http://jasonholley.com/artwork/categories.php?cat_id=1 Wed, 08 Sep 2010 14:34:35 GMT http://jasonholley.com/artwork/details.php?image_id=593 Tue, 26 May 2009 20:27:29 GMT
This piece was done for a review of the Cameron Crowe director’s cut of
“Almost Famous.” The movie loosely chronicles Crowe’s life as a 14-year-old
reporter for Rolling Stone Magazine. “Untitled ” spent much more time with
its teenaged protagonist than “Almost Famous” and included more sex and
drugs and (most importantly) more of Seymour Phillip Hoffman channeling
the rock critic, Lester Bangs. In the painting, I tried to capture a sense of
someone being woken up out of an ether dream by insanely loud music—
probably Zeppelin’s, “Moby Dick.” The greatest part of the DVD release
is the full-length commentary by Crowe and his mother.]]> Illustration http://jasonholley.com/artwork/details.php?image_id=593 http://jasonholley.com/artwork/details.php?image_id=594 Tue, 26 May 2009 20:27:29 GMT
The 20th publication of American Illustration was a big deal. Over the
previous 19 years the book had become the industry’s leading source
for the best illustration in the country and they were ready to celebrate
the achievement. The book had been hugely influential for me and when
Fred Woodward called to see if I would be interested in creating an image
for the poster, I was ecstatic. This was one of those jobs I really did not
want to screw up.]]> Illustration http://jasonholley.com/artwork/details.php?image_id=594 http://jasonholley.com/artwork/details.php?image_id=595 Tue, 26 May 2009 20:27:29 GMT
The triumph of this job was learning to say Mahmoud Ahmadinejad
without stumbling over the man’s name. This was a cover image for an
issue that included a number of different articles exploring the current
state of Iran and it’s president. The image needed to be neutral enough to
support a variety of opinions, but weighty enough to hold down the cover
of The New Republic’s brand new redesign. The portrait is pretty straight-
forward, but I do really like the unnatural, florescent tube-y kind of light
that I achieved in the finished painting.]]> Illustration http://jasonholley.com/artwork/details.php?image_id=595 http://jasonholley.com/artwork/details.php?image_id=596 Tue, 26 May 2009 20:27:29 GMT
Dell commissioned a number of paintings to be printed into the lids
of their new line of laptops. I really like the idea of this image becoming
and unbecoming. Although it may be a bit of a jab at a culture accustomed
to “command z” or infinite levels of “undo,” I think actions without
consequence are inherently boring. The bees in this painting understand
that even in the midst of total annihilation there is always time to make
some honey.]]> Illustration http://jasonholley.com/artwork/details.php?image_id=596 http://jasonholley.com/artwork/details.php?image_id=597 Tue, 26 May 2009 20:27:29 GMT
This was a huge story (8000 words) that touched on an incompetent police
department, murderous gangs, malfeasance at the LA Times, showbiz,
money, the biggest civil law suit in the city’s history, a devastated mother,
and an assassin who has yet to be brought to justice. The editors wanted
every single one of those elements included in the illustration. I understood
their desire to want to control the image—it was and is an important story
that had been painstakingly investigated and constructed over years—but
often, my job is to consolidate the information by distilling the story down
to its ’ essence thus sharpening the impact of the picture. In the case of
this painting, it was going to be a losing battle. The challenge was to make
this complicated painting look somewhat effortless and cohesive. The final
directive from the editors was that there be something to indicate that the
story was taking place in Los Angeles. The more I thought the absolute worst
cliché on the planet—the palm tree—the creepier and more appropriate
it seemed to me. If you live in Los Angeles, you learn pretty quickly that the
trees that populate the City of Angels are actually filled with rats.]]> Illustration http://jasonholley.com/artwork/details.php?image_id=597 http://jasonholley.com/artwork/details.php?image_id=598 Tue, 26 May 2009 20:27:29 GMT
This was a portrait of Black Gold, the racehorse who won the 1924
Kentucky Derby, as well as several other notable races. Forced to race
long past his prime, he broke his leg in front of a hometown crowd and
was immediately euthanized on the infield of the New Orleans Fair Grounds.
Spectators lined up to clip pieces of his tail and mane, flags were flown at
half mast and children were excused from school the next day to attend
the burial. When the Seabiscuit biographer, Laura Hillenbrand, was asked
if she would consider writing the story of Black Gold, she said, “I can’t,
it’s too sad.”]]> Illustration http://jasonholley.com/artwork/details.php?image_id=598 http://jasonholley.com/artwork/details.php?image_id=599 Tue, 26 May 2009 20:27:29 GMT
This article starts with a quote from “To Kill a Mockingbird” that states
that it is a great sin to kill a mockingbird, but it is perfectly acceptable to
kill as many blue jays as you want. The author makes a case for these much
maligned creatures who are crucial to Oak tree propagation among other
things. It’s true about the Oak trees, I’ve seen it first hand outside of our
kitchen window; the jays collecting acorns and shoving them into the
ground to let them develop a little gravy before feasting. I never thought
about shooting them, with arrows or otherwise, but we did get one particularly
social one named Peanut to eat from our hands. The detail was important
in this painting because one of the things I remembered about Peanut was
that close up, he was a little terrifying—but then again, who isn’t?]]> Illustration http://jasonholley.com/artwork/details.php?image_id=599 http://jasonholley.com/artwork/details.php?image_id=600 Tue, 26 May 2009 20:27:29 GMT
This magazine is read by financial wizards and for those who speak their
language. I am neither. I read this article from front to back, five times, and
had no idea what it was about—split annuity life insurance something,
something, something. The designer was equally flummoxed, which made me
feel a little better about myself, but got us no closer to a solution. We called
in the editor who confused us even further. Finally, with a working title of
“Divide and Conquer” and the assumption that, whatever the article was
actually about—it was likely that it had something to do with making, using
and / or keeping money. I created a number of drawings. To my great
surprise, the editors thought they were spot-on. They picked two that
they really liked and left the third choice up to me. I picked the bunnies.]]> Illustration http://jasonholley.com/artwork/details.php?image_id=600 http://jasonholley.com/artwork/details.php?image_id=601 Tue, 26 May 2009 20:27:29 GMT
Another image created for use on Dell laptops. I always enjoyed painting
birds, but after I met my wife, a birder, it became a bit of an obsession.]]> Illustration http://jasonholley.com/artwork/details.php?image_id=601 http://jasonholley.com/artwork/details.php?image_id=602 Tue, 26 May 2009 20:27:29 GMT
This was for an article about the murky and potentially dangerous practice
of out-sourcing manufacturing to any factory around the world. My painting
was heavily influenced by a sculpture created by the artist, Chris Burden. His
piece, “Medusa Head,” is a 6-foot round ball of (what looks to be) solid rock
suspended from the ceiling by a large chain. Circling around and tunneling
through the rock are a couple dozen model trains; their hauler cars filled with
tiny chunks of oar. It is an amazing piece of art.]]> Illustration http://jasonholley.com/artwork/details.php?image_id=602