pictures of tipped over forklifts and shit. It was just funny, and very humanizing to see someone I considered a fine artist in every sense of the word posting LOL CATS on Facebook.
posted by marxchivist at 7:24 PM on May 19, 2011 [7 favorites]


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posted by Lovecraft In Brooklyn at 7:47 PM on May 19, 2011


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posted by doctor_negative at 7:55 PM on May 19, 2011


A wonderful artist. It sounds like much of her life must have been hard in ways I can't even really imagine. I hope she had found happiness, as it sounds like she did.

The Comics Reporter has a very nice memorial piece.
posted by kittens for breakfast at 8:38 PM on May 19, 2011


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posted by Not The Stig at 8:41 PM on May 19, 2011


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posted by Bigfoot Mandala at 8:45 PM on May 19, 2011


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posted by MCMikeNamara at 9:00 PM on May 19, 2011


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posted by Smart Dalek at 9:31 PM on May 19, 2011


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posted by Halloween Jack at 9:35 PM on May 19, 2011


When Frank Frazetta calls you the world's greatest painter that's like Jim Henson saying you're the grooviest fuzzball on the planet.

Man's ~qualified~ to hold that opinion, is what I'm sayin'.
posted by chronkite at 9:38 PM on May 19, 2011 [4 favorites]


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posted by methinks at 9:42 PM on May 19, 2011


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posted by KingEdRa at 9:57 PM on May 19, 2011


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posted by cazoo at 10:42 PM on May 19, 2011


He drew women beautifully in I'm Age.
I hope he knew that.
posted by the Real Dan at 11:11 PM on May 19, 2011


I remember some of this work, especially Idyl, from my youth. It holds up exceptionally well and it seems to me that there is a very well thought out grounding in art history in Jones' work. Languid and very reminiscent of Gustav Klimt in the portrayal of women.

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posted by Phlegmco(tm) at 11:24 PM on May 19, 2011


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posted by SageLeVoid at 12:53 AM on May 20, 2011


One of greats. Sad news.


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posted by Thorzdad at 3:57 AM on May 20, 2011


I didn't recognize her name, but damned if I don't recognize those paperback covers.

This.
posted by Fizz at 5:35 AM on May 20, 2011


Dang.

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posted by Splunge at 5:45 AM on May 20, 2011


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posted by cerebus19 at 6:54 AM on May 20, 2011


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I only saw her stuff now and then, never went chasing it down. Didn't know she transitioned. I can really sympathize with the couple of brief sentences Wikipedia sums up her life shortly after transition; it's a hell of a thing to have to go through.
posted by egypturnash at 1:35 PM on May 20, 2011


Sorry to hear about this. Though I had my obsessions with Wrightson & Smith of the Studio gang, she was the true painter of the bunch. Helluva an illustrator.

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posted by Bron at 6:19 PM on May 20, 2011


Here's an appreciation of Jones written by Mike Netzer (Nassar) which does a pretty good job of articulating what made her art special.
posted by marxchivist at 6:26 AM on May 21, 2011




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