Jeffrey Catherine Jones (January 10, 1944 – May 19, 2011) was an American artist whose work is best known from the late 1960s through the 2000s. Jones created the cover art for more than 150 books through 1976, as well as venturing into fine art during and after this time. Fantasy artist

Frank Frazetta Frank Frazetta (born Frank Frazzetta ; February 9, 1928 – May 10, 2010) was an American fantasy and science fiction artist, noted for comic books, paperback book covers, paintings, posters, LP record album covers, and other media. He i ...

called Jones "the greatest living painter". Although Jones first achieved fame as simply Jeff Jones and later as Jeffrey Jones, after 1998 she transitioned to female and added Catherine as a middle name.

Early life

Jeffrey Durwood Jones was born and raised in

Atlanta Atlanta ( ) is the capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Georgia. It is the seat of Fulton County, the most populous county in Georgia, but its territory falls in both Fulton and DeKalb counties. With a population of 498,715 ...

Georgia Georgia most commonly refers to: * Georgia (country), a country in the Caucasus region of Eurasia * Georgia (U.S. state), a state in the Southeast United States Georgia may also refer to: Places Historical states and entities * Related to the ...

. As a child, her father was overseas in the military. She graduated from

Georgia State College ) , established = , closed = , type = Public historically black university , parent = University System of Georgia , academic_affiliation = Space-grant , endowment ...

in 1967 with a degree in geology and was keenly interested in art and admired the work of

Johannes Vermeer Johannes Vermeer ( , , see below; also known as Jan Vermeer; October 1632 – 15 December 1675) was a Dutch Baroque Period painter who specialized in domestic interior scenes of middle-class life. During his lifetime, he was a moderately succe ...

, Giovanni Battista Tiepolo, and Rembrandt.

Career

Jones moved to New York City to pursue an art career and quickly found work drawing comics pages for King Comics,

Gold Key Comics Gold Key Comics was originally an imprint of American company Western Publishing, created for comic books distributed to newsstands. Also known as Whitman Comics, Gold Key operated this way from 1962 to 1984. Currently, Gold Key Comics is owned b ...

, ''

Creepy Creepiness is the state of being wikt:creepy, creepy, or causing an unpleasant feeling of fear or wikt:unease, unease. A person who exhibits creepy behaviour is called a creep. Certain traits or hobbies may make people seem creepy to others. The ...

'', ''

Eerie ''Eerie'' was an American magazine of horror comics introduced in 1966 by Warren Publishing. Like '' Mad'', it was a black-and-white magazine intended for newsstand distribution and did not submit its stories to the comic book industry's volunta ...

'', and ''

Vampirella Vampirella () is a fictional vampire superheroine created by Forrest J Ackerman and comic book artist Trina Robbins in Warren Publishing's black-and-white horror comics magazine ''Vampirella'' #1 (Sept. 1969), a sister publication of '' Cre ...

'', as well as

Wally Wood Wallace Allan Wood (June 17, 1927 – November 2, 1981) was an American comic book writer, artist and independent publisher, widely known for his work on EC Comics's titles such as '' Weird Science'', '' Weird Fantasy'', and ''MAD Magazine'' fr ...

's '' Witzend''. She painted covers for books, including the

Ace An ace is a playing card, die or domino with a single pip. In the standard French deck, an ace has a single suit symbol (a heart, diamond, spade, or club) located in the middle of the card, sometimes large and decorated, especially in the c ...

paperback editions of

Fritz Leiber Fritz Reuter Leiber Jr. ( ; December 24, 1910 – September 5, 1992) was an American writer of fantasy, horror, and science fiction. He was also a poet, actor in theater and films, playwright, and chess expert. With writers such as Rober ...

's '' Fafhrd and the Gray Mouser'' series and

Andre Norton Andre Alice Norton (born Alice Mary Norton, February 17, 1912 – March 17, 2005) was an American writer of science fiction and fantasy, who also wrote works of historical and contemporary fiction. She wrote primarily under the pen name ...

's ''Postmarked the Stars'', ''The Zero Stone'', ''Uncharted Stars'' and over 150 others. For a period during the early 1970s, Jones also provided illustrations to Ted White's ''

Fantastic The fantastic (french: le fantastique) is a subgenre of literary works characterized by the ambiguous presentation of seemingly supernatural forces. Bulgarian-French structuralist literary critic Tzvetan Todorov originated the concept, charac ...

''. She drew many covers and short stories for a variety of comics publishers including

DC Comics DC Comics, Inc. (doing business as DC) is an American comic book publisher and the flagship unit of DC Entertainment, a subsidiary of Warner Bros. Discovery. DC Comics is one of the largest and oldest American comic book companies, with thei ...

, Skywald Publications, and Warren but generally avoided the superhero genre. In the 1972–1975 issues of '' National Lampoon'', Jones produced a full page strip entitled ''Idyl''.

The Studio

From 1975 to 1979 Jones shared a workspace in Manhattan's

Chelsea Chelsea or Chelsey may refer to: Places Australia * Chelsea, Victoria Canada * Chelsea, Nova Scotia * Chelsea, Quebec United Kingdom * Chelsea, London, an area of London, bounded to the south by the River Thames ** Chelsea (UK Parliament consti ...

district with

Bernie Wrightson Bernard Albert Wrightson (October 27, 1948 – March 18, 2017), sometimes credited as Bernie Wrightson, was an American artist, known for co-creating the Swamp Thing, his adaptation of the novel ''Frankenstein'' illustration work, and for his o ...

Barry Windsor-Smith Barry Windsor-Smith (born Barry Smith, 25 May 1949) is a British comic book illustrator and painter whose best known work has been produced in the United States. He attained note working on Marvel Comics' ''Conan the Barbarian'' from 1970 to 197 ...

, and

Michael Kaluta Michael William Kaluta, sometimes credited as Mike Kaluta or Michael Wm. Kaluta (born August 25, 1947), is an American comics artist and writer best known for his acclaimed 1970s adaptation of the pulp magazine hero ''The Shadow'' with writer De ...

, collectively named The Studio. Dragon's Dream produced a volume of their work in 1979. Industry journalist Tom Spurgeon commented on the broader significance and influence of The Studio in his obituary of Jones at ''

The Comics Reporter Thomas Martin Spurgeon (December 16, 1968 – November 13, 2019) was an American writer, historian, critic, and editor in the field of comics, notable for his five-year run as editor of ''The Comics Journal'' and his blog ''The Comics Reporter''. ...

'': By the early 1980s she had a recurring strip in '' Heavy Metal'' titled ''I'm Age''. Cartoonists

Walter Simonson Walter Simonson (born September 2, 1946) is an American comic book writer and artist, best known for a run on Marvel Comics' '' Thor'' from 1983 to 1987, during which he created the character Beta Ray Bill. He is also known for the creator-owned ...

and J. D. King said at the time that Jones had a growing interest in expressionism and did not pursue comic work as closely thereafter.

Personal life

In 1964 while attending

Georgia State College ) , established = , closed = , type = Public historically black university , parent = University System of Georgia , academic_affiliation = Space-grant , endowment ...

, Jones met fellow student Mary Louise Alexander (later notable as writer Louise Simonson). The two began dating and were married in 1966. Their daughter Julianna was born the following year. After graduation, the couple moved to New York City but divorced in the early 1970s.

Gender transition

As an adult, Jones recalled wanting to be a girl from her earliest memories. She confronted these issues in 1998 and began

hormone replacement therapy Hormone replacement therapy (HRT), also known as menopausal hormone therapy or postmenopausal hormone therapy, is a form of hormone therapy used to treat symptoms associated with female menopause. These symptoms can include hot flashes, vaginal ...

. Comics writer and journalist Steven Ringgenberg elaborated on the transition in an obituary/tribute to Jones at ''

The Comics Journal ''The Comics Journal'', often abbreviated ''TCJ'', is an American magazine of news and criticism pertaining to comic books, comic strips and graphic novels. Known for its lengthy interviews with comic creators, pointed editorials and scathing r ...

'':

Death

Jones' personal Facebook page reported following her death: "Legendary fantasy artist Jeffrey Catherine Jones passed away today, Thursday May 19, 2011 at 4:00 am surrounded by family. Jeffrey suffered from severe emphysema and

bronchitis Bronchitis is inflammation of the bronchi (large and medium-sized airways) in the lungs that causes coughing. Bronchitis usually begins as an infection in the nose, ears, throat, or sinuses. The infection then makes its way down to the bronchi. ...

as well as hardening of the arteries around the heart..."

Awards

Jones was nominated for the Hugo Award for best fan artist in 1967, and for the best professional artist Hugo in 1970, 1971, and 1972. In 1975 she was nominated for the

World Fantasy Award The World Fantasy Awards are a set of awards given each year for the best fantasy fiction published during the previous calendar year. Organized and overseen by the World Fantasy Convention, the awards are given each year at the eponymous ann ...

for best artist and won the award in 1986. Additionally, Jones was nominated for the Chesley Award in 1999.

Films

In 2012 a film retrospective on DVD by Maria P. Cabardo was released by Indiegogo featuring interviews with friends, fellow artists, and the artist herself titled ''Better Things: The Life and Choices of Jeffrey Catherine Jones''.

Bibliography

Books

* ''Age of Innocence: The Romantic Art of Jeffrey Jones'' 39 pages, Underwood Books, August 1994, * ''The Art of Jeffrey Jones'' 160 pages, Underwood Books, October 2002, * ''Jeffrey Jones Sketchbook'' 107 pages,

Vanguard Productions Vanguard Films, Inc. was an American film production company, established by producer David O. Selznick in 1943, after the dissolution of Selznick International Pictures. The company's president was Daniel T. O'Shea; Dore Schary was the head of pr ...

, April 2007, * ''Absolute

Death Death is the irreversible cessation of all biological functions that sustain an organism. For organisms with a brain, death can also be defined as the irreversible cessation of functioning of the whole brain, including brainstem, and brain ...

'' includes "A Winter's Tale" a six-page short story written by Neil Gaiman and drawn by Jones, 360 pages,

, October 2009, * ''Jeffrey Jones: A Life in Art'' 256 pages, IDW Publishing, January 2011, * ''Jeffrey Jones: The Definitive Reference'' 178 pages, Vanguard Productions, May 2013,

Comics

Charlton Comics

* '' Charlton Bullseye'' #1 (1975) * '' Flash Gordon'' #13 (1969)

DC Comics

* '' The Dark Mansion of Forbidden Love'' #3 (cover) (1972) * '' Heroes Against Hunger'' #1 (1986) * ''

Showcase Showcase or vitrine may refer to: *Cabinet (furniture) *Display case Music * ''Showcase'' (Bill Anderson album), 1964 * ''Showcase'' (Patsy Cline album), 1961 * ''Showcase'' (Buddy Holly album), 1964 * ''Showcase'' (Philly Joe Jones album), 1959 ...

'' #83–84 ( Nightmaster) (1969) * ''Vertigo: Winter's Edge'' #2 (1999) * '' The Witching Hour'' #14 (1971) * ''

Wonder Woman Wonder Woman is a superhero created by the American psychologist and writer William Moulton Marston (pen name: Charles Moulton), and artist Harry G. Peter. Marston's wife, Elizabeth Holloway Marston, Elizabeth, and their life partner, Olive Byr ...

'' #199–200 (covers) (1972)

Fantagraphics Books

* ''Jones Touch'' #1 (1993) * '' Vaughn Bodē's Erotica'' #2 (introduction) (1996)

Gold Key Comics

* ''Boris Karloff Tales of Mystery'' #21 (1968)

HM Communications, Inc.

* '' Heavy Metal'' #v4 #2, 11; #v5 #3–4, 6–12; #v6 #2–12; #v7 #1–12 #v8 #1–4; #v11 #2 (1981–1987)

Last Gasp

* ''Spasm'' #1 (1973)

Marvel Comics

* ''Conan Saga'' #31 (1989) * '' Epic Illustrated'' #10, 19, 25, 30 (1982–1985) * '' Heroes for Hope Starring The X-Men'' #1 (1985) * '' Savage Sword of Conan'' #5 (1975)

NL Communications, Inc

* '' National Lampoon'' #v1 #28, 35, 38–39, 46–52, 54, 56–60 (1972–1975)

Pacific Comics

* ''

Alien Worlds ''Alien Worlds'' is an American science fiction anthology comic that was published by Pacific Comics and, later, Eclipse Comics, in the early 1980s. It was edited by Bruce Jones and April Campbell.Johnston, Rich"When Diamond Comic Distributor ...

'' #4 (1983) * ''Berni Wrightson: Master of the Macabre'' #4 (1984) * ''Pathways to Fantasy'' #1 (1984) * ''Ravens and Rainbows'' #1 (1983)

Renaissance Press

* ''The Forbidden Book'' #1 (2001)

Skywald Publications

* ''Nightmare'' #6–7 (covers), 21 (1971–1974) * ''Psycho'' #5–6, 9, 12 (1971–1973)

Spiderbaby Grafix

* ''

Taboo A taboo or tabu is a social group's ban, prohibition, or avoidance of something (usually an utterance or behavior) based on the group's sense that it is excessively repulsive, sacred, or allowed only for certain persons.''Encyclopædia Britannica ...

'' #5 (1991)

Topps Comics

* '' Jurassic Park'' tpb (1993)

TwoMorrows Publishing

* ''Streetwise'' #1 (2000)

Warren Publishing

* ''Comix International'' #3 (1975) * ''

'' #16, 29, 91, 103, 120 (1967–1980) * ''

'' #11–12, 15, 27 (1967–1970) * ''

'' #4–5, 9, 12, 27, 32–34, 50, 83 (1970–1979)

References

External links

* ** ** *
Tribute Woman in the Man
Jones tribute by

Michael Netzer Michael Netzer (born 9 October 1955) is an American-Israeli artist best known for his comic book work for DC Comics and Marvel Comics in the 1970s, as well as for his online presence. Early life Michael Nasser (later Netzer) was born in Detroit, ...

, May 20, 2011 *
Jones biographical retrospective
by Maria P. Carbardo, 2012 {{DEFAULTSORT:Jones, Jeff 1944 births 2011 deaths 20th-century American painters 20th-century American women artists American comics artists American female comics artists American speculative fiction artists American women painters Artists from Atlanta Deaths from arteriosclerosis Deaths from emphysema Fantasy artists LGBT artists from the United States LGBT comics creators LGBT people from Georgia (U.S. state) Place of death missing Savannah State University alumni Science fiction artists Transgender artists Transgender women World Fantasy Award-winning artists 21st-century American painters 21st-century American women