The Borisography: J

Jackal
Jackal, Boris Vallejo MM96.25 Painted for the Marvel Masterpieces '96 trading card set.

I guess that the signature and date are outside of the area used for the card. One assumes that, like all the other artwork for the set, it was painted in 1995 or 1996.

Jade Manikin (1981)
Jade Manikin, Boris Vallejo B1.35
CD1
Mirage
Portfolio 10
1984-Apr
Although this was painted for Mirage, it was also apparently used as the cover for another book by Ballantine Books.

Jade Manikin - detail, Boris VallejoWhilst it is true that a manikin can be a type of mannequin, and that spelling is often used for the title of the painting, I should point out that it has an alternative meaning of "…a small man, pygmy or dwarf." This closeup of the girl's cleavage clearly shows which meaning Boris intended.

The shear skill exhibited in painting the fabric and lace of the girl's clothing makes this one of my favourite paintings.

Jason (1991)
Jason, Boris Vallejo BJ.64
Ladies
Drawn to illustrate the story of Medea in Ladies.

Greek Mythology: Jason and the Argonauts, some two dozen of Greece's finest warriors, sailed on the Argos to retrieve the Golden Fleece, overcoming many dangers along the way - a tale filled with violence and treachery.

Javelin (1985)
The Javelin Thrower, Boris Vallejo B2.20
CD1
FPG.46
1987-Feb
1997-Jul
One of the 1987 Fantasy Olympic Calendar series.
Jean Grey in Warp (1994)
Jean Grey in Warp, Boris Vallejo '94 This painting of the classic superheroine Jean Grey was executed for the X-Men '95 Ultra trading card set.

This character has had a very chequered history having died and been reborn several times. I am unable to say which version of her is portrayed here.

Jeans
Torso, Boris Vallejo B1.46
Sketch.085
Ult_Ill.056
After the success of Mirage it was suggested that Boris undertake a similar project based on the male, as opposed to the female, body. This drawing was the first artwork for the new project but it foundered because he found that his "…heart wasn't in it."
Jeannie's Kitten (2013) (BJ)
Jeannie's Kitten, Boris & Julie 2015.Jul This was a painting commissioned for IlluXcon's (also known as IX) 2013 exhibition.

For those that don't know, IlluXcon is an "…annual convention of artists, students, collectors, and fans of imaginative realist art." The propretors are Patrick and Jeannie Wilshire the latter providing inspiration for the female figure and the original title Jeannie's Kitten.

Jen (2000)
Axe Maiden, Boris Vallejo Sketch.123
Ult.Ill.047
According to Ultimate Illustrations the figure was modelled by a professional NFL cheerleader. No other information is given about this drawing.
Jermaine (BJ)
Jermaine, Boris & Julie Imagix.086 A portrait of Jermaine o'Neal, who played for Indiana Pacers from 2001 - 2007, painted for Nike.

The painting is undated but I would guess that it was painted in 2002 because during that year the team used the retro 1972 outfit that o'Neal is shown wearing. (A more recent Instagram post says it was painted in 2003.)

The Jewel of Seven Stars (1998)
The Jewel of Seven Stars, Boris Vallejo SG.041
Dreams.018
Ult_Coll.163
Cover art for an edition of Bram Stoker's novel The Jewel of Seven Stars but unfortunately I'm unable to say who the publisher was – the book is out of copyright and so, consequently, has been printed by many, many publishers.

The Jewel of Seven Stars - detail, Boris VallejoIf you think the girl's hands look odd here's a closeup:
The story hinges upon a hand bearing seven fingers that was taken from the mummy of an Egyptian queen.

More recently, the painting has been used for a jigsaw and I notice that the two smaller digits have been removed so that the hand now has the correct, albeit unusually elongated, number of fingers

Jiroc of Sten (1999)
Jiroc of Sten, Boris Vallejo 2000-Centre Originally painted as Allister the Slayer it has been stretched by adding additional borders to the top and bottom to make it fit the 2000 Fantasy Calendar centrepiece.
JLA vs Avengers (1995)
JLA vs Avengers, Boris Vallejo '95 Painted for the Fleer/Skybox 1995 trading card set DC versus Marvel. It was released as 9 separate cards which assembled into the complete painting. The whole image was also available as an uncut sheet - see Trading Card Part Sets: 1995 for more information.
Joe Weider (1999)
Joe Weider, Boris Vallejo A portrait of Boris' friend Joe Weider. I do not know why this was painted but it may be significant that it was produced in Weider's 80th year.

Weider was a very successful businessman in the fitness/bodybuilding world: as well as setting up several bodybuilding magazines he also produced, and sold, fitness supplements and set up the annual Mr Olympia contest plus its spin-off contests. Over the years Boris has produced a few artworks for, or related to, a number of these businesses.

John Carter of Mars (2008) (BJ)
John Carter of Mars (drawing), Boris & Julie Drawn for a private commission, it seems to have been produced simultaneously with, or immediately before, the painting of the same name. Although it is a vertical format whilst the painting is horizontal the two works are very similar in design – click here to see the painting.
John Carter of Mars (2009) (BJ)
John Carter of Mars (painting), Boris & Julie 2014-Jun My original understanding was that this was promotional artwork for the movie John Carter of Mars but it transpires that it was actually a private commission.

The painting was used for the month of June in the 2014 Fantasy Calendar.

John Galt (1979)
John Galt, Boris Vallejo Painted for an article in the May 1979 edition of Starlog magazine about the science fiction of Ayn Rand.

Rand's 1957 book Atlas Shrugged, set in the early part of this century, tells the story of John Galt who is a political activist. A crucial part of the tale towards the end of the book is where he is captured and tortured by the government, a scene graphically illustrated in this painting.

John F Kennedy
John F. Kennedy, Boris Vallejo Boris2 No information is given about this drawing in Boris II – my suspicion is that it was a portfolio piece from when Boris first arrived in the USA.
Josie (1998)
Josie (1998), Boris Vallejo I assume this to be a portrait of Josephine Maisonet, a model frequently used by Boris (and Julie Bell) who is the subject of the Images of Josephine trading card set.

This painting was found on the original version of the Imaginistix web site (where it was laterally reversed) which gave the title but no other information.

Josie (2018)
Josie (2018), Boris Vallejo Another portrait obtained from Boris' and Julie's web site which, in common with all the other artwoks shown there, does not provide any information apart from a title. Once again the model is assumed to be Josephine Maisonet.
Jotun (1992)
Jotun, Boris Vallejo B3.17
1993-Feb
Painted for the 1993 Mythology Calendar.

Germanic Mythology: Jotun was a benevolent being; the Valkyries made offerings to him in exchange for strength in battle. The Jotun could adopt different shapes and would accompany the Valkyries into battle, remaining invisible to their opponents.

The Journey (2011) (BJ)
The Journey, Boris & Julie 2013-Nov This is a modified (ie censored) version of the painting The Trail used for the 2013 Fantasy Calendar.

Curiously, whilst in my copy of the calendar the painting is clearly signed and dated 2012, the image that I downloaded from the internet is clearly dated 2011! The original painting was dated 2007.

Journey's End (2001)
Journey's End, Boris Vallejo 2003-May Apparently painted for the 2003 Fantasy Calendar where it appears for the month of May.
Joust (1987)
Joust, Boris Vallejo B4.65 This was painted for a European movie which was never released on the movie circuit, though the painting was used for the cover of the video release.

Unless I mistake the face greatly, the male model is Dorian Vallejo.

Julie (1996)
julie, Boris Vallejo AC.1
CIS.8
This work was painted by Boris for his own pleasure, rather than as a commission. In the Artist's Choice set it is entitled Julie, and in Comic Images Supreme it is entitled 10+++, which is a touching evaluation by Boris of his wife.
Julie Strain (1996)
Julie Strain (1996), Boris Vallejo This was painted for the Julie Strain 1996 Heavy Metal Calendar.

Boris's wife, Julie Bell, also produced a painting in the same calendar.

Julie Strain (1999)
Julie Strain (1999), Boris Vallejo This was painted for another Julie Strain calendar (for 2000?.) Once again, Julie Bell also did a painting for the calendar.
Julie's Pet (1997)
Julie's Pet, Boris Vallejo Sketch.013
Ult_Ill.112
A concept drawing for Franklin Mint, I'm not aware of them producing anything similar to this design.
Jungle (1980)
Jungle, Boris Vallejo BJ.27
Mirage
This is one of the Mirage paintings.

Although Mirage does not use any titles, this painting is referred to as Jungle in Boris' introduction. I have since discovered that the french version of the book, which does have some titles, also uses this same name. Despite all this, it is more commonly referred to as Leather Jacket.

Jungle Man (2003) (BJ)
Jungle Man, Boris & Julie Ult_Ill.059 This was a commission from an Edgar Rice Burroughs fan that the artists met at one of the Dum-Dum conventions.

Julie drew the female figure whilst Boris frew the male one.

Jungle Talk (2004) (BJ)
Jungle Talk, Boris & Julie Ult_Ill.121 Like Jungle Man this too was a commission from a fan (the same one?) that they met at a Dum-Dum event.
Jungle Warriors
Captive of Gor, Boris Vallejo 1983-Apr Book cover for Captive of Gor (Ballantine, 1976) by John Norman.

Painted 1976.

Junglescape (2018)
Junglescape, Boris Vallejo This drawing was published on Boris' & Julie's web site where it is available as a signed print. No information is provided about the drawing but I would guess that it was another private commission.
The Junk Collector (2004)
The Junk Collector, Boris Vallejo 2006-May A painting from the 2006 Fantasy Calendar. The placement of the signature (not readily discerned in my thumbnail) near the lower middle suggests it might have been intended for the calendar.

The painting also appears in the book Fantasy Art Now edited by Martin McKenna (I L E X, 2007) for which Boris wrote the foreward.

The Junk Collector - detail, Boris VallejoVarious illustrations of the painting have been stretched at the top (and, I suspect, at the bottom) to change an almost square painting into a vertical format. Not only that, the point at which the stretching commences varies from one source to another – two examples are shown together with the original (on the left.)

Just Doodling Around
Just Doodling Around, Boris Vallejo Boris2.22 As the title suggests, this is one of Boris' doodles circa 1968.

Owners of the Boris II - The Fantasy Continues trading card set may recognise this cartoon: it appears on the back of several of the cards.

Justice (2010)
Justice, Boris Vallejo Tarot This painting for the Tarot series was published in the September 2010 edition of Heavy Metal.

As usual, Justice is protrayed as blind and carrying a sword and scales. Here, she is modeled by Boris' favourite model – his wife Julie Bell (who does in fact feature in many of Boris' painting for the set.)



Page last updated: 2024-03-02