Artist Profile – Jeffro Kilpatrick, Illustrator
In our first “Artist Profile” we have chosen to feature Jeffro Kilpatrick, a native of Fishtown, Philadelphia.
To put it plainly, Jeff is an Illustrator and an awesome one at that.
I first met Jeff in early 2008 when I was in Philadelphia to do my first solo art exhibition in the United States. After the opening night of the exhibition, the curator Concetta, Lindsy and myself were invited back to Jeff’s where he fed us seemingly endless amounts of Guinness. At some point, I caused him much amusement when I mistook the illustration on the side of my glass for being “some elderly cowboy” when it was in actual fact Vincent Van Gogh. We’ve been friends since although I’m not sure of how highly he holds in regard my knowledge of famous artists.
Philadelphia, 2008: Jeffro looks on as I discuss the “elderly cowboy”
Anyway, back to Jeff and his artwork. It’s not just Jeff’s draftsman abilities which makes him such a unique artist. It’s also his gift at being able to speak through his work. Looking at his illustrations is just like listening to him in conversation.
Jeffro is as much a storyteller as an illustrator. Many of his pieces are like little snapshots of everyday life which when captured, sums up the beauty in the ordinary. In that way he is similar to the late Harvey Pekar. A similarity that goes beyond mere imitation.
Jeff’s original character “Petey”
There are also messages in this work. Not of a preachy nature or anything. He’ll do things like illustrate a pair of shoes wrapped around a telephone wire and proclaim “Sometimes it’s important to just take a deep breath… and observe the beauty in the simple details that fill up our everyday lives”.
Whether it’s the tired waitress working in the diner, the little tortoise kid named “Petey” or the slightly demonic horned creature with a bull ring declaring that “life is crazy”, Jeff’s character’s are real. They laugh like us, they have the same problems as us and they often struggle like us.
As an illustrator myself, I often allow my imagination to veer towards the rediculous and the improbable. I like to imagine that one day a sketch book of Jeffro’s will pop open and out will jump his characters. The horned monster’s with the hearts of gold, the aforementioned burned out waitress, Chewbacca and the Hoth monster dolls that had only moments before been locked in mortal kombat shall spring to life and all group together to carry Jeff down Broad Street, Philadelphia in a moment of triumph as they hail their leader and creator.
Wow, that’s actually an illustration waiting to happen.
On behalf of all of us out there in the interpipes and art galleries who have had the pleasure of viewing your work, cheers Jeff!
Thanks for sharing.
Also, if you’re looking to buy art online then check out Jeffro’s Art Store