Jerry's History

Little Jerry!

Â’I've been with this art gig for a real long time; and when it was time to put a leash on my pet turtle and take him for a stroll, I'Â’d put on my favorite snappy outfit...and so went a childhood full of turtles, snakes, frogs, toads, bugs and even alligators!
Adolpho LoFaro 1879-1944

My grandfather, whom I never met, was a scholar and a pharmacist as well as an accomplished artist. He was knighted by the King of Italy before he came to this country in 1918.
Hector LoFaro b.1924

A roofer and sider by profession, my Dad is also an art and music lover, world traveler and eccentric good guy. He discovered his muse in retirement, creating really fascinating paintings and sculptures out of anything he could get his hands on, including tennis balls and cicadas! ThatÂ’s a portrait I did of him as one of the youths from the Sistine Chapel.
Early influences

Disney'Â’s original Fantasia, Tolkien art by the Hildebrandt brothers, the dinosaur mural of Rudolf Zallinger, bookcovers by Frank Frazetta and the album cover art of Roger Dean. One of the highlights of my career was getting to know Roger and being able to present him with a Vargas Award for lifetime achievement from Airbrush Action Magazine in 2001.
High school paintings 1977

On the left is the precurser to the "Beast" bookcover. At Farmingdale Senior High School, my art teacher Roger Hartford was really enthusiastic about this work, and convinced me to do something grander that would hang in the hallway outside the art rooms...
The Mural 1977

This painting was to be my high school legacy, but was stolen just three weeks after it was hung. It mysteriously appeared a year later, and we then glued the canvas to the wall. A week later it was stolen again! Years later, half of it was found in the guidance office, and it was never hung again. Despite being geeky, creating this mural made me cool enough to have a beautiful assistant! IÂ’m forever grateful that Mr Hartford challenged me to do this, effectively setting me on my lifeÂ’s path.
The Pool
The Pool
The Beach
Jackets 1977

The MuralÂ’s fame led to my 1st commissioned assignments - denim jackets. My friends were like walking galleries at concerts! On the bottom is my best friend BobÂ’'s glove compartment that I painted in his Camaro. It was because I was getting so many offers to paint vans that I became interested in the airbrush, but once I learned how to use it I realized that I didn'Â’t like working with automotive paint.
Zepp Jacket
SUNY at New Paltz 1980-81

After high school I wandered a bit, working for my Dad as a roofer, and as a laborer for Nassau County at Old Bethpage Village Restoration where I really learned how to goof off! I finally went to college, only lasting 3 semesters but having a great time - my hitchhiking sign never failed me! Self portrait after Albrect Durer that was done as an assignment for a great professor, Dale Stein.
Stribbles 1981

In college I experimented with oils, blowing the wet paint around with a drinking straw. After almost passing out from the effort, I remembered my old airbrush and compressor! I then used them to create a whole bunch of paintings of surreal and organic patterns I called "Stribblizations."
Paintings 1981-82

IÂ’'m mostly self-taught as a painter, and learned a great deal by copying the work of Old Masters Michelangelo and Titian. My father was very influential in this pursuit by having Renaissance art, books, and the biggest collection of statues of David this side of the Atlantic! Inspired by 3 Mile Island, "Beginning of the End" was what I considered to be one of my first true illustrations.
Art Students League of New York 1981-82

I had the great fortune to study with the very inspiring Gustav Rehberger. Two of my conte drawings along with a study of Mr Rehberger done during one of his famous demonstrations set to music, in this case "Ride of the Valkries," by Wagner; two of his pieces; and a photo from a lecture. IÂ’ll never forget going to his studio on top of Carnegie Hall to help him with something. and finding a lifetime of work in neat 4 ft piles that was like a maze. He passed away in 1995 at the age of 85.
Early paintings 1981-83

I employed the drama and compositional lessons I learned from Mr Rehberger to my oil paintings - "The Birth of Venus," "Inferno," and "Genesis". The latter piece combined a realistic figure with my Stribblization technique.
Paintings 1982-83

I produced a lot of interesting stuff in my parentÂ’s basement working under the light of a 100 watt bulb! From my Tortured Romantic Period: "Toothscape" (inspired by a root canal); " Necrophobia"; "Meltdown" (inspired by an over-ripe plum, but is a lot creepier now); and "Dormant," one of the many bodyscapes I was fond of creating.
The Burning
Expo for Emerging New Talent, Madison Square Garden, NY 1983

A bit of a farce, but a fun experience for someone torn between commercial and fine art. All these paintings actually made up my first portfolio. All the art directors I showed this work to gave me kind words, but no work...go figure!
April Lawton 1949-2006

Guitarist extraordinaire of early 70Â’s supergroup Ramatam and a remarkable scientific and artistic genius. I spent a couple of years assisting April on her work for Science Digest while honing my craft as a young illustrator (thatÂ’s me in her Ferrari). Her impact on my life was immeasurable, and I am deeply saddened by her death in 2006.
Black and White 1982-85

I created a number of black and white editorial pieces for my portfolio on current events occurring at the time including Arms Talks, bad cops, AlzheimerÂ’s and "The Subway Vigilante," Bernie Goetz. However, I didnÂ’t really feel I was cut out to be an editorial illustrator and stopped pursuing this kind of work.
Early portfolio pieces 1983-84

I started to phase out oils in favor of acrylics and meandered my way in search of a commercial style. A sculpted portrait of Beethoven; a mock Time Magazine cover on nuclear tension called "The Button"; portrait of a woman in clouds; more depression in "The Rose"; and "Leviathans," imaginary whales that looked like giant blue zucchini (or worse)! Imagine my shock when this became the first piece I ever got into a Society of IllustratorÂ’s Annual Show.
Pachyderms 1984-86

While building my commercial portfolio, I continued doing large paintings. These were from my series "Pachyderms." The charging elephant is acrylic on canvas, measuring 5 x 6 feet. In the center is "Legend," inspired by the slaughter of rhinos for itÂ’s horn, which when ground up is considered an aphrodisiac in some cultures (look close). It was a real thrill for me when it was later printed in the late Omni Magazine, which was always one of my favorites and a great showcase for surreal art.
Portfolio pieces 1984-85

I continued to develop my technique and create stronger designs and concepts. Another mock Time cover featuring Ronald Reagan with nuclear scarecrows; a painting about having no ideas called "Creative Problems"; and a greatest hits album cover concept featuring David Bowie.
The Conductor 1985

Here I am hard at work in the basement painting the piece that ultimately led to my break through into the illustration field. I was now ready to create beautiful, literary, sophisticated and high priced art for big clients, and this led directly to...
My first jobs!

...a lizard on 6 wheels! I got my first big break with toy packaging for Buddy L and a movie poster from a porn outfit trying to go legit. I can still hear the voice in my head of that hideous troll of a director telling me..."make those boobs bigger, BIGGER!" The art director Len Zabala then hooked me up with American Artists, my long time rep.
Jewel of the Isle 1987

This was done as a promotional give-a-way for a NY Islanders game at Nassau Coliseum. This was a lot of fun to do, and I was given a suite with my friends and family that night. However, the real bonus was being interviewed between periods by the great Stan Fischler on tv, where I infamously stated that "Up until tonight I thought a zamboni was an Italian pastry!"
NYC studio at 270 Lafayette Street 1987-1992

Top left as the star of a promotion for Air Brush Action; Working on the Loch Ness Monster painting alongside my reference caddy; ThatÂ’s master Sci-fi artist Steve Youll sharing my space - we enjoyed working all night listening to movie soundtracks; Right photo was lit by the filming under my window of Patrick SwayzeÂ’s death scene in "Ghost". I used to help cops catch car thieves I observed on Crosby St - great fun!

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