Featured Artist: Jeff McCloskey

When I think of why I started the (no name) Art Group, Jeff McCloskey is one of the first artists to come to mind. I worked along side Jeffrey (as I think only I refer to him as) at KYW-TV in Philadelphia from 1996-2002. I was fascinated by his cluttered desk and love for Frank Zappa, and even more fascinated by the world of talent he encompassed under all that hair.

Focusing on the process rather than the end product, Jeff makes art for arts sake, and has fun doing it. At his work station Jeff surrounded himself with multicolored markers, pencils, pens, whimsical doodles, plastic bugs, rubber lizards, robots, coffee mugs, and about a million other unrelated random objects. It was like a crazy mad science lab with each item arranged in some kind of organized chaos that could only be deciphered by Jeffrey. You could find him working quietly in this little world, concentrating on his next masterpiece. It was this kind of pure energy I wanted the group to support, and it was artists like Jeffrey who I wanted to share with the world. I remember Jeffrey eagerly taking up the first project back in 1999, and he has gladly accepted every project since (with the exception of the Vietnamese portraits– a gals only project). Every piece of art he created was imaginative and experimental, varying in styles from traditional graphite to digital. And one more note that is not unnoticed, Jeffrey’s art always meets the deadline! (hint hint, other artists)

Jeff has recently illustrated his first children’s book. As a lover of animals “Not A Used Dog, At All” was a perfect fit, and the illustrations reflect Jeff’s love and care for life on our planet. All profits from this book will be donated to animal rescue and shelter groups. It is now sold online at Amazon.

I am honored to have such a great artist and person in our group. Jeff continues to support the group (and me!) not only with his art, but his positive attitude and encouraging words. Thank you Jeffrey!

 

Jeff’s Bio

Jeff McCloskey is an Emmy winning graphic designer and graduate of the Art Institute of Philadelphia, has been designing and animating graphics for television since 1986. He recently illustrated a children’s book about adopting shelter dogs called “Not a Used Dog, At All” for author and co-worker Carol Erickson. Jeff currently works and lives in Philadelphia with his wife Lori and their 2 dogs and 4 cats.