Thursday, May 23, 2013


Nautilus Pen & Ink Wash

11x17" on paper


I decided to do a large version of an earlier sketch I did. So Here's the latest pen & ink drawing in my "sea creatures" series of a Nautilus. From Greek meaning Sailor. Having survived relatively unchanged for millions of years, nautiluses are often considered "living fossils." It's 11x17", mixed ink on paper.

Detail


Friday, May 17, 2013


Dad's Book is Printed and Available

The Blarney Boy & other short stories

by Joseph Jeffs



The first copies of my Dad's book are hot off the press, The Blarney Boy and other short stories. Decades in the making, my Dad's creative works are finally in printed form for all to enjoy. It's a 256 page 5.5" x 8.5" perfect bound book with a gloss laminated cover.  If you would like a signed copy for a discounted friends & Family rate of $12.00, send a check or money order with shipping information to:

Joseph Jeffs
Peter Pun Press
835 Bowie Road
Rockville, MD 20852

If you would like to contact the author for any questions or comments you can either email him at peterpun21@comcast.net or call him at 301-762-1886. Below is a short explanation about the book from Joe, a few reviews, including one from William Peter Blatty author of the Exorcist, and an about the author. Congratulations Dad!! It was an honor to design the book and illustrate the cover for you. Readers ENJOY!

About the Book

Introduction by Joe Jeffs: Readers will note that many of these stories relate to the foibles of or incidents in the life of Irish-Americans. This reflects my upbringing in the Irish side of my family. The Irish have a long history of story telling and I suspect that I have inherited a wee bit of those national genes. To see in an activity, an event or emotion the seed of a story and then to fertilize it with your imagination is the essence for creating a short story. A corollary to this is the need to allot regular time for the actual writing and revision. Alas! At the latter I have been an abject failure. Thus, my output has been quite modest—a total of 20 or so finished stories and parts of a novella and novel. This collection contains a baker’s dozen of the short stories. I hope my readers will find as much pleasure in reading as I did in writing them. Erin go bragh!


Reviews

These stories by a talented writer will bring pleasure to a wide variety of readers. The title story (The Blarney Boy) should make Bill Gates check his family tree; and The survivor will nudge historians of the Titanic disaster to add another dimension to their accounts of individual survivors; the exploration of vengeance as a possible virtue in Froggy, and a special audience with Pope Pius XII by an American bartender and its disastrous consequences in The man who lied to Peter are some of the themes that Jeffs explores in these well crafted stories. I highly recommend this book.
William Peter Blatty Author of the Exorcist

Like J.F. Powers and Frank O’Connor before him, the short stories of Joseph Jeffs ring with authenticity. His characters and themes emerge clearly and with narrative leaps of a finely tuned imagination. An authority on books, Jeffs has now produced one of his own in a noble tradition. Serious readers, everywhere, will be grateful.
William Claire, Founding Editor of Voyages (Magazine) 


About The Author

Joseph Jeffs Retired from careers as a University Library Director and proprietor of an Internet rare book business, Joseph Jeffs now spends his time writing fiction, reading, traveling and enjoying the activities associated with his family (8 children, 22 grandchildren and one great-grand child). He is long time resident of Rockville, Md., where he rattles around the now empty nest with his wife, Jeannine.



Joe (the author), Jeannine, Jane, and Harrison Jeffs. April 2013



Joe, Jeannine, Tim, and Harrison Jeffs. April 2013

Saturday, May 11, 2013


Graphic Novel Character

Horseman Black


11x17" on paper


Here's a final concept drawing of a character for a graphic novel idea I'm working up. The story in a nutshell is a post-apocalyptic western, in which native americans fight to take back their country after a nuclear war between China and the US has occurred. This is one of 4 horseman (Black or Famine), hence 4 horsemen of the Apocalypse (white/Conquest, Red/War, Black/Famine & Pale/Death)  will be a theme.

Detail

© Tim Jeffs Art 2013

Friday, May 10, 2013


The Secret Sculptor

A look at one of many artistic sides of Joe Jeffs


"Madonna" by Joe Jeffs


My Dad always had a half-done piece of a sculpture, draped in a sheet, in the corner of his dark downstairs office. I remember as a child I loved to poke around his workbench that covered as a tool closet, fix it center, and art studio all in one. Half repaired broken household items, children's toys, and tools littered his workspace. It was every little boys' treasure chest of cool items to investigate. But the one thing that you never missed was the smell of artists clay wafting up from under that sheet. I was fascinated by the half-completed, covered figures that were hidden beneath those old sheets. I would peek under to see a body split in half with sheets of tin almost ready for casting or a head on a pole. They gave the impression of haunting figures in a long-forgotten, abandoned mansion, covered over to keep the dust off. I distinctly remember playing with my Dad's sculpting tools, touching the blobs of unused clay, and getting the smell of it all over my hands. The memory of the feel and smell of the clay is as clear as if I was touching it today.


The artist circa 1960 and 2013



Being one of the youngest of 8 kids, many of my dad's sculptures were done years before I was born. Therefore, I only have vague memories of Dad talking about his sculpting when I was growing up. I actually never saw him sit down to sculpt. Even my older sister Denise doesn't remember seeing our father work on a sculpture. He was truly the secret sculptor and it was something he did late at night while the rest of the house was asleep. Now this is hard to believe, because I'm one of eight children. Along with our Grandmother on my mother's side, who moved in to our house to live there when I was in 6th grade, we totaled 11 in all. All living together in a small originally 4 bedroom colonial. We eventually added a 2 bedroom addition to the back of the house, but it was still close quarters living. 

Throughout the house, his finished casted sculptures sat on book shelves, by the fireplace, and outside on our screened in porch. Everything from passionate religious themed figures in emotional poses, to political statements, to figures from greek mythology, to heads and busts of family members. Super realistic to modern art style creations, Dad tried it all.

Dad's tools


One sculpture in particular that always amazed me was a life size head Dad did of my older brother, Tony. It was the first completed sculpture he ever attempted, and It had such a uncanny resemblance of Tony that it almost seems alive. When I looked at it, it was like staring directly at my brother. It sat for years on a dresser at the bottom of the basement steps, staring into the former TV room, which eventually became my Dad's Library. How did he ever get my squirmy brother to sit still long enough to do it? Tony recalls his experience of posing while dad sculpted him at the age of 4. 


Head of my brother Tony Jeffs at age 4. Plaster Cast 1968. Height 15"


"Dad was taking a sculpting class at the local recreational center called Elwood Smith and he brought me in as his subject matter. All I remember was thinking this is complete torture! I couldn't sit still." He did the piece in the class over the course of a few weeks, sculpting it in Plasticine, a substance that doesn't dry out like regular clay, which constantly needs to be moistened. Then he built the casting mold out of plaster of paris. But before encasing the plasticine head in plaster, he would divide it into two halves by cutting tin cans into flat pieces, inserting a line of them directly into the center of the plasticine head. This enabled him to take the mold off in two pieces after the mold dried. Next he coated the inside of the now revised mold with a green substance that would keep the final sculptures plaster from sticking. He then poured pre-colored plaster, either white, greenish gray, or red into the hollow mold, let it dry, and removed the mold to reveal the final sculpture. Not an easy task.



His Training


Constantine Seferlis


Dad's excitement and love of sculpting continued, and he enrolled into sculpture classes given by Constantine Seferlis who taught in his Kensington Maryland Studio. Constantine (1930–2005) is acknowledged as a master sculptor and stone carver whose works exemplified a group of public monumental artists in the United States during the second half of the 20th century. He was a Greek sculptor who's talents graced many buildings in Washington D.C. including parts of the facade of the Smithsonian Castle, the U.S. Capital building renovations, the granite interior of the Washington Monument, and most famously the limestone gargoyles, pinnacles, saints, and angels of the National Cathedral. Dad enjoyed his classes for two years in the early 1960s'.

One of many Gargoyles by Constantine Seferlis that decorate the

 National Cathedral in Washington DC



Relief

The classes Dad took under Constantine Serferlis advanced his knowledge of the human form, figurative structure, and composition. The relief of a woman's head called "Madonna" below is one of my favorite pieces of his. The lines are exquisite and guide your eye throughout the piece. The woman's hairline, as you can see in the picture taken from the side, gracefully flows from top to bottom. It is my Dad's largest piece at 22" high.

"Madonna"





Religious themed Pieces

My Dad's faith has always been a very important part of his life, and it shows in the group of religious sculptures below. He sculpted stories from the bible that where emotionally charged and meaningful to him.


1) "The Visitation"

Dad based this piece on a story from the bible called the Visitation. Mary visits her relative Elizabeth; they are both pregnant. Mary is pregnant with Jesus and Elizabeth is pregnant with John the Baptist. Catholics believe that the purpose of this visit was to bring divine grace to both Elizabeth and her unborn child. 

He did two versions of this piece. The first was a study about 6 inches tall, and final larger one about 15 inches tall. The larger piece sat by our fireplace throughout my entire childhood. He cast the study in a reddish colored plaster, and the final piece in green. The embrace Dad captured just feels so honest, real, and genuine.

This is the smaller study he did first. Height 6"



The final piece from two angles. Plaster case, height 15"




A painting of the Visitation



2) "Agony in the Garden"

This is another religious inspired piece. It refers to the events in Jesus' life as recorded in the New Testament, when immediately after the Last Supper, he took a walk to pray. 

Dad's decision to have the figure hugging the rock is another example of his thoughtfulness for simplistic yet expressive composition. The way in which he tilted the head and had the arms envelope the rock strengthens the emotion the piece conveys.

Plaster case. Height 5"



A painting of Agony in the Garden by Heinrich Hofmann 1890



3) "Abraham and Isaac"

The Binding of Isaac is a story from the Hebrew Bible in which God asks Abraham to sacrifice his son. According to the biblical story, God commands Abraham to offer his son Isaac as a sacrifice. After Isaac is bound to an alter, the angel of God stops Abraham at the last minute, and says, "Now I know you fear God." At this point, Abraham sees a ram caught in some nearby bushes and sacrifices the ram instead of Isaac.

This piece always captivated me. In my view Dad captured the scene of the story perfectly. I love how he decided to have Abraham on his knees, with the knife (made from a nail) in hand, hugging his son in such a loving embrace, while struggling with the decision he is faced with. From the back you can see Isaac's arms wrapping around his father's body, trusting him completely. The embrace between father and son is truly beautiful. As a child, I still remember being fascinated with touching the tip of the sharp nail against my finger, and the thoughts of pain it emulated.







A painting of Abraham and Isaac by Giovanni Lanfranco



Politically themed


"Passive Resistance"

The civil rights movement was Dad's inspiration for this piece. My Dad and Mom both were very involved in civil rights during the 1960's. The figure is posed in a fetal position protecting his head and vital organs from the onslaught of violence during protests. It's another beautiful example of Dad's ability to capture so much with so little detail. 
Plaster case. Length 8"

An example of a civil rights protester in a passive resistance position



Emotionally themed


"Depression"

This piece is of a man sitting on a rock with his hands between his arms. Dad described it to me as an expression of human depression. This is the only piece he still has at home.





Unfinished Studies

Below are several works in progress that Dad never finished. They are still in the sculpting stage. After decades of sitting untouched in his basement, the Plasticine is still soft and moldable. Dad still talks of finishing them, which I hope he does, along with many other ideas that he has told me about.



1) "Narcissus"

Dad's Narcissus is his third largest sculpture after Madonna and Tony's Head. His plan was to cast it and then add a mirror as the lake in which Narcissus is staring at his reflection. You can see that the arm ends where the mirror would be, and would appear as if he was dipping his hand into the lake. I hope he can find the time to finish the cast and add the mirror.

Narcissus, meaning "sleep, numbness" in Greek mythology, was a hunter who was renowned for his beauty. He was the son of a river god named Cephissus and a nymph named Liriope. He was exceptionally proud, in that he disdained those who loved him. Nemesis saw this and attracted Narcissus to a pool where he saw his own reflection in the water and fell in love with it, not realizing it was merely an image. Unable to leave the beauty of his reflection, Narcissus died.


Two angles of Narcissus

A painting of Narcissus in the pose that Dad was inspired by




2) "Matthew Jeffs' profile"

This was a portrait he did of Matthew when he was 8 years old.


3) "Woman at the wall"

The "Woman at the Wall" is of a woman patently waiting by a sea wall for her sailer husband to come home from his voyage.



Dad gave away all of his sculptures, except one, to his children and grandchildren. I sought out as many as I could for this post and I ended up with a total of 10 pieces of Dad's art. The emotions he was able to convey through such simple detail is astonishing to me. His sculptures fascinate me, inspire me, and express such depth from a sculptor I will always admire. 


I know part of my artistic ability came from my father. He is a talented, but a very modest, artist. His love of art drove him to create wonderful pieces of sculpture. He did them queitly, unknowingly to many. He did all of his sculpting during a very busy time in his life as a husband, while performing an extremely demanding job as Curator of Georgetown University's Library, and as a father of eight children. I will always admire his love of art, his encouragement to me as a young boy to be an artist, and that both Dad and Mom filled our lives with fine artwork, culture, literature, and music. That secret sculptor known as Dad, is secret no more.



Thursday, May 9, 2013


Sea Turtle Pen & Ink Wash

11x17" on paper


Here's the latest pen & ink drawing in my "sea creatures" series. While scuba diving I've had the amazing experience of being able to swim with sea turtles in their natural environment. Something I will never forget. Such beautiful peaceful creatures. It's 11x17", mixed ink on paper.


Detail




Wednesday, May 1, 2013


My father and the Exorcist

Dad's supernatural brush with the novel


Willaim Peter Blatty acknowledgment of Dad in the Exorcist


This post has nothing to do with my art, but my appreciation for my fathers connection with literature. For me, The Exorcist has always been the scariest book ever written and movie ever made. Both, in my mind, are masterpieces of creative writing and cinema. A copy of the book always sat on the shelf in the hallway outside my bedroom in the house I grew up in, in Rockville Maryland. And when I was young, the cover always scared me. I remember when I first got the courage to read the book and how I was fascinated by it while being scared out of my mind. And then at a very young age seeing the movie, at night, and running home from the theater in complete fear. Fearful of every dark room I passed on my way up to my bedroom that night. And having a hard time falling asleep, knowing that something was under my bed. When I talked to my dad about the movie his response was, "the books much scarier, rubber masks aren't as scary as your imagination." That's a true librarian, and book lovers reaction for ya. Dad always tells you exactly how he feels.


A copy of the first edition in perfect shape which Dad had William Blatty sign for me.


My father went to Georgetown University and was a classmate of William Peter Blatty who would later write the Exorcist. Dad, at the time Mr Blatty wrote the book, was the Head curator of Georgetown Unversity's library and helped Bill, as Dad calls him, do research for the book. To this day they are close friends. He gave my dad credit on the acknowledgment page in the back of the book, which you can see in the picture at the top of this post.

The Cover Page signed by WIlliam Blatty to me. 

It reads "For Tim- With every kind wish in the known universe"


Dad met up with William Blatty recently and had him sign a first edition of the Exorcist for me. I've always wanted a signed copy for my library, and Dad came through. It's a hard copy first edition from 1971 in perfect shape. Even the wrap jacket is perfect. Hard to believe after 42 years. He inscribed the cover page with "For Tim- With every kind wish in the know universe, William Peter Blatty." I'll keep it always and past it onto my kids.



My Dad Joe Jeffs


On our recent trip down to Washington to see my Mom & Dad I was able to go by and take some photos, with my family, of the house and staircase that appeared in the Exorcist movie. They are in Georgetown, in Washington DC. Here are a few composite split screens I made of "Then and Now". It's been 40 years since the movie came out in 1973, and 42 years since the book was written in 1971. But in Georgetown it feels like Evil is still lurking!


A then and now split screen of The Exorcist movie set in Georgetown 40 years later. Harrison is standing in for Max von Sydow


Here's a split screen of the house used in the Exorcist Movie. The top, from 1973 was the image for the movie poster. They completely changed the house for the movie. Adding a left wing, adding a roof, stone wall, and iron gate.



The infamous Staircase seen in the end of the Movie 40 years later

 Top of the steps looking down...way down! Jane is holding on for dear life.

The Exorcist House Then & Now


In this split screen you can see where they constructed the mock left wing of the house for the movie. They needed to extend the house so that Regan's bedroom window overlooked the staircase. Jane is standing at the top of the staircase, almost 30 feet from the original house.

Me at the bottom of the famous "Exorcist Stairs"