2014 Artist Spotlight II

Jeanine Henderson
http://www.jeaninehenderson.com/

Tara Jacoby
http://tarajacoby.com/

Jenna Kass
http://jennakass.com/

Ricardo Lopez-Ortiz
http://www.rlopezortiz.com/

Jeffrey Alan Love
http://www.jeffreyalanlove.com/

Craig Maher
http://craigmaher.net/

Jorge Mascarenhas
http://jorgemstudio.com/

Carly Mazur
http://carlyjanine.com/

Aaron Miller
http://www.aaronbmiller.com/

Lee Moyer
http://www.leemoyer.com/

Scott Murry
http://www.scottmurry.com/

Winona Nelson
http://winonanelsonart.com/

Daniel Nyari
http://iamdany.com/

Chris O'Neill
http://chriseoneill.com/

Kiri Østergaard Leonard
http://kirileonard.com/

Jeffrey Alan Love - Kristina Carroll

A portrait of fellow artist and Month of Love founder Kristina Carroll.  Thanks Kristina, and everyone else, for having me be a part of this - it was very inspiring to spend a month making art with all of you.   I hope our paths cross again!

Jeffrey Alan Love - Jon Snow & Ghost

I loved the books in George R. R. Martin's "A Song of Ice and Fire" series so much that I refused to watch the HBO show until after the most recent book had come out - I didn't want their vision of the world and its characters to intrude on the one I had created in my mind while reading the books since they had started.  Two of my favorite characters in the books are Jon Snow and his albino direwolf Ghost.

Jeffrey Alan Love - Black Hair

"Black Hair" by Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds was the first love song that popped up today on my shuffle. 

Jeffrey Alan Love - Moby Dick

"And this is what ye have shipped for, men! to chase that white whale on both sides of land, and over all sides of earth, till he spouts black blood and rolls fin out."

Jeffrey Alan Love - Musashi

Eiji Yoshikawa's book "Musashi" may be my favorite book of all time - it's not only an epic adventure story, but in many ways a manual on how to live a worthwhile life.  On Sundays I often take a few minutes to reset and think about what I will spend my time on in the coming week, and the lessons I learned from "Musashi" often help guide my thoughts.

Jeffrey Alan Love - Zeus & Athena

Today's theme "I Would Do Anything For Love (But I Won't Do That)" reminded me of the birth of Athena.  Zeus swallowed her mother after having sex with her because it had been prophesied that any of her offspring would be more powerful than the father.  It was too late, though, for soon Athena sprang from his skull, fully grown.  I'd do a lot for love, but cannibalism and giving birth through my skull aren't going to happen.

Jeffrey Alan Love - Dredd

I watched Dredd the other night and loved it.  How many other directors/writers would have had him take off his helmet?  How many actors would have insisted in their contract that their face had to be shown?  I had no idea what Karl Urban looked like until a friend told me he was that one guy in Lord of the Rings.  And if anyone else had made the film they would have had Anderson and Dredd kiss, and added about ten to fifteen minutes at the end to "wrap things up".  It lived up to my expectations while also confounding them and I love when a movie can do that to me.

Jeffrey Alan Love - Mating Rituals

The way we dress, the clothes we wear, the postures we take everyday - to me they are a low-level, constant hum of a mating ritual.

Jeffrey Alan Love - Dragons

From Smaug to Kilgharrah, the dragon who sleeps in chains beneath Camelot, I have always loved dragons.

Jeffrey Alan Love - The Odd Couple

Today's theme brought to mind Beauty and the Beast to me.  I love fairy tales that retain their sense of menace, their dark edge, rather than the polished and watered-down versions I see so much now. 

Jeffrey Alan Love - Capes

I know that there are many rational explanations as to why you shouldn't wear a cape (either as a superhero or a normal everyday person) but I still love them.

Jeffrey Alan Love - Tainted Love Two Times

I missed the deadline yesterday, so here's two for today.  I've noticed before that acrylic tends to stick to itself when I paint on facing pages of sketchbooks.  For the "tainted love" theme I thought it would be fun to paint a man and woman on facing pages, perhaps lovers, separated when the sketchbook is open, together when it is closed and we can't see them.  A secret love.  But when they are pulled apart the acrylic rips and pulls at itself, and wounds them.

Jeffrey Alan Love - The Sword from Toledo

When I was 6 my father went to Spain for work for a few weeks.  When he came back he gave me a sword.  It wasn't just any sword, however.  It was a sword from Toledo, which as any child of 6 who is obsessed with knights, swashbucklers, and pirates can tell you is famous for its steel and the  swords made from that steel.  It was like a tale of old - my father journeys to a distant land to bring back a sword for his firstborn son (my brother also got a sword, but that's beside the point).  The sword seemed huge, larger even than me.  As I've gotten older and grown the sword has shrunk to normal size, but the immense magic that it sparked within me, the limitless places it took my imagination, still remain. 

Jeffrey Alan Love - Valentine's Day

Jeffrey Alan Love - Sleeping Muse

Jeffrey Alan Love - My Favorite Figure Drawing Model

Jeffrey Alan Love - The Undead King Rises

Anyone who flips through my portfolio can probably tell that I love to draw skulls. 

Jeffrey Alan Love - Sunday Lunch

One of my favorite things to do is draw in my sketchbook - it's become ingrained that if I go out my sketchbook is coming with me.  One of the best pieces of advice I ever got was from Brent Watkinson at The Illustration Academy when he advised everyone to "Draw What You Drink".  It's a great way to make sure you do a little drawing from observation every day.  In the past 5 years I must have drawn thousands of glasses of water, beer, wine, coffee, etc...  It's become meditative for me, an escape into mindless, pure drawing enjoyment.  Here's a page from lunch today.

Jeffrey Alan Love - A Face Only A Mother Can Love

Today's theme reminded me of the horribly scarred Sandor Clegane, aka "The Hound", from George R. R. Martin's fantasy series "A Song of Fire and Ice" (better known now perhaps as "Game of Thrones" due to the HBO series).  This is the vision of him that lived in my head while reading the books.