Friday Art & History Feature - Boris Vallejo

Those who know me, know that I'm a big fan of fantasy art and artists. One of my favorites is Luis Royo, about whom I wrote previously - find it here.

Boris Vallejo

 My introduction to the world of fantasy art happened through another artist, however. Years ago, when I was still in high school, my grandfather found an old used art book that he bought for me at some library, knowing my love of art. The book was by the artist Boris Vallejo - it was a collection of his work and stories by Doris Vallejo, his wife at the time. I was absolutely fascinated and I have Boris to thank for introducing me to the spectacular, vivid and sensuous world of fantasy (and erotica) art.

The book that start it all for me

 Boris Vallejo was born in 1941 in Peru and immigrated to US in 1964. He began painting at 13, and by the time he was 16, he had his first illustration job. Since then, he has worked with many big publishing houses on illustrations, as well as painted posters for major movies. His first wife, Doris Vallejo, is an artist and a writer. He has two children with her. His second wife, Julie Bell, to whom he got married in 1994, is an artist, illustrator and sculptor in her own right, and Boris has collaborated with Julie on many works. They now live in Pennsylvania and continue to produce incredible works of art.

Boris Vallejo and Julie Bell

 Boris paints mostly with oils. His heroes and heroines are strong and beautiful. Both him and Julie prefer to paint fit, muscular and toned models - though this is especially true for Julie. Because of her fascination with the human body, Julie started weight training, and eventually became a nationally ranked competitive bodybuilder.

Enjoy these paintings* - some are pure Boris, while others are collaboration with Julie, with a few of Julie's thrown in. Visit the Boris Vallejo and Julie Bell website. (As always, I'm not going to post the more explicit paintings, as there might be younger audience here. If you're interested in the art of Boris Vallejo and Julie Bell, their website has all of their work from all the years.)

*Please note that all the artwork is property of Boris Vallejo and Julie Bell.