Remember that
GIANT box of records I scored at the estate sale? Guess what. I found an album cover by Jim Flora! Just who is this
Jim Flora, you ask? James Flora was a prolific artist and illustrator, best known for his jazz and classical album covers of the late 1940's and the 1950's. I have been an admirer of his work for some time, but only recently had a name to which I could attribute these wild, vibrant, fantastic illustrations that would catch my eye as I ran across them from time to time. His stylized figures are prone to having an extra leg here, a third eye there, or an arm bent far beyond the limits of human anatomy.
Since discovering Jim Flora and his art, I've had it in my mind to seek out any and all album covers I could find with that unmistakable beatnik style. These
albums can go for big bucks on Ebay, even the less desirable ones fetching upwards of fifty or sixty dollars during a recent search. Now, mine's no Mambo For Cats (one of the most rare and coveted of these covers), hell, it's not even in great shape--the edges of the sleeve are reinforced with yellowed tape, but it's a little piece of affordable artwork by one of my favorite artists. So now the search continues for more of these small treasures hidden in musty cardboard boxes at estate sales and thrift stores. I'll keep you updated! Go check out this great
Jim Flora blog by the authors of
The Mischievous Art of Jim Flora and
The Curiously Sinister Art of Jim Flora, both of which are high on my wish list right now.
Remember that GIANT box of records I scored at the estate sale? Guess what. I found an album cover by Jim Flora! Just who is this Jim Flora, you ask? James Flora was a prolific artist and illustrator, best known for his jazz and classical album covers of the late 1940's and the 1950's. I have been an admirer of his work for some time, but only recently had a name to which I could attribute these wild, vibrant, fantastic illustrations that would catch my eye as I ran across them from time to time. His stylized figures are prone to having an extra leg here, a third eye there, or an arm bent far beyond the limits of human anatomy. 
Since discovering Jim Flora and his art, I've had it in my mind to seek out any and all album covers I could find with that unmistakable beatnik style. These albums can go for big bucks on Ebay, even the less desirable ones fetching upwards of fifty or sixty dollars during a recent search. Now, mine's no Mambo For Cats (one of the most rare and coveted of these covers), hell, it's not even in great shape--the edges of the sleeve are reinforced with yellowed tape, but it's a little piece of affordable artwork by one of my favorite artists. So now the search continues for more of these small treasures hidden in musty cardboard boxes at estate sales and thrift stores. I'll keep you updated! Go check out this great Jim Flora blog by the authors of The Mischievous Art of Jim Flora and The Curiously Sinister Art of Jim Flora, both of which are high on my wish list right now.
1 comment:
Wow, Flora has a definite Joan Miro influence in his work. I like it.
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