Catherine Jeffrey Jones was born on this date in 1944. Jones was a seminal paperback artist in the 1960's and 1970's. She worked in comics some at DC and elsewhere, but it did not seem to be her primary focus. Jones created the comic strip Idyll. I know it was featured only a short time ago at the Dojo, but it's really the only choice.
(Berni Wrightson, Catherine Jeffrey Jones, Mike Kaluta, Barry Windsor-Smith - 1978)
Jeffrey Catherine Jones was an enigmatic artist. Part of "The Studio", she was most famous at the time for her incredible paperback covers. Many are on par with the best of Frazetta. Frazetta has said that Jones was his favorite artist. Her comics work was sporadic and most of it was not in the usual venues. Idyl, her most personal work appeared in the "Funny Pages" of National Lampoon, and was work not intended for the typical comic book buyer.
(Dave Sim from Glamourpuss)
She's a bawdy Alice in Wonderland, if Alice was nude and mysteriously pregnant.
Above is the very first "Idyl" installment. It was first published in National Lampoon November 1975 in their first and very distinctive section called simply "Funny Pages".
Above is the final Idyl. It is marked by the singular panel and expansive thought balloon.
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Hi RIP, That image with Jeff Jones is by Dave Sim, from Glamourpuss, I think,
ReplyDeleteGreat blog as usual
Thanks. I've made the needed notations.
DeleteIdyl was generally the most thought provoking page in every issue of Lampoon. Pretty to look at, too.
ReplyDeleteAs solid as Dirty Duck and Trots and Bonnie were, Idyll was always the most fascinating. Artistically it was the Prince Valiant of those Funny Pages.
DeleteA wonderful artist so much so that I have bought a couple of books that are of no interest to me just for her covers. To be honest some of those Idyl strips went over my head, but there is no denying that lovely art Great post again Rip.
ReplyDeleteNo doubt. I have bought several myself. I'd love to have them all, but that's the hoarder in my soul.
DeleteI could always overlook the obscure writing of this strip, but the pen, ink, and brushwork on these always blows me away.
ReplyDeleteI always got the sense that even if I didn't understand it, it was supposed to make sense.
DeleteJones' B&W brushwork and drawings always take by breath away -- that since first viewing and continuing to now.
ReplyDeleteFun fact (maybe): the most zoftig model Jones used was comics (and other) artist Dan Green's wife.
Not-fun fact: Jones' paintings look great at reduced size. A trip to the exhibit of original art at the Society of Illustrators showed that the much larger originals were... not as awesome as that reduced reproduction would suggest.
Still love the pencil and ink work...
I'm sure and I know that you do too, that Jones knew how to make his images effective at the size they'd be seen at on the racks. So much commercial artwork has that chore of being art and advertisement at the same time.
DeleteWhat I pretty much: stuff looked great at published size, not so much in actual size.
ReplyDelete