JACK DAVIS "A MASTER"
by Rick Goldschmidt
7/20/2003
The BEST way to discuss JACK DAVIS is with visuals and both of these books have quite a bit! HANK is working on a 3rd book right now that deals more with the stories and background on the man.
Jack can do it all! He has done beautiful color paintings for the covers of TIME MAGAZINE, TV GUIDE, PLAYBOY, MAD MAGAZINE and countless Record Album Covers and One-Sheet Movie posters including IT'S A MAD MAD MAD MAD WORLD.
In the artist community...He is a LIVING LEGEND. He is now semi-retired in his home in GEORGIA! He continues to do art for the GEORGIA BULL DOGS and frequent there games! He is an avid Golfer and likes to go out on his boat and spot a Gator or two.
Once JACK's work Graced the covers of TIME MAGAZINE, he became very sought after and one of the most recognizable artists of the Century. His art showed alot of movement and Humor and lengthy fingers and feet. You could always spot a JACK DAVIS and many copy cat artists followed.
JACK did peices of art in both THE ENCHANTED WORLD OF RANKIN/BASS and THE MAKING OF A RANKIN/BASS HOLIDAY CLASSIC: RUDOLPH THE RED-NOSED REINDEER. Without Jack, these books and the RANKIN/BASS resurgence would probably not have come to be. It was in a phone conversation with JACK that Rick inquired about ARTHUR and JULES and JACK pointed the way. To this day, JACK still works on projects for ARTHUR and ARTHUR recently visited JACK in GEORGIA.
JACK Is one of our very favorites!
We have known JACK for over 10 years now and he has always been a gracious man with his time and a super modest person. For RANKIN/BASS he has designed MAD MONSTER PARTY, the WILLY McBEAN & HIS MAGIC MACHINE poster, THE KING KONG SERIES, THE JACKSON FIVE Series, THE ENCHANTED WORLD OF DANNY KAYE, A poster for MOUSE ON THE MAYFLOWER, THE CONEHEADS and a few other various things. He is one of ARTHUR RANKIN's favorite artists. Arthur was attracted to his pen and ink work that he saw in the book Jack illustrated on ABE LINCOLN.
Jack was able to take his work to the advertising world and there was no turning back. Over the last 30 years or so...MOST of Jack's work could be found in ADS, TRADE MAGAZINES and VARIOUS COMMERCIAL WORK. This was where the $ could be found so it was a natural progression. In his early days, he did work for TALES OF THE CRYPT and all the EC Magazines that shocked the world and were ultimately censored. He shared a close relationship with HARVEY KURTZMAN and appeared in all of HARVEY's subsequent magazines after MAD including HELP! and TRUMP.
