RIP Jeffrey Jones

I was sad to learn that one of my favorite illustrators, Jeffrey Catherine Jones, died today. I first came across her work in the 1970s when she was doing a regular one page comic strip for National Lampoon called Idyl. It was light hearted and whimsical and nothing like the rest of the magazine.

Jeffrey Catherine Jones, the fantasy artist who helped introduce fine art and illustration influences to comics in the '70s and beyond, has died of complications from emphysema and bronchitis, according to numerous reports. She was 67.

In the early 70s, then known just as Jeffrey, Jones helped form The Studio, a group of cartoonists/illustrators that included Mike Kaluta, Bernie Wrightson and Barry Windsor-Smith. Jones was known for her lyrical linework and ethereal paintings, which prompted Frazetta himself to say that Jones was "the world's greatest living painter." Although she produced the comics strip Idyll for National Lampoon in the '70s, Jones was best known for her book covers, prints, and painting, with only a brief dabbling in comics.

RIP Jeffrey Jones

• [jfrancis]

  omg! one of my favorites.

• [jfrancis]

  I have a vague teenage memory of meeting Jeffrey Jones at a Bernie Wrightson show in NYC in ’77

  http://www.digitalartform.com/archives/2009/04/bernie_berni_wr.html

• [Anonymous]

  I recently bought the NatLamp DVD magazine set, specifically to read the Idyll strips. They were so wonderful when I was a teenager, and I kept remembering them for 40 years.

• [Anonymous]

  I love this painter!

  J. Catherine Jones on Copyrights:

  “…If anyone out there has ever previously stolen, lifted, or appropriated any artwork from me, please feel free to keep it or sell it or trade it, in all good conscience. I also believe in bootlegs and pirated publications. This may be art, for God’s sake (not a stolen ’67 Camaro or confiscation of cash from a bank teller’s drawer) and belongs to the people-get it out there! Stop all this “it’s mine!” mentality. Exposure to music, literature, poetry, et al this stuff, is the only way people can improve their lives and hence the state of the world. It’s a noble lift and a pride and humbleness in being a part on the human race that makes us better. I can make more and I’m not starving. …”

  reference: http://www.jeffreyjones-art.com/autobiography.html

• [Egypt Urnash]

  RIP.

• [bjacques]

  Remarkable woman.

  One of my favorite Idyl strips by her is “Aristotle.”

  http://www.jeffreyjones-art.com/idyl1.html

  • [callmeike]

    I immediately thought of exactly that panel, when I read this obit. I spent twenty minutes scanning and cleaning up a version from a well-worn copy of IDYL that I bought while in college, to post here. No need…

    How about this one, instead:
    http://callmeike.net/blake/photos/idyl2.jpg

    -blake

• [Anonymous]

  I remember asking about Jeff in the eighties or early nineties., I
  Remember seeing him in the seventies, when Bob Burden
  Flaming Carrot creator was shopping for publishers. Jeff
  Had a manly beard at the time, and a slightly sad sense of
  Humor.

  My question was shuffled off rather quickly, I thought
  He had merely crawled into a bottle of booze never
  To return, and had heard nothing of gender
  Identity issues. I do wonder how it affected her career,
  And what body of work was created as Catherine. The
  Change may have pressured the ability to exploit
  And sell the art, as I certainly have seen almost
  No work, at least from anyone signing their paintings
  or drawings as Jeff Jones, since the seventies.

  Live and learn

• [Anonymous]

  “A thing of beauty is a joy forever: its loveliness increases; it will never pass into nothingness; but still will keep a bower quiet for us, and a sleep full of sweet dreams, and health, and quiet breathing…..Spite of despondence, of the inhuman dearth, of noble natures, of the gloomy days…yes, in spite of all, some shape of beauty moves away the pall from our dark spirits….” John Keats (1795-1821)

• [Tony Moore]

  a truly sad loss of one of our most remarkable talents.

• [g0d5m15t4k3]

  This is a SHE not a HE correct? Half the links to stories and comments say she, the other half he. I would love to appreciate a woman with a male name like I have who has done awesome art.

• [g0d5m15t4k3]

  ok, wiki explained. he was born male and transitioned to female.

  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jeff_Jones_%28artist%29

• [Andrewski]

  Oh man, for a second there when I saw that headline I thought Mr. Rooney had gone to pedarast heaven! Whew.

• [Anonymous]

  so long, jeff/cath. i enjoyed getting to know you better on facebook. i still wish i had sent you that book to sign, perhaps in another life. what can i say? you made the world more beautiful and interesting with your presence here. the world is less colorful with out you in it. rest in peace.

• [Anonymous]

  Sad news. My friend Maria Cabardo has been shooting a documentary about Jeffrey Catherine Jones. She’s posted some of the footage of her interviews on her website: http://macabfilms.wordpress.com/

• [Anonymous]

  That is sad. What an amazing artist!

• [Tau’ma]

  Wow her name is Jeffrey. I wanna offer condolences, and thank you Mark for Boing Boing and just being who you are. Yall have introduced us to so many weird and wonderful things and people. Personally, yalls blog has helped me through a period of profound grief since April 11, 2003 when my Lucy died. I thank you and love yall forever for that. Þ€ª¢ë õü†

• [MacBookHeir]

  My favorite set of illustrations by Jones is for Michael O’Donoghue and Anne Beatts “The Secret of Coca-Cola Revealed”from The National Lampoon Encyclopedia of Humor. She definitely had a flair that pre-figured much quasi-Goth line work that occurred decades forward.

  The great thing about the editors of Lampoon is that they allowed artists like Jones to sit alongside the likes of Sam Gross and Charles Rodrigues and other more “macho” artists. I’m not sure if that fraternal (and maternal) comraderie exists in comix anywhere anymore

• [Muse]

  Truly sad news. First Frank Frazetta, now Jeffrey Catherine Jones is gone. Jones was a truly staggering talent and one of my all time favorites.

• [Anonymous]

  At first for a minute there I thought that Principal Rooney was dead. Arguably more tragic for non-artsies of my generation.

• [Art Carnage]

  I vividly remember Idyl. Of course, I was a teenager, and the strip was filled with nudity. I recall it suffering, like a lot of alt. comics in the 70s, from the dreaded doesn’t-have-a-point syndrome. Pretty images and rambling dialog (when there was dialog) seemed to be all that was required.

• [Anonymous]

  You missed it, Quiet Wyatt. A spammer appeared briefly, he was off-topic with a link to photos.

  The spammers pop up occasionally, trying to peddle their wares, but the mods do an excellent job of nipping them in the bud.

  Returning to the topic, here’s an interesting quote from Jones, from her autobiography:

  “If anyone out there has ever previously stolen, lifted, or appropriated any artwork from me, please feel free to keep it or sell it or trade it, in all good conscience. I also believe in bootlegs and pirated publications. This may be art, for God’s sake (not a stolen ’67 Camaro or confiscation of cash from a bank teller’s drawer) and belongs to the people-get it out there! Stop all this “it’s mine!” mentality. Exposure to music, literature, poetry, et al this stuff, is the only way people can improve their lives and hence the state of the world. It’s a noble lift and a pride and humbleness in being a part on the human race that makes us better. I can make more and I’m not starving.”